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

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I think I first realized I wanted to be an actor when I wouldn’t stop reciting lines from Hannah Montana and I would force my mom to lend me her video camera for my friends and I to play with. This isn’t to say I ONLY wanted to act. When I was really young I said I wanted to be an actor, singer, tennis player (even though I literally did not play tennis but went to a tennis match in person and thought “Ooo I wanna do that”), have lots of children, own my own organization, and probably a lot more. As I got older and the tennis player “dream” and some other very random aspirations dwindled away, one constant was always acting. Over the years, I’ve developed a deeper passion for writing as well. I think the more I’ve learned about films through those around me as well as watching more, I’ve realized how I not only am interested in playing a role in a story, but being a part of the conception of an idea too.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got my start in performing from the age of three when I first started dancing. I grew up dancing pretty intensely, although I never dreamt of becoming a ballerina or anything. This then lead to my involvement in musicals and eventually taking acting classes. I began auditioning when I was in high school and then I studied theatre and screenwriting at Loyola Marymount. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to study there because the community I made is one I still have today, and it allowed me to gain on-set experience through working on friends’ sets.

I think finding a group of friends as well as mentors who really support and see you can be challenging in a city that’s so saturated with people doing exactly what you’re here to do too. I’ve been fortunate to find some really great mentors within the business who I trust and look to for inspiration and advice.

Something I’m very proud of is the work I’ve produced with friends through an indie production company I founded in 2021, called Little Red Pictures. I’d always been curious about making my own films, but the idea of actually doing it didn’t come to me until I decided to make a short film as my senior year thesis. Since then, I’ve really enjoyed meeting more filmmakers and creating work that excites us and that we care about regardless of how little the budget. The shorts I’ve produced so far have all been very indie-scale, however I’ve gained so much as an actor and filmmaker through being a part of a project from its inception and learning how to create a vision with limited resources.

I’d love to continue collaborating with filmmakers who have stories they want to tell and help them bring those stories to life. It’s nice to know that I can get a high from working as a writer and producer that makes those lows that inevitably come up when pursuing acting, still feel alive with creativity.

If anyone could take away one thing about my goals as an actor and writer, I’d say it’s to constantly learn and evolve through collaboration and taking risks.

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

I’m not sure if this is really a lesson, but I think I had to (and still am) working to unlearn the idea that in order to be committed and good at what you do, you should be committed to only that one thing. When I first began taking writing more seriously during the pandemic and eventually decided to produce my own work, I felt really weird about calling myself a writer, even though I was writing most days and became increasingly passionate about it. In my head, the thought of calling myself a writer in addition to an actor made me feel like others would perceive me as less than when it came to acting. This may sound so strange to some people, but I know other actor/writer friends of mine have been able to relate to this. I had to remind myself that just because I was starting to take writing and creating my own projects more seriously and spending time on that, it didn’t mean my work or commitment to acting was being diminished. I was actually giving myself more opportunities to act when the world was at a complete standstill, which was fun, and it helped keep me somewhat sane.

It’s been so inspiring and eye-opening to watch artists I’ve always looked up to as well as artists in my own circle, take on more than one role when it comes to filmmaking. I think finding the excitement and opportunities that come from expanding my interests and efforts beyond just one thing, has been incredibly rewarding as it’s broadened not only my network, but my understanding of all that goes in to creating a film or a staged production. Taking on new challenges within my creative work as well as in other areas of my life is something that I want to always be a goal and priority. I think it makes the experience all the more fulfilling.

Okay that was slightly cheesy, but it’s true.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Books: The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert Podcasts: On Purpose With Jay Shetty

Contact Info:

• Website: imdb.me/Sarahsawyer
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssawyerrr/

Image Credits
Cathryn Farnsworth photography