Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Summers.
Hi Sarah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From the young age of five, my Dad asked me “What do you wanna be when you grow up?” To which I replied with the utmost confidence “FAMOUS!” – and thus a lifelong passion for acting, writing, singing and overall performing started. I was born in Southern California to a singer/actress Mother and writer/musician Father so the path of being an artist was not out of the norm. Growing up, I split my time between Long Beach with my dad and Costa Mesa with my mom.
My mother owned her own karaoke business in the early 90s to support us as a single mother, at that time I begged my mom to do beauty Pageants but we were paycheck to paycheck in thrift clothing so that was not in our reality and that’s where local theater and musicals came in and changed my life. I did my first play at the age of eight and by the time I graduated high school I had done over 50 live shows between theater and honor choir; you couldn’t get me off that stage! I went to Orange County School of the Arts but got expelled in 10th grade (that’s another article) and it turned out to be the best blessing in disguise. I was then displaced to a new art school in Long Beach called Renaissance High School for the Arts where I graduated with the highest honors and given a real chance. After graduation I was so excited for a life in Hollywood – but my life got turned upside down right after graduation and the next ten years was a constant battle of ups and downs – til one day right before my 30th birthday a former co-worker at the restaurant I worked at for five years told me to “give up the Dream it will never happen for you” and with the support of my husband and family – I put in my notice the very next day and never looked back. Since that day I have been in over 15 commercials for the biggest brands such as: Disney, Turbo Tax, Ross, Uber and Carvana, I star in the hilarious comedy special called “Never Been Kissed – by Nicole Lee Burch” on Amazon Prime, I have an amazing actor community at Studio 24/7 with my Acting Coach Mark McPhearson and I consistently audition multiple times a week to continue to follow my lifelong dream of being “Famous”. And I am just getting started…
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been a constant “Mr. Toads Wild Ride” to say the least where do I even start? …About two months after my graduation, my beloved beautiful older sister Rachel passed away suddenly and tragically. My family was broken- and a piece of me will never be whole after losing her, she was always my #1 fan. After this, I didn’t move to Hollywood, I didn’t go to college-I just had to survive. After losing her, I developed a severe eating disorder and was very ill physically and emotionally – (Happy to report I have been in recovery for five years!) Doing theater at that time was the only outlet I had for happiness and performing continued to give me joy and purpose. As I was finally starting to get a hold of my young adult life and make plans with my now husband to move to Hollywood to get my dream started – another absolute tragedy shakes my world up. Just six years after losing my sister, I lost my father to suicide.
In the span of six years from the tender ages of 18-24 I lost two pieces of my heart and soul. It was hard to go on after that. Performing took a big pause for the next few years – but I never stopped thinking about my dream, I thought about it every day. When I finally got into film/tv in 2019, I felt their presence guide me. I know they are proud. It was going really amazingly acting-wise for the first year and then the Pandemic – but 2021 was great! I really thought ok ..2022 is “MY year MY time!”, and boom – you guessed it another major roadblock; June 2022 my mother suffered a severe stroke, she was in the ICU for 2 months and had multiple brain surgeries. I immediately dropped my whole life in LA to come to a small town in Washington to become her full-time caregiver-it wasn’t easy but my passion for my dream has kept me driving this whole time. I continued to audition regularly, book jobs and do what I do best – survive. I am happy to say my mother has made a FULL recovery and she is back to singing Karaoke with me weekly!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am known by my peers as the “Commercial Queen” which is a title I wear proudly because I have booked 17 commercials (and counting!). My dream has always been to be on TV and through the years, I have been on your screen thousands of times so it’s the BEST feeling when people from my past message me saying, “I saw you on my TV!” I have a natural knack for comedy and I truly believe it is because when you have experienced so much sadness and tragedy in your life you don’t want others to feel the pain you have, so I will stop at nothing to put a smile on people’s faces. I think what sets me apart from others is that I wear my heart on my sleeve which is rare, relatable and comforting to have someone like that in this industry. I share my story, perform my pain and happiness so you can relate and process that on your own time – with help from your pretend (or real!) best friend on your screen..me! I am most proud of my perseverance in this industry and life in general because although I hear No on the daily-and have roadblocks constantly – I know that lil’ Sarah would never give up on me – so I will continue to make her proud and live our dream Every. Single. Day.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was… honestly? Pretty much the same as I am now. In the words of my lord and savior Dolly Parton, “Find out who you are, and do it on purpose!” And I did just that. I was a big HAM to say the least, funny, creative, crazy style, loving, very overprotective of my friends and family and obsessed with Halloween!! My family described me as “The perfect Baby” because I never cried – I cry way more now as an adult for sure!
Contact Info:
- Website: sarahccsummers.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahccsummers/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRKxRCfX/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6279166/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_2_nm_6_q_sarah%2520summ
Image Credits
Kelsie Kiana Piini Lindsay Howe JP Lasmar
