And in other news…

…in 2009TV land was light but fun this year.  I played a neurotic ex-girlfriend of Shawn Spencer on “Psych”, played by the talented James Roday.

Sadly, I didn’t get to work with Maggie again, but I did have a scene with the lovely Devon Weigal.  Here is a pic of us on set.

One of the things I love the most about my career is that I am constantly meeting new and wonderful people from around the world. These relationships have let to some wonderful adventures and travel.  In fact, it all came full circle when Maggie invited me to see James in a fabulous play called “Extinction” in LA last month, directed by my new NYC friend, Wayne Kasserman.

I loved this play. Written by Gabe McKinley, the script explored a number of contemporary topics in such an honest, and real way, that I think that most of the audience were left in this perfect, if not uncomfortable state to question their own views on fidelity, objectification, love, friendship and personal ethics. I was so inspired and remembered how much I do love theatre. Time to put on a play again perhaps?

The last role of the year was a tiny role in an episode of Fox’s new hit show “Fringe”.

Sadly, I die in the teaser when an earthquake causes two realities to merge. (Yes, this is sci-fi people). The coolest part of this experience was having my very first life casting. They needed to make an exact replica of my face so that they could make a body dummy to morph with another character, post earthquake. What a way to die!

Here are a few pics of the process.  It was actually kind of a relaxing experience! I meditated throughout the 15 minutes that I was under the plaster. Claustrophobes beware!

Preparing for life casting for "Fringe"

Happy New Year!

i woke up this morning both excited for 2010, but also re-inspired to tend my highly neglected blog.

new years has always been a time for deep self reflection…thinking about the year ending…all that i am grateful for, and all that i have experienced, felt, built and achieved. i also always take the time to think about what i want to create in the year to come…but first… a re-cap of 2010. acting wise, this was the most exciting and fruitful year to date.

starting with: two awesome supporting roles in Lifetime’s “KILLER HAIR”, and “HOSTILE MAKEOVER”. i got to play a really fun character, Brooke Barton, a conservative lawyer obsessed with conspiracy theories.  the best part of the whole experience (other than the fantastic wardrobe of course!) was the wonderful friends i made on that set. Maggie Lawson is not only a fantastic actress but also one of the kindest, most loveliest people i have ever met. the whole experience was a dream come true.

On set of "Hostile Makeover"

after those two films, i had the very lucky opportunity to play the anti-thesis of Brooke, in a film called “A GUN TO THE HEAD”. i played Karen, a psychopathic, very dark young woman. here’s the official lowdown: Trevor (Tygh Runyan), reformed criminal, is facing a miserable evening as his wife, Grace, plays host to her obnoxious boss Dwayne and his intolerable spouse, Audrey.  When the phone rings, Trevor finds his excuse to step out for a quick pint with his long-lost hustler cousin and former partner in crime, Darren (Paul Anthony). Ostensibly stepping out for ‘more wine’, Trevor instead steps into a wild night that goes from bad to worse as he is dragged back into the sleezy criminal underworld of drugs, women, guns and gangsters, that he thought he’d left behind. Part buddy movie, part sex comedy, A Gun To The Head is a tale of compulsive poor-decision making that starts when Trevor steals the keys to a fancy SUV and is fueled by cousin Darren’s impulsive scheming, scamming and propensity for screwing-up. A Gun to the Head is Vancouverite Blaine Thurier’s (of The New Pornographers)  latest offering, building on his previous work (Low Self-Esteem Girl, Male Fantasy) and showcasing Thurier’s gift for deadpan comedy in angst-filled awkwardness.

"A Gun to the Head"

anyway! will post pics and links soon…my goal is to write a little something every day…updates, ideas etc…starting with more recap from 2009 about the tv and voice world!

enjoy and namaste!

Dark Knight

I have been at a bit of a loss recently about the direction this blog was going in…updates on the exciting world of animation? links to exciting and inspiring projects? thoughts and musings about the world and my adventures in it? ultimately, as a close friend pointed out…my blog is all of it, as it is, in fact….ME. a reflection of all aspects of me

and one of the most profound experiences i had recently encompassed all of those things…watching Dark Knight. I was so unbelievably uncomfortable, and at the same time…so moved. there were so many layers of commentary on everything from what’s going in the world, to the internal struggles that we face as we learn to develop our own morality and sense of ethics. my friend that i watched the film with had such a catharsis watching the film that i was also reminded of why i am an actor and the importance of story telling. i remember being a little girl and learning so much about the world and myself through both film and theatre…i remember deciding that i wanted to be able to be a part of projects that offered that type of emotional release or discovery for others. that is what i strive to do. what inspires you about film? have you ever watched a film that changed your life?

provacative new voice spot!

