New York actress Sarah Seeds is forging a path for herself in the indie scene, with two films in the festival circuit this fall: Bathed In The Night, which screens at the Richmond International Film Festival later this month after winning Best Sci-Fi Short at Chain Film Festival, and Doopsy!, co-starring Stef Dawson from Hunger Games, which recently premiered to a sold out screening at Greenpoint Film Festival. Sarah took the time to sit down with Daily Actor to talk about her work and career.
Congrats on your festival win at Chain Film Festival! How do you feel about it?
Sarah Seeds: We felt the audience lock in with us for every breath, suspenseful moment, and atmospheric beat. It’s truly an honor to win and feel our work was truly seen in a brilliant, talent-filled, category.
What has been the response to the short thus far?
Sarah Seeds: It’s been amazing. Every screening we’ve had (festivals & a private one for friends/family/crew) have been both different and universal. I love hearing people feeling on edge and taking the film in. I was slightly worried that, due to the majority of the film being visual storytelling, that people wouldn’t pick up on things or it wouldn’t immerse them, but those fears were dissuaded. You could hear a pin drop in the tense moments and relief in some. The feedback has been incredible and everyone wants more.
How did the project come about?
Sarah Seeds: I was in a writer’s room (on Zoom) in lockdown, and we did a fun exercise about a full character arc, based on Dan Harmon’s analysis. Essentially, he puts the steps as this: 1. You (establish character and their bubble) 2. Need (what are they lacking in their bubble/life) 3. Go (Unfamiliar situation to get what they need) 4. Search (Adaptation): 5. Find (Fulfillment): 6. Take (The price they pay for finding it): 7. Return: 8. Change (They are forever changed, good or bad). I tried to do that in ten pages. I did it in eight pages, and it was a blast. It captured my feelings of isolation and loss during lockdown, while taking it to the next level into sci-fi territory.
What are the future plans for using this short to leverage interest in the feature?
Sarah Seeds: We’ve been taking a few meetings with investors for the feature because this is just a snapshot of the story. We made this because we wanted to show what we could do with just one character and with painstaking care and detail. We used an Arri camera, but with vintage lenses to give it that gritty, John Carpenter feel. Imagine what we could do with a feature. This proof of concept is opening doors for us in ways I didn’t expect.
How do you approach pitching?
Sarah Seeds: I love pitching. To me, it’s meeting possible future collaborators and getting to know them on a human level. They have to like me (and visa versa) first and foremost, and then we talk about our ideas/loglines/IPs. I always go in with a good handful of fully-fleshed out ideas of all genres (but with my energy, and of course a role) because you never know where the conversation will go. One of my fave pitch meetings started with us just chatting about football (Go Ravens! – I’m a Baltimore gal.) and going from there. It truly is a joy and I have such passion for all the projects I am creating/attached to.
How will the feature expand the vision presented in this short?
Sarah Seeds: My character (Alyx) is now at an even bigger crossroads after the short, about her belief in humanity and where that can take her. In the feature, someone who needs her help will enter her life, promising a paradise and a journey to get there. We want to take Alyx (and her cat Scout) to places even farther than their “ghost city” and into the wilderness that awaits. It will expand the world, while keeping it intimate. The story is very intimate.
What do you want to say with this character as an actor?
Sarah Seeds: I wanted to show a person who has had loss and is truly alone (aside from her cat). I wanted to show the roller-coaster of day to day life and how, even in the darkest times, we use our will to survive to keep us going. I wanted to play someone who is an emotionally wounded survivor, who still has hope. I’ve done quick- talking characters in both Comedy (including my comedy series ‘Riding the D with Dr. Seeds’) and Drama, but not as many where I was allowed to just be. This felt therapeutic and fun.
The filmmaker Michael Pizzano is also your creative and romantic partner. How does that impact the collaboration?
Sarah Seeds: We actually met in that Zoom writers room during deep lockdown that I mentioned, and it’s been collaborative ever since. I think we get along so well as romantic partners, that we bring that collaborative spirit into our creative work. We’ve made two films and a TV Pilot (all three are in the Festival Circuit). All were different and brought new wins and challenges, but we remain dedicated to the work and telling stories. We’re both obsessed with our art and each other and it just works.
Do you see yourselves as a modern-day Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes?
Sarah Seeds: I absolutely see that! Mike loves to find things in the moment and that opens me to play and discover. We respect each other’s work and we enjoy the process. I love that energy and it seems so natural.
Your wedding featured fake movie posters that you re-created. How did that idea come about? Is a love of movies something that connects you in the relationship?
