Breckenridge '07 stars in 'Related'

The camera pans over the streets of New York, focusing on four young women. A fresh-faced, raven-haired girl stands out from the other three bleached blondes: Laura Breckenridge '07.

Just one year ago, Breckenridge lived a normal Princeton life. She loved her Butler dorm room with its waffle ceilings, chose to major in Classical Studies, danced with Body Hype and enjoyed Panera's cream of chicken soup on especially cold winter days. Now, she's taking over the streets of New York (or, rather, a Hollywood soundstage's version of it) as Rose Sorelli in the WB's latest hit television show, "Related."

Breckenridge plays the youngest of four sisters, caught in the angst-ridden transition between childhood and adulthood. Her rebellion is swift: she switches her college major from premed to experimental theater, dyes her hair blue and pierces her tongue, all in the show's first episode.

The other three sisters have equally melodramatic lives. The oldest, Ginnie, played by Jennifer Esposito, is a high-powered lawyer who has unexpectedly become pregnant. Anne (Kiele Sanchez) is dealing with a painful breakup by dating a much younger man. Marjee (Lizzy Caplan) is erratic and promiscuous, and she deals with her third-child insecurity by dating a string of men who are completely wrong for her.

If the characters sound familiar to fans of a certain defunct HBO series, they should. "Related" is the collaborative brainchild of "Sex and the City" writer Liz Tuccillo and "Friends" producer Marta Kauffman, and it includes elements of both cult shows.

Breckenridge seems to perfectly embody the character of Rose, who is sweet and soft-spoken, though strong-willed and headstrong when the time calls for it. She captures Rose's anguish over growing up, probably because she is experiencing the same changes.

"I understand her, and I've been in that place in my life," Breckenridge said in a telephone interview. "It's that transition period between being a kid in your parents' home and being on your own."

Breckenridge, however, said she never felt the need to rebel like Rose does. "I never dyed my hair, I never really even cut my hair," Breckenridge said, laughing. "I never felt I had to prove anything by changing myself." She paused. "Sometimes I wish I had the guts to cut my hair."

Breckenridge said her path was always pretty clear, and it led right to the stage. She was classically trained in ballet, and performed with the Pennsylvania Ballet through much of her childhood. She danced the lead role of Clara in "The Nutcracker" and was in productions of "Coppelia" and "Cinderella."

She made the move to theater with her Broadway debut in Richard Eyre's "The Crucible," costarring Laura Linney and Liam Neeson. Breckenridge also took a year off after her freshman year at Princeton to act in "The Moonlight Room," a critically acclaimed off-Broadway play. Her other theater credits include "God of Vengeance," "The Melancholy Play," "The Baby and Johnny Project," "The Snow Queen" and "The Radio City Christmas Spectacular."

Her big break into television came last year when, as a sophomore, she came upon the script for the pilot episode of "Related." She auditioned in New York, one thing led to another, and soon, Breckenridge was trading in her room in Butler for an apartment in Los Angeles.

But Breckenridge's newfound fame hasn't tainted her small-town charm. The Flourtown, Penn., native finds her self-consciousness amplified now that her face is broadcast to millions of television sets each week.

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"It's very weird and striking sometimes," Breckenridge said. "You're on set for 12 to 16 hours a day. You do your work and sometimes you forget that people are watching you."

Buzz has spread about "Related" since it was named one of TIME Magazine's "6 Shows Not to Overlook" earlier this month, and Breckenridge's profile in Hollywood has risen along with it. Already, she's experienced glimmers of fame, like being recognized at a store, receiving strange mail from an overzealous fan and garnering invites to Hollywood shindigs.

"Every time someone recognizes me I turn bright red," she said. "It's kind of embarrassing."

Breckenridge can next be seen on the silver screen in three upcoming films. In "Loving Annabelle," an independent film about a love affair between a Catholic school teacher and her student, Breckenridge plays a shy school girl. "Southern Belles" stars Breckenridge and Anna Faris as two Southern girls who embark on a "Thelma and Louise"-esque road trip. Breckenridge also makes an appearance as a runaway in "Havoc," starring Anne Hathaway, Bijou Phillips and Freddy Rodriguez.

Despite her extracurricular career, Breckenridge is committed to returning to campus. "I definitely want to return to Princeton, to finish up my thesis and graduate," Breckenridge said. "We'll see how things go, but I know I never want to stop working at all."