Hello, and welcome to Wild Rivers Film Radio
on KCIW
LP one hundred point seven FM.
I'm Rick McNamer.
Today, I'm joined by actor and producer Sarah
Lee whose performance in Sorry We're Dead earned
her the twenty twenty five Wild Rivers Film
Festival best actress award.
We gratefully thank our twenty twenty five presenting
sponsor,
the Tullahwydany
Nation,
along with Oregon's Wild Rivers Coast,
Sutter Coast Hospital,
and the City of Brookings.
Learn more about supporting the festival at wildriversfilmfestival.com.
If you're new to Wild Rivers Film Festival,
welcome.
Each August, we celebrate independent film in Brookings
with screenings, panels,
q and a's, and special events.
This year's festival takes place August 13 through
the sixteenth,
and passes are available now.
So I screened the film,
Sorry We're Dead, today earlier today and was
thoroughly entertained and charmed. Just a great film.
So, Sarah, welcome, and congratulations again on your
best actress award.
Thank you so much, Rick. It's really
very, very thrilled and honored to be here,
and,
I'm I'm glad you like the film.
Oh, I'm I'm sure everybody who watches it
is going to enjoy that film.
So what was your first reaction when you
read the script for Sorry We're Dead?
Yeah. That's a great question. I would say,
so me and Alex actually worked on two
short films prior to this feature film. So,
we knew it was in the works,
but especially when I got kind of so
we already have that, you know, relationship built
and and and really loved working with each
other.
But in terms of Yeah. Yeah. Which is
wonderful to kind of, like, build on top
of that, and it just made kind of
working together again just so easy. Yeah.
But in terms of the script, it was
just, like, so innovative. Like, I was really
blown away by the script when I read
it. It was just something that I've never
seen before. It's so funny.
It has such a it's very much a
love letter to film and filmmaking.
Yeah. But done in a very,
smart and,
just hilarious manner that I just never seen
before. So I I thought it was just
a testament to just how what
a wonderful, creative, and artist Alex is. Wow.
Well, that's great. Now so you have worked
with other, directors and writers, I assume. So
I have to ask you, what, what drew
you to this character?
Yeah. I would say she's just very different
from who I personally am. I think that's
such a joy
as an actor to be able to portray,
you know, a character that is so different
from from from me,
and being able to really, you know, investigate
and be curious about someone who is,
you know, so so complex, and also there's
so many layers to her.
But
I I think she's just, you know, at
the end of the day, just really a
a a lover of and and and an
artist. And Yeah. I definitely relate to
that aspect, you know, as as an artist
myself and just understanding just how,
it can be challenging, this journey that we're
on as as artists and being able to
really bring that to life.
Yeah. And told him just such a very,
you know, poignant way, I think. Yeah. Right.
Yeah.
Well and I guess as an actress, I
mean, that's what you have to do. Right?
Go to varied
varied parts and go into a complete different
personality than you actually are at times
at times. Yeah.
So was there anything immediately familiar or unsettling
about her?
Yeah. I would say
I mean, the the connection of, you know,
being an artist definitely was, like, a connection
that I real I understood, just the challenges
of being an artist and the re you
know, the realities
of being an artist,
and also, you know, try to try to
survive and make a living and live in
the realities of the world.
I I would say
in terms of
I don't know if there's anything unsettling about
her. I think,
you know, being able to really investigate,
why she's
the you know, how she is. Yeah. Was
was really thrilling. And also, I think a
lot of how she is as a character,
as as a person,
is really,
basically stems from a lot of her her
past and her her experiences.
And that's kind of like, you know, the
exciting part about being an actor is really
to build that backstory and and really creating
that character of, you know, why,
maybe certain choices or certain decisions really drove
them
to to grow and evolve into this this
type of person or this this kind of
character.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So did you sense the
emotional weight right away? Because there was quite
a range of emotions throughout that movie, throughout
the film. Yeah.
Yeah. I think I I felt like just
the journey
of
not
I, yeah, I I think so. I think
it there's a there's a little bit of
a tragedy in the sense that she, you
know, is so passionate about filmmaking and loves
this art and wants to be able to
make it for a living,
but isn't able to do that. And I
think that there's there's a tragedy in that.
You know? And there's that kind of emotional,
piece of also,
you know, feeling misunderstood,
being in this environment where,
she's not able to really be,
like, really, you know, express the art that
she wants to. I think that also gives
a sense of, like, loneliness as well and
being not really feeling, like,
understood by the world and kind of, you
know, her environment. So I think that was
really fun to to play with. Yeah.
Yeah. Well and a lot of us go
through that too in our own lives. You
know, you might have one career we might
be doing okay, and, but, boy, there's another
career we wish we either could have had
or or keep try keep trying, you know,
as much as we can.