So this is a spot i did recently that i am really proud of. It’s a PSA (public service announcement)….listen and you’ll see for what. I would love to know if you think it’s effective…and i will tell you on my next posting why i chose to do this one. have a listen…

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10 years later

it was exactly 10 years ago that i did my very first TV role…and wow, was i bad. but the good part of that experience was that i met my yet to become dear friend, Jennifer Finnigan. we had a blast on the shoot and stayed in touch over the years…she has done incredibly well and had a number of fantastic leading roles in film and tv. she is the only person to win three consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for her role on “Bold and the Beautiful”. not only is she incredibly talented…but she’s a lovely, warm and generous person…

why do i mention this now, you ask? good question! she is in town shooting a Lifetime MOW called “Custody”. it’s really interesting, controversial story inspired by real events, and Jenn plays the lead . its about a young starstruck woman who gets involved with a high profile basketball player and when she gets pregnant the fallout is a lengthy, precedent-setting custody battle that eventually goes all the way to the Supreme Court…

i play a reporter, and it is directed by one my favorite directors in town, Gary Harvey. it was a blast to act again with Jenn and it’s a total treat to have her in town! more to come…

new voice spot

so…i have been doing a lot of voice work recently…here’s a radio spot that i think is pretty funny. what do you hyperventilate about?

not my million dollar movie

so…i am always excited about my fellow artists getting out there and creating their own work… one of my old friends from montreal, casey walker, is doing just that. and by old i mean, i have known him for ages. well, he is OLDER than me, but he’s not old. anyway! check out his site . basically, he has initiated one of the most creative methods of funding his own project… it’s called “my million dollar movie” and you can get involved too! do you have other ideas for how to create funding? would love to hear your thoughts and get a bit of a dialogue going with some like minded artists…happy creating!

hey there…long time no see…no excuse really…i just haven’t written! that’s the “what is” of the situation… anyway! lots to report…

the most exciting is that i started a new cartoon called “Geronimo Stilton”. check out their site. I play the character of Thea Stilton:

Thea is Geronimo’s youngest sister, a rodent with a professionally successful career, and unrepentant heart-breaker in her private life. A skilled photographer continuously in search of her latest scoop, Thea is ready to leave to exciting adventure at the mere drop of a word, and punctually returns with sensational articles and photos. She rides a motorcycle, flies a plane, loves racing cars, is a certified parachute jumper, holds a black belt in karate, and teaches survival courses. Thea can also be frivolous and teasingly spiteful, and loves the latest fashion.

I also got new head shots done! whadya think?

I also had the opportunity to work with a fantastic group of people on a demo for a new series that’s in development called “Promoter”. I play the character of Claire….the shoot was a blast and finger’s crossed that it gets made!

PROMOTER is a provocative character driven comedy series about a former plumber, JEFF’s, transition into the adrenaline-fueled high stakes world of stock promoting. But with his excess-driven best friend CHAZ as a mentor he’s having trouble balancing the break neck speed of his new career and it’s party lifestyle with the demands of his soon-to-be wife CLAIRE (who he shouldn’t be marrying) and their soon-to-be child (who was a BIG mistake).

Check out the other stills here. They were taken by Dean Buscher.

that’s it for now! more to come soon…

xo sar

Exciting news…

So, it’s official! I am starting a very cool new business with some of my girlfriends (Allison Mack and Kristin Kreuk from Smallville, and Nicki Clyne from Battlestar Galactica). See what can be accomplished from one’s bed? Anyhoo! We are creating something very top secret for university students, so we’d like to hear about you and what’s important to you through this survey . We’d LOVE your feedback…and trust me…it’s a pretty funny survey. Please feel free to spread the word and have fun! Here’s a recent article with a little more info too…

Hello world!

Hello! Welcome to my blog. Wow…i’m a little nervous. this is my first time…I don’t even know how to do this! where do i start? well…my name is Sarah…i am very liberal with my punctuation and capitalization, so if that bugs you….stop reading now. i am writing from my bed, where i have spent most of my time for the last two weeks. why, you ask? well…it’s kind of silly really, but it takes something like this for me slow down enough so that i can tackle the things on my “to do list” such as “start a blog” and catch up with old friends for hours on the phone… You see, what happened was…. i was going about my day; a normal sarah-style day, starting with 7 am hot yoga, followed by a matcha protein smoothie (yes, sometimes the cliche-ness of my life makes me laugh) and a number of errands, appointments, auditions etc… i won’t get into the details… long story short, i had a run-in with a large old french door that was in storage at a friends place. it fell on my back while i was vacuuming, and needless to say….i can laugh about it now. i didn’t break anything, but had some acute muscle damage and lots of inflammation. but as i said, it took a little accident like this for me to realize i needed to slow down and be more mindful and aware. and one of the great effects…is this blog! i have been meaning to start one for years… I really just want a place where i can share what i am passionate about, chronicle my adventures and maybe even start some discussions about topics that are important to me. I am excited about having a place to promote things i love…good theatre, films, events etc… and another venue to connect people together. I have no idea where this will lead, but i am thrilled about checking off the little box next to “start blog”.More to come…