Sarah Seeds: We had an engagement photo package with the brilliant cinematography-photography duo, Turnquist Collective (Another work/romantic/married pairing). We already had a picture of us we used for our engagement (save-the-dates) of us on the Nile River, taken by the legendary National Geographic photographer, Paolo Verzone. We then thought, let’s use this opportunity to make something that’s VERY us. Our love of films permeates our life (if you can’t tell yet!). Our first dates are marked by which films we saw and loved. We love all genres. We wanted to bring our love of film to our wedding and it just clicked! We told Turnquist our vision and they were in (and excited). They did all the location scouting and photography and were excellent collaborators. ‘The Princess Bride,’ ‘Dirty Dancing,’ and ‘Predator’ are some of our FAVES and we hope we did them justice! Mike edited the beautiful photos to make them fully realized. Another artistic collaboration!
Speaking of collaboration, you just worked with Stef Dawson, who played Annie Cresta in the Hunger Games franchise, in Doopsy. How is it working with her?
Sarah Seeds: That’s my sis! We really played off each other and gave 100% to our roles and choices. It’s a very intimate piece and there were many instances of laughter, tears, and bonding.
Wow, it sounds like one of those collaborations that enhanced your life altogether.
Sarah Seeds: Absolutely. Playing opposite her was a GIFT and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. We want to do more together. We will, for sure. We have been friends ever since: she was at my Bachelorette party!
So how did you land the role?
Sarah Seeds: My agents passed it along my way and I LOVED the script. It was funny and touching. I approached it that way and got an offer. Later, talking to some of the folks behind the scenes, they said out of thousands of tapes, mine was the only one who got the humor and darkness. That meant everything.
Wow, you must have had a unique approach to the character.
Sarah Seeds: Diane is a TRIP. I love her. She’s fast talking- witty… and a complete know-it-all that’s gloriously self absorbed. I did a lot of work to make sure she was both self-centered and also funny. She’s great and I enjoyed playing with her.
How was it working with the filmmaker Mack Velle?
Sarah Seeds: I had so much fun working with him. I think my audition tape was what he was looking for, so we already entered into our collaboration seeing his vision eye-to-eye. We did movement work, body work and we rehearsed many times. It was wonderful and I’d do it all again. He’s deeply thoughtful and it was a joy to work with him.
What was your process preparing for the role?
Sarah Seeds: Inner object work, and having a sibling in my real life helped. Diane is also a Psychiatrist/Psychologist (very different from Dr. Seeds) and is trying to keep things professional in both her private and personal life because that’s what she knows. That’s how she doesn’t get caught up in family trauma and her past. She’s driven. She’s type A, but she loves her family deeply – through her lens. I used all of those factors and took the fabulous script and ran with it. It felt like a play (it was mainly just two of us reacting off each other – Stef my “sister” , was a joy to play with) and the rehearsal process matched it.
Is there any difference for how you approach a role that you have self-generated versus a role that you have landed through auditioning?
Sarah Seeds: Not really. I feel like a genuine understanding of a character (even if you wrote it) finds itself in the prep and at the actual shoot. Alyx was not the same person I wrote initially and Diane evolved when we did the work as well. I think having a non-judgemental gaze at every character, understanding them, their world and doing inner object work that links them to your own experiences is always the way to go. I also make sure I compartmentalize creatively so every piece of the pie (writing vs acting) is its own, new thing.
In this climate, why is it important for actors to be multi-hyphenates or generate their own work?
Sarah Seeds: It’s more important now than ever! I think in times like these–where art institutions are losing funding, being co-opted by non-creatives to sell a narrative, speaking openly seems dangerous, and we are made to feel despair–THAT is when we need to create. Artists (and their labor) are the mirror to society and free thinking. This is the time to be revolutionary purely by just telling stories that live in you. It is IMPERATIVE and I urge all artists and people to do it. I will not give into despair, and my activism is my art.
What is the best way for actors without producing experience to learn about producing?
Sarah Seeds: Excellent question. Just be on set in a non-talent capacity. PA. Assist a casting session. You’ll learn so much about the process. I also think it’s a great idea to start small, so you can try to make something and collaborate while learning in real-time. Don’t be afraid. Just do it.
What advice would you give to actors just starting out who feel overwhelmed by how much they ‘have to be’ in order to be competitive in an oversaturated market?
Sarah Seeds: Don’t worry about that. Comparison is the thief of joy, truly. If I looked around and wondered if what I had to say/who I am was ‘enough, ‘ I’d be lost. I say, make sure it’s YOUR voice. YOUR insight. YOUR character creation. Don’t hold back. Stay rooted in the truth of the scene/audition/creation but bring yourself to it. You are unique. You are. Act like it.
Adam Davenport is a guest contributor to Daily Actor and is based in New York City. As the Artistic Director of TIAS, he coaches and teaches actors all over the world and is a certified Chubbuck and Meisner teacher.