Exactly.
So your character carries so much internal tension,
and you can certainly feel it throughout the
film. A lot of it in comedic ways
that made me,
laugh a lot. So Yeah. How how did
you prepare for that role?
Yeah.
A lot of preparation. I would say kind
of taking inspiration
from, you know, all sorts of maybe
just
really
trying to build that backstory. And then from
that building that backstory, taking inspiration from, like,
you know, art that I am, you know,
coming up against and seeing the world,
music.
I I would say a lot of my
prep involves also rehearsals. I've I've,
you know, did some training in theater. So,
I really
loved that everyone on you know, all the
cast members were open to rehearsing with me,
and,
I loved being able to do that. And
I thought that was that really brought kind
of the
the closest and the the dynamics that you
see are so real because we've really helped
create that. And I think Alex created a
wonderful environment
where,
you know, everyone was it felt like family.
It just felt like, you know, you're making
such a fun film with, like, you know,
really cool friends
and family and just it felt very safe.
Wow. I that's gotta be that's gotta be
huge. Now you said theater. So have you've
done live theater also?
Yeah. In in the beginning, yes.
Right now, I do mostly
kind of film and commercials
and and TV, but, yeah, I I did
start in the theater.
Oh, no. No. That I think that's great.
Not now you do you do commercials on
TV, though, also?
Mhmm. Yeah. Well, that's
good way to make a living, I would
assume.
Yeah. Yeah. So did you build a backstory
that never appears on the screen?
Yeah. I would say that's
that yes. Absolutely. I think a lot of
the
you know, what you see for the movie
is just kind of that moment
in her life.
There's so much
of her past that you don't see, the
moments leading up to the movie that you
don't see, and that's all, like, you know,
things that we as actors and get to
really create, which is the fun part of
being able to build, you know, what were
the moments leading up to this particular,
you know, story in the movie, and how
did how did she get here.
I think that all really helps inform the
character and the characterization
as well.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How,
roughly, how long did this did that production
take?
Yeah. I would say it was a pretty
fast one. I'd
let's see. I'm trying to think. It might
have been maybe
ten to fifteen days of shoot. We had
I know we had some pickup shots, and
it was it was we had to film
part of it in the pandemic. So I
think it was like a like a pandem
like a, coat looks scared, so we have
to, like yeah. So we have to stop,
production for a little bit, and then we
convene later in the month, just because we
wanted to make sure that everyone was really
safe and tested all the time. So,
I think that yeah. It was a very
interesting experience having having shot the film during
the pandemic. Yeah. That one I could yeah.
We all had,
interesting experiences during that. That's for sure. Well,
yeah.
Absolutely.
So and I noticed throughout a lot of
the the film that just a lot of
just
close-up facial emotion. You could
you could feel what you were going through.
How did you approach the restraint and silence
doing those scenes?
Yeah. That's a great question.
I would say just being in the moment,
you know, and
really playing off of, you know, what the
environment is giving off, what,
the the other actors are,
you know, giving off as well. I think,
a lot of the
do you do you know? Usually, when you're
when you're on set and you're in the
scene, that's you're you gotta be there.
Yeah. All the prep works that you've done,
it's got it's you know, it just kind
of, somehow is melt.
You hope that
it it comes through and shines through.
You just have to trust that it's it's
all there and just, you know, stay present
in in in the moment. I think Alex
was just wonderful to be able to,
give
direction, but also just have space to really,
you know, play and live in in the
character and in the moment. Okay.
Okay.
So now and you said since it wasn't
like that character really wasn't like you, so
what helped you access that that character's inner
life?
Yeah. I would say
lots of research,
kind of building that backstory, really creating that.
Kind of really just understand why
why she makes those particular decisions, why,
she says, you know, those particular things,
how, you know, why
I think that the question of
why was really important
for Ye to really Yeah. Have a better
understanding and and and really
continue to investigate and, you know, dive dive
into
the motivations and
have a better understanding of the character. Okay.
Yeah.
So you now
you've already answered a lot of this, but
Alex seems like a a wonderful
director, and,
I I I believe he also wrote is
a writer.
So what was it like working with Alex
as a director? But you've pretty much answered
that it was a pretty good time.
Yeah. He was wonderful. I mean, I I
I just really appreciated the
kind of relationship that we built from the
short films that we've made together, and I
felt like it was just a continuation of
just a fun time that we had on
these shorts and being able to really translate
that into a feature.
