Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah McGuire. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sarah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

Honestly, at the end of the day, some of the kindest moments I’ve experienced in my craft have just involved me being given a chance. The fact that SO many people in my life (in the film industry specifically) didn’t bat an eye when I came out as queer back in 2018 was SUCH a relief for me. I genuinely worried that that might be the end of my career, as I wasn’t aware (at the time) of many local / indie actors being outwardly queer. When in fact, MOST of the people I’ve worked with before, and after I came out have made efforts to showcase my being queer in relevance to the character(s) I’m playing. Whether it’s deliberately shown in the script, or if it’s just a side-note for ME as the actor to know about my character; these specific filmmakers have not only acknowledged my sexuality, but have made every effort to incorporate that into the script to show proper and accurate representation.

Not all queer people are good human beings. Much like not all heterosexual people are good human beings either. I’ve played a few characters now that are openly queer, who just happen to be absolute monsters… which I feel a lot of people in the LGBTQIA+ community might not agree with at first glance, but honestly, we (the alphabet mafia) NEED to be seen not only as heroes and protagonists, but also as villains and even sometimes monsters. Because there are some in EVERY community.

Sarah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Well, first off: Hi! I’m Sarah. I stumbled into acting in high school when I was put into a theatre class purely by a schedule mishap. I was one of those “jocks” who actually made fun of theatre kids years before, so you can imagine my surprise being stuck in a class with the same peers that I mocked years before…

Long story short, I realized those same peers that I made fun of turned out to be some of the most beautiful, honest and genuine human beings I’d ever met. I got my first “bug” in the acting world my junior year of high school, and after that, I was HOOKED! I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to know more, learn more, DO more.

I completely changed my college goals and trajectory from journalism (possibly playing soccer in college as well) to Musical Theatre. Unsurprisingly, my parents were in full support. They had ALWAYS supported my older sister and me in whatever fancy or activity either of us wanted to take up; though they were a bit apprehensive and warned me that things “might not work out the way I want them to go”. I didn’t care. I was headstrong, 18, and ready to face the world!

The first year of college was… interesting? To say the lease? I learned a lot about myself in the process, specifically my weaknesses when it came to acting overall. But I didn’t let that stop me. I studied, watched, learned, and adapted during my 4 years at uni. I would like to say that that was the “end’ of my growth as an actor, until one day, in my senior year, I was approached by a fellow theatre friend who asked me to be in a “48 Hour Film Competition”… I thought “Well, I’ve never done FILM before… it sounds kind of cool… Sure! Why not!”

And… that was the beginning of the end for me. It was an INCREDIBLY small / low budget short film, I sat in the makeup chair for about 2 hours, and I was on screen for MAYBE all of 5 seconds. That didn’t matter. I was hooked. Yet again.

From this “little” film came another film, then another, another, and another, and then the “flood gates” seemed top open up and I was now exposed to not only the theatre world, but a whole community of filmmakers in the Kansas City area!

I have met some of the coolest, kindest, and most creative people–both behind the camera like writers, directors, grips, g&e’s, producers, DPs, etc–to fellow actors that I now consider not only trusted coworkers and colleagues, but also incredibly close friends of mine as well!

While I am still “reaching for the stars” to find that one “big break” role, I am SO honored to have the friendships I’ve made in my journey, and I hope that my “film family” here in Kansas City will continue to grow!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Well, to be honest, I’m STILL trying to “unlearn” this, but one of the most impactful things that I was told in college was “I can see you getting a ‘big head’ if you ever get a lead”…

I’m sorry… what???

I was a freshman when a professor told me this in front of my classmates in college, and it still haunts me to this day. I feel as though I have never given off any sense of arrogance or entitlement when it comes to an audition. I also have been diagnosed with an inferiority complex by my therapist; which basically means that I always feel “less than” or “insignificant” compared to those around me… so why I decided to get into acting, which predominately deals with rejection, criticism, and critiquing, I had NO idea… but here we are.

Through this singular comment from that one prof, my freshman year, I have since found it incredibly difficult to take ANY semblance of a compliment… however sincere it may be. I also find it difficult to watch (or re-watch) my own work; whether it be at a screening / premier, of just watching playbacks when I’m there on set. I think a part of me always felt like “enjoying” watching, or even wanting to watch my own work might come off as arrogant or conceited in some way. So I avoided it entirely. For YEARS, in fact. Until a very good friend of mine asked me why I “never sat in on any of the screenings I was in”, and after I explained my dilemma, he said (not verbatim) something like “You know, I used to feel the same way. Then I realized the only way to grow as an actor is to push through, and watch yourself… You’d be surprised how much you can learn from yourself. It isn’t a crime to enjoy seeing something that you do, but the best benefit is to see something you dislike–even hate–on screen, and learn from it… or rather, learn NOT to do it again! Hahaha”

A VERY long story short, learning to take compliments, and also learning to be comfortable in watching myself on the “big screen” has been a HUGE awakening for me over the past 13 years in this industry.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect in my creative journey is truly just meeting and collaborating with like-minded people. I have been SO honored to work with, be introduced to, discover, or just bump into like-minded individuals (whether in the film community or elsewhere) who are just as passionate, open minded and supportive as I am. It’s such a beautiful thing!

Contact Info:

• Website: imdb.me/sarahmcguire
• Instagram: @mc_guire17
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahmcguireofficial
• Twitter: @mc_guire17
• Youtube: @sarahmcguire8634
• Other: I don’t post often, but I make some pretty stellar comments on TikTok: @mc_guire17