Daily Inspiration: Meet Sarah French

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah French

Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m an actress based out of Los Angeles, CA. I grew up in a small town in Minnesota. Melrose is a farming community in the middle of Minnesota with a population, at the time I lived there, of about 2,500. We were surrounded by lakes, wildlife, farms, blue-collar hard-working families, and lots and lots of mosquitos! I feel very fortunate to have had grown up in Minnesota. It taught me many core values including work ethic, the value of a dollar, how important relationships are, being friendly and genuine is a good thing but don’t let others walk all over you. I grew up in a single parent household. My mom raised 2 little girls on her own. She taught us the life lessons of hard work and dedication. I also learned about struggle and to appreciate what I have. I wouldn’t change my upbringing for anything, because it’s made me who I am today. I met my dad in my teen years and I’m so grateful to have him in my life. I am very strong willed and have always worked hard for what I want in life.

Strong work ethic has led me to where I am today. I started acting in 2006 and have been in over 90 feature films, tv shows, commercials and music videos. I say this and I’ll always say this. When you’re on set, give it your all no matter the size of your role or character. Come prepared, have a smile on your face, show up on time, and don’t forget how lucky you are to be doing this in the first place. If you have a bad attitude, act like you’re better than everyone, are not prepared, etc. you WON’T get work again. You never know on set who is a future director, a future producer, a future anything. This is a big industry, but a small world and kindness and preparedness goes a long ways. Each job has always led me to the next, and I will never take anything for granted. I treat everyone with respect, and we are all in this together as a team.

I’ve also learned over the years of working in this industry is, if you want something done you have to do it yourself. This is a very hard and competitive industry and it’s very important to surround yourself with people who are supportive and have similar passions and goals as yourself. People that will help you grow and you can work together as a team to succeed. That is something that is very important to me and that is why I started a production company with my partners from the years 2022-2024, creating 4 feature films together. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn more and grow, I am so grateful for the opportunity and I learned so much along the way. I can’t wait to get these films out in the world along with more projects I worked on as well!

With acting I’m always learning new things, new tricks. I always want to improve with each film I do. I never want to stay the same. Being on set in front of the camera and behind really opened my eyes and it helped me to become better and better each day, with acting and producing. Never stop learning is the key and always find ways you can improve. My plan is to keep elevating with each project I do. When it comes to other projects, I’m very choosy with the roles I take and the projects I work on. It has to feel right and be something I can really sink my teeth into, the project has to be right for me. I’m always trying to push myself and think outside the box. Growing and elevating is something that is very important to me and being choosy with the roles I take on is key.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are always struggles and obstacles along the way, but thats what makes you stronger. This goes for anyone perusing a career they love, especially as an artist. One of the biggest struggles to be frank, is finding consistent work, it’s sadly just not possible. You need to be able to find ways to pay the bills and be able to work as an artist and that’s hard, especially living in LA. That’s one thing artists don’t talk enough about. You need to be able to survive. So for those just getting started or are wanting to get in the industry, learn a trade/skills to supplement income while you’re perusing what you really want. It’s a really hard industry to work in and there are a lot of struggles along the way, but we do it because we love it.

Self-doubt is a big one too. Being constantly compared to others and judged on the smallest of things, that’s just the way this industry works. With that being said, you just have to keep your head up, know anything is possible with the right attitude, focus, drive, and believing in yourself.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an actress in Los Angeles. I guess I can say I specialize in horror since it is my favorite genre of film, but I love all genres! I love to bring to life all sorts of characters and telling stories that are beautiful to really messed up ha-ha. As long as it’s a good script with a budget and a good business plan, I’m all ears. I just love to create, I always have. I would put on little plays with my sister at home for family and it followed me into my teenage years. I would do short films, mostly horror, with my friends and we would create together. Never did I realize I would have the opportunity to make it a career path but here we are today and I couldn’t be more grateful.

I’m proud of all of my projects in different ways. Every project has led me to the next and I’ve learned so much along the way. I always take something away from each project, always a learning lesson or tool, that helps me into the next project and beyond.

I say what sets me a part from others is my work ethic. I’m a very driven, hard working person. I show up to set on time, prepared, ready to give it my all, a good listener, follow direction, and don’t have a diva attitude. We’re all here to do a job and work together as a team. I’m no better than anyone else. We all play an important role in making a film come to life. There is no “I” in team, that’s all there is to it.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
One of the most important things I’ve learned along the way is to take risks. No risks = no rewards. If you fail, that’s okay! You just get back up and try again. But the key is you went for it. Do you want to be looking back and say, “I wish I would’ve done….., but now it’s too late”. Life is too short, so take those risks and at least try, because you never know what could happen. I took the risk back in 2015 to move across country from Minnesota to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Was it scary? Hell yes it was but I did it and I’ve been in LA for 10 years now and have accomplished more than I would’ve ever imagined.

Nothing happens overnight. It takes many years of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice to get where you want to be and that goes with anything in life. My goal is to keep learning, growing, and elevating with each project I do. The sky is the limit and there is no limit to what you can accomplish. When I first started working in film, I did a lot of no budget/low budget projects, worked for credit (free) or for really cheap, I just wanted to get my hands on anything and everything to just dive in, learn, and build my resume. When I first started, I didn’t have family or friends in the industry who could guide me, I was on my own. Luckily over time I was able to meet so many amazing people along the way to help me learn and grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: Http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2720796/
• Instagram: Https://www.instagram.com/sarahfrenchonline
• Facebook: Http://www.facebook.com/pages/sarah-french/120668381344764
• Twitter: HTTPS://x.com/scarlet_salem

Image Credits
Select photos by Anthony Randall and Steven Shea