But, yeah, there was just so much trust,
and it was such a cared for,
set. Everyone was just, like, you know, so
wonderful,
to work with. It was just a very
fun environment, and that was all just a
testament to to Alex and just, you know,
really,
trust you know, really
he he him providing that North Star of
just what a wonderful script that he wrote.
Wow. And all everything was just there on
the page, and we were we really just,
you know Yeah. That's awesome. You know, sometimes
you hear you hear the stories about these
other bigger movies and the actors and actresses
fighting amongst each other. It doesn't sound like
that happens at all on this film. No.
Not at all. Yeah. We were really lucky.
Everyone was And I think you could sense
that watching that too. Yeah. Everybody seemed to
be having a good time. How, how many
films have you made with Alex?
So this is our first feature. We did
two other shorts. Oh, right.
Yeah. Okay.
And and how did your collaboration
evolve over the shoot? Again, it seems like
a, not not a no brainer, but it
seems like everything would just went along so
well.
Yeah. I felt
I don't I felt like it just deepened
our trust and our
I felt like a lot of the times
he,
you know, we we we were able to
be pretty fast and efficient with the shots
just because felt like it was such a
shorthand, and I felt like he was we
both trusted
each other's,
kind of
vision for the character.
Yeah. So it was
it was really it just felt very easy.
Wow.
And and just fun. I I don't yeah.
I felt like it just deepened our our
trust, and we just allowed for a little
bit more play too just because we we
knew, okay. We got that shot or, you
know,
it was a pretty quick it was quick
to get there, so we were able to
maybe,
find other
time to just maybe
find a different,
way to play that particular scene. Wow. Okay.
Yeah. Now,
again, it all sounds wonderful, but there had
to be a maybe some challenges. Were there
scenes that challenged you the most?
Yeah. That's a great question. I would say,
probably
I mean, obviously, some of the more emotional
things
are
challenging in in a way that,
you know, you you understand that they it
needs to
there
needs to go a certain way. And,
I think but I think
those
were and especially the one, I think, the
one particular kind of climax,
in the scene Mhmm. Was a little difficult
just because,
like, me and Anna Marie who plays,
Monica, she's a wonderful actress. Yeah.
She like,
we just had such a great friendship on
set. So it was like like, that felt
like we were both, like, dreading just because
we didn't want to have to get into
an argument.
Right. So that was, I think that was
the maybe tough part. Okay. And I think
also just the the first day of set,
just, you know, the nerves of Yeah. You
know, of of
creating that having that
character
that
and and and portraying that on the first
day, I think, is always challenging just because
of the nerves of first day of shoot
and,
you know, getting that that particular establishing shot.
I think it's also super important to him
who forms the entire
rest of the character in the film. So
I think that's always, I think, for me
personally, like, an under racking.
Okay.
Well, like I said, watch it. It just
it seems so everybody
just seemed to to work well together just
watching the film. Now I I wasn't there,
but it just sounds like that's how it
went.
So any unexpectedly
probably any unexpectedly
joyful or grounding moments on the set, but
I I think there were plenty of those.
Those is the way it sounded.
Yeah. I I think
just every day was just a joy. Everyone
like, it was just truly
a fun set, like,
from the cast to the crew. Like, everyone
just you know,
you could tell everyone really
cared about this production
Yeah. And took a lot of care and
a lot of thought into,
kind of what they were doing.
And it just felt like everyone was so
generous and just taking care of each other.
I thought that was just so beautiful, and
I think
very much like an ensemble
piece, really. Yeah.
Yeah. Not only amongst the cast, but amongst
the crew. You know? Like, we were we
were all just so faithful to be there.
Yeah. Right. I've
as a film watcher, you hardly think about
the other people that are behind filming and
doing all that other important stuff.
Yeah. Yeah. They're they're the backbone.
Yeah. Right. Yeah. And so what did it
mean to watch this film with a Wild
Rivers audience?
Yeah. Very exciting. I mean, I I definitely
yeah. Very, very excited.
Thank you again so much, and I I
can't I'm just so honored and kind of
blown away.
Well, listen. Like I said, we're honored to
have you, and it was it was a
fun,
wonderful watch.
Now kind of a another I don't know
if you call it a no brainer, but
receiving the best actress award, that that's gotta
be thrilling. So
just give us a little, you know, taste
of what that must have felt like.
I was, yeah, I was shocked. I was
not expecting
any sort of reward. I think the
the making of the film was already a
reward in itself, just so pleasurable, but I
was, yeah, I'm I'm I'm very grateful and
honored.
Well and, you know, I mean, for heaven's
sake, you're doing it what you love
is what it sounds like for sure. Yeah.
Yeah. Definitely.
Very very much so. Yeah.
So and did the audience response affirm anything
about the performance
from everybody, of course?
Yeah. I don't I'm not I'm not sure.
