Leah Rachel On 'Chambers' & Working With Uma Thurman

(CBS Local)-- Leah Rachel is a relative unknown in the entertainment world.

When her casting director put Uma Thurman at the top of the list to play Nancy on her show "Chambers," the director laughed out loud. Not only did Thurman love the show, but she ended up becoming a producer as well.

"I flew out to New York and I met with her and we pitched her the story and pitched her the character and why we are telling the story," said Rachel in an interview with CBS Local. "She has a daughter that is a couple of years older than the daughter she loses in the show. It was obviously a gut-wrenching performance that she had to do. She came on as a producer as well, she is incredibly smart and had amazing ideas."

"Chambers" tells the story of a young heart attack survivor that becomes obsessed and consumed by the heart that kept her alive. The show's lead Sivan Alyra Rose didn't even have a head shot when she auditioned. Rachel says that Thurman set the tone for everyone on set.

"She is kind of like the god mom of the show," said Rachel. "She showed the kids that you show up on time, you do your job and you treat the cameraman the same way you treat the craft service person. She set a precedent for everybody. If Uma is doing it, you got to do it too. I was even nervous working with her and writing for Uma Thurman."

The Ohio native Rachel says it was just as weird creating this show as it was to make it. The director started the project because she was intrigued by two things.

"I wanted to tell a story of young female identity and fighting to retain your own identity," said Rachel. "Growing up, there is this dark coming of age element to this story. The world is constantly trying to tell you who you are and box you in. If you don't fit in a box, they get scared and can't deal with it. I have to write about what I'm constantly dealing with in my head. I was raised Jewish, but I never really adhered to any religion, but I'm always kind of searching. The show is really spiritual. Just as much as it is scary, it is also spiritual."

"Chambers" premieres Apr. 26 on Netflix.