Brooke Point Graduate Has Pink Ranger Power.

LOS ANGELES 1998 Brooke Point High School graduate Erin Cahill will visit living rooms across the nation this year via television. She has been cast as the pink ranger for this season’s Power Rangers, which will begin to air on Fox Kids February 3.

Ever since she was four years old and acted in her first play, a local high school production of Carousel, Cahill knew she wanted to be an actress.

So the aspiring performer danced and acted continuously throughout her career as a Stafford County student.

Among many activities and accomplishments, Cahill was president of the Thespians, selected for Governor’s school for theater and competitively danced in various states along the east coast.

"High school was like a dream. It was tough for the first few years, but my senior year was unbelievable. I was Homecoming and Prom Queen and voted ‘most likely to be a movie star’," she said.

Her first professional acting job was at the age of 16 at the Wayside Theater. She portrayed one of the Cratchett sisters in a production of ‘A Christmas Carol.’ Her real-life younger sister, an actress and singer, also played a Cratchett sister in the play.

Cahill has acted in commercials, soap operas and some independent films.

After graduation, Cahill studied at Marymount Manhattan College for Performing Arts in New York, where she had received an academic and performing arts scholarship.

"It was my first year on my own. It was full of freedom and joy and hard work. It was the most challenging year, and the most fun. I had to work my butt off but I wouldn’t have it any other way."

"The city is just so alive. I was studying musical theater in a place where it thrives the most. I was constantly surrounded by what I love the most," she said.

Cahill was on the dean’s list both semesters she studied at the college.

High school and college taught Cahill the technique of the craft, which is the foundation where anyone who is interested in acting must learn, she said.

After two semesters at the college, Cahill’s sister and her mother, Deborah Cahill, decided to move to Los Angeles.

Cahill traveled there during the summer of 1999 to help with the move. She had already registered for her classes for her next semester when someone suggested she stay out in Los Angeles while she is still marketable for young roles.

"Taking risks is what causes life to jump to different levels. I was just so lucky to have my mom and sister to ride on their coat tails."

Cahill said that her mother is her inspiration.

"My mom has been constantly inspiring. She’s always given me the confidence I needed. She’s so gutsy. She’s been unstoppable. And she never pushes me," Cahill said.

Deborah Cahill was a teacher in the Prince William County School system for 20 years and co-founder of Winning Image Models and Talent Management. The agency now has a branch here in Virginia and one on the west coast.

Cahill was approached in Los Angeles by the casting director for the Power Rangers television show at a convention, where Cahill was a guest-actor.

"I took it lightly and hoped for the best," she said.

One-thousand people auditioned for the part of the pink power ranger. Cahill was called back five times.

"It was exciting and challenging," she said. "They kept sending people home. The toughest part was when the audition was over, you knew you couldn’t change anything."

But there was no need for Cahill to change anything. Her enthusiasm for acting and talent was apparent, and she was finally selected as the new pink power ranger.

"Everyday I get there to the set and everyday I am so thankful. I work with the most wonderful people," she said. "It’s hard work and when you work the hardest, that’s when it’s the most fun."

This season, the Power Rangers are police officers from the Year 3000, who have traveled back in time to catch an evil nemesis. Cahill’s character is the leader of the time force.

"There’s lots of action, but also an intricate story line with a range of emotions, love and death. The combination will appeal to a wider audience," she said.

Filming for the show will end sometime this fall. When asked what she will do next, Cahill said, "I’ll keep auditioning, keep studying, just work my tail off until another opportunity comes along."