I don't I think
I very much I think
the performance was a
I think just an ensemble performance. I think
the performance wouldn't have been the way it
is without the wonderful actors, like, the crew
like, the the wonderful script. Like, I think
it's very much
everyone
everyone's kind of,
work that really showed you. Yeah. Yeah. Right.
Right.
Now did that award
change how you see this role?
That's a great question. I I mean, it's
it's wonderful to feel to, you know, be
acknowledged and Sure. To know that this this
film resonated with folks, I think that really
means the the most, actually,
to to me and I'm sure for Alex
as well, just knowing that, you know, this
film really resonated with audiences, I think is
really,
like,
that that's that's all we can really ask
for. Right? Oh oh, yeah. Yeah.
I'm also curious, about what age were you
when you felt that maybe this was the
direction you wanted to go in life?
Yeah.
I
that's a great question. I I would say
I I knew I loved film just watching
films growing up as a kid, but I
I didn't really have it didn't really take
that first step until college. So I started
actually acting, like, a little later
than maybe most when, you know, a lot
of folks, but they started when they're, like,
you know, young kids. But,
I would say just in college, it felt
it was just I've never felt anything like
it in terms of,
you know, being able to investigate. And, really,
I think acting is very much, you know,
investigating and and really, there's a psychology behind
it, which is very fascinating to really understand
so many different kinds of people and personalities
and backgrounds. And Yeah. I think there's
it's just
yeah.
It's it's,
a joy. Well and and that's, yeah, that's
fantastic.
And what was your first,
what, with the foray into acting? I was
it the live theater?
It was live theater. Yeah. Okay. College.
Okay.
And you talked about movies as as, what
were some of your favorites?
Any any movies that maybe inspired you to,
you know, go that direction also?
Yeah. I was. There's so many favorite ones
when I was growing up, but I would
say
when I was really little,
this movie called The Little Princess, which is
directed by Alfonso Cuon, which was a a
while ago, but that really, I think, made
it an impact on you. I I believe
I'd watched that with my granddaughters, if I
could remember. I'm pretty sorry. Yeah. It was
so good. So heartbreaking, but it's, like, so
beautiful.
I can't believe that it's a children's movie.
But yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
So
what kinds of roles are you hoping to
explore next? Do you have any ideas right
away or taking a break?
Yeah. I'm not sure. I mean, I think
I'm
definitely taking
Lana's it it like, maybe Lana has really
inspired me, but I've started to write,
some of my own short films. So hoping
to,
potentially direct some of some of those and,
maybe yeah. Maybe do do some behind the
camera work as well and and Wow. You're
gonna you're gonna cover the whole spectrum.
The acting world, it sounds like. Yeah. Movies.
Well, I've tried to. Well, that's awesome. Something.
Yeah. And and has this project shifted how
you think about your work as an actor?
Yeah. I would say definitely. I think,
Yeah. I think, again, this I feel like
this is such a love letter to filmmaking.
I think it's really Well, that's, yeah, that's
a beautiful thing, especially something that that you
love doing.
Yeah. Like, opens my eyes to,
just another
possible avenue to to continue filmmaking,
not not only as an actor, but also
potentially as a writer and,
just how important it is to just
I think with you know, having a
a cast and crew,
I think that's Yeah.
That's
yeah. It Wow. It was just such an
amazing experience. Yeah. Well,
well, that's that's awesome. We are getting short
on time. Sarah, I wanna really thank you
for joining us here this evening.
And like I said, I thoroughly enjoyed the
film and urge everybody to
to watch that film.
And
it was just an a wonderful experience. I
really thank you. And that yeah. That's, again,
the film, sorry, we're dead. It's funny. When
I first saw that title, I thought, oh,
I don't know about this, but it turned
out this is just totally cool, totally wonderful.
So congratulations, and thanks again, Sarah.
Thank you so, so much.
Really, such a pleasure and such an honor
to be here to be chatting with you,
Rick. Okay. Well, we appreciate it.
So thanks for joining us on Wild Rivers
Film Radio. The film will screen again Saturday,
February 7 at 2PM
at the Checo Community Library
in Brookings.
And that's it for this episode of Wild
Rivers Film Radio.
To learn more about the festival,
bypasses,
volunteer,
or explore sponsorship
opportunities,
visit wildriversfilmfestival.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook,
Instagram,
TikTok,
and YouTube.
And we'd like to thank,
recording,
mister Michael Gorse,
sound mixing and editing, Tom Bozak,
producer Sue Wright,
and your host, me, Rick McNamer. Thanks again,
Sarah. Appreciate it. You. Thank you so much.
Bye. Okay. Bye bye.