INTRO BY MADDEN LEVIN
INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY
PHOTO BY LESLEY BRYCE
Sarah Minnich, a true actress with a plan, spoke to us about all things her career and person life throughout this exclusive interview! Moving away from the saturated LA movie scene, Minnich has a certain outlook on the industry that is so unique, we just had to find out more! To learn more about this lovely lady and her life, be sure to check her out on all social media platforms to keep updated!
When did acting become something you wanted to seriously pursue?
"Although I technically booked my first role back in 2005, I don’t believe that I thought I could actually pursue acting until sometime after 2011. My real career all started with a small role on AMC’s ‘Breaking Bad’. It was a short while after working on the hit show that I began to seriously consider my options as a regional actress. Sometimes, I tell people that the reason that I moved to New Mexico was because the CA market was saturated for my type. Technically, that’s true, but I didn’t actually come out here with the plan to pursue my acting career in a less saturated market, at first. Eventually, that absolutely became the reason NM seemed like the better region to build my resume. A couple years after booking BrBa, things started to take off for me in a way that suggested that this was something that I should devote all of my resources to. This transition in thinking led me to sign with publicist Nilda Carrazana of MLC PR (now Status PR) and to more seriously market myself as a career actress. The rest is history!"
Do you think the way you grew up influenced your decision to be an actress in any way?
"Absolutely! My father was a performer in his 20’s, my mother was always very flamboyant and outgoing, and I was constantly exposed to large groups of people who gave me a platform for creativity and self-expression. As a child, I was encouraged to play outside, to play dress-up, to sing when I felt like it, and to be creative as often as possible. All of this together led me to a desire to perform, and eventually gave me the confidence to pursue a career in performance."
You currently star as Angela Duke on the Paramount Network limited series Waco. Can you tell us a little about the show and your character?
"The ‘Waco’ series on Paramount Network recreates the events that surrounded the 1993 Waco, TX incident. Although not claiming to be completely historically or legally precise (with many names changed to protect the original individuals involved), the series attempts to illustrate events from the perspective of both sides of the ATF/Branch Davidians conflict. Fans should expect an action-packed and sometimes touching retelling of the Waco incident. I play Angela Duke, a cunning press secretary for the ATF who, in the show, plays a role in the drama that takes place before the FBI makes it to the Koresh compound. Although I will save the detail for the show, I will say that my character makes some pretty costly media-related mistakes that affect the outcome of the initial ATF raid. These mistakes are paid for by many lives, making Duke an infamous character in the show’s storyline."
Do you have any favorite memories from working on the set?
"I really enjoyed working with John Leguizamo. I have always liked his style as an actor, but he was even more fun to watch at work. During one scene in the ATF planning office, our characters have a bit of a dispute and Leguizamo ends up questioning my character as to who she is and what she is doing there. After 2 or 3 takes of getting what we needed, we did a take ‘to have fun’ and at the end of our scene Leguizamo threw out a completely unexpected accusation at my character and surprised the hell out of me. I love this kind of thing because it forces you to really be in the mind of your character at all times; if you answer out of character, you’ve lost the opportunity to have some potentially fabulous improvised interaction. Sometimes, as we’ve seen from some of the biggest actors, the very best content isn’t planned or scripted."
Do you have a certain method you use when you get into character?
"I try to live in the character while I’m working. I once had a crew member come up to me after witnessing a complete personality shift and say 'wow, that explains a lot about who I met when we were working on ‘Icebox’… you were literally that character on and off of camera; now you’re a different character all together'. It’s not that I’m playing people, it’s rather that I am trying to consolidate my energy to one persona while working on a project so as not to exhaust my creative instrument and/or accidentally come out of character in the process of rolling camera and cutting camera."
Of all the roles you have portrayed, which would you say you had the most fun doing?
"One of my favorite characters to play was Vera on the WGN series ‘Manhattan’. The show portrayed the NM based Manhattan Project that took place during WWII, and I played one of the Women’s Army Corps Officers who was on base during operations. I loved doing the show for many reasons: it was a period piece, it was based on historic events, and the set was so realistic and detailed, that it was easy to forget you were even on a film set."
We learned that you have a strong passion for supporting human rights, animal rights, healthy body image, addiction recovery and more. Can you tell us a little about why you strongly support these causes?
PHOTO BY LESLEY BRYCE
"I grew up in a family with very strong liberal opinions. Specifically, my father taught me to respect nature above all and to value all life as highly as my own. This, along with struggles in my own personal journey, has left me with a feeling of duty to the planet, the living things on the planet, and individuals like myself who have overcome various obstacles in their journeys."
Are there any projects coming up in the future that you can tell us about?
"I have quite a few things in the works right now. One project that I am looking forward to seeing is 'The Wave' with Justin Long. In this feature film, I play Long’s embittered wife, on a rampage after he pisses my character off once again in a long line of slights. I believe this film is scheduled to release sometime in mid-2018."