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Thursday, Sep 2, 2010 |
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Sponsor & Host
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Sarah Brown Lets Loose a 'Primal Scream'
-- Monday October 28th, 2002
"I'm not bad, I'm just misunderstood."
So says Sarah Brown of her character, Lucy, who will appear in the November 13th episode of Birds of Prey, 'Primal Scream'. Funny, we think participation in a car bombing and the tying up and tazering of both Helena and Detective Reese qualifies as a little more than 'misunderstood'. Formerly a daytime star on ABC's General Hospital, Brown has been looking to break into more primetime and feature film work - and what better way than as a tough-as-nails gang member on The WB's latest ratings hit?
Technically, Sarah tells us, Lucy is not a "gang member per-se", but rather one of a group of thieves. The so-called group goes by the moniker of Animal Gang in drafts of the episode's script, with a specific wild animal name assigned to each member. Brown's Lucy goes by the codename Wolf and as such is slated to don a symbolic mask representing wolves during heists. Surely hitting the hottest nightspots and restaurants in New Gotham classifies as bad - and if not that, helping to steal the priceless diamonds that serve as eyes for an ancient relic statue must. Sarah admits the character's darker nature drew her to the role : "She is smart, sassy... carries a big gun. I just thought it would be fun to play a criminal again." Sexy as well, we bet, as the actress tells us she was made to look like a biker chick in lots of leather and denim; however, the straightening and greasing of her naturally wavy locks may detract a bit from the allure. A bit.
Sarah draws on more than the fact that she played an assassin six years ago ('Hostile Force') for her part. Born February 18th, 1975, to David and Pamela Brown of Eureka, California, Sarah discovered early on that she was destined to be an actress. She says she first became interested while performing in a local theater production of 'Annie', the famed musical about orphans, which incidentally her mother had taken her to audition for. The support of her parents and acceptance into the Los Angeles County High School for the Performing Arts helped shape what would once be her future career path. "I began a rigorous training schedule of three to four hours a day, for three years," she says. At the age of eighteen she started serial work in television with guest appearances in 'Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers' and 'Sweet Valley High', then moved on to a starring role in Fox's after-school kids-save-the-world show 'V.R. Troopers' a year later, in 1994. Since then, she has appeared in over one thousand episodes of television, which only added to her field of experience.
Two years later she began a role that would make her famous when she joined the cast of ABC's long-running daytime drama 'General Hospital' as Caroline Benson, the then-unknown daughter of Bobbie Cassadine (long-time GH star Jacklyn Zeman). A number of twists and turns involving several babies, husbands, deception, kidnapping and murder followed her character through the years, but these somewhat far-fetched and melodramatic storylines seem to litter oft-dubbed 'soap operas' like trash on a downtown L.A. freeway. Despite criticism from some, Sarah defends the work of actors on daytime serial television. "Most of the greatest actors or stars were on daytime at some point in their careers. Daytime work is what it is. It's fast turnaround of a huge amount of dialogue every day. To do it well, with one rehearsal and one take, is very difficult indeed." Brown says she doesn't think "so-called 'prime-time'" actors harbor any ill will or negative opinions of daytime stars - though she's quick to say that the mediocre performances of some soap actors are more forgivable than an "actor doing the same thing in a movie you paid eight bucks to see!"
After five years, two Soap Opera awards and three Daytime Emmys, Sarah called it quits with General Hospital and left the show to pursue other venues of work. She was introduced to Birds in the late winter/early spring pilot season of this year when she read for the part of psychotherapist - and just plain psycho - Harleen Quinzel. Though decided too young for the role, she was invited back to read for an even bigger part : that of ass-kicking cat-like Helena Kyle, one of the three heroines of the WB series. She declined the invitation given the commitment and hours needed for a series regular in a show potentially shooting in Canada. The decision was made instead to shoot on part of the Warner Brothers' studio lot known as the WB Ranch, and Brown was invited back to read for the role of Lucy by casting director Dee Dee Bradley, who had seen her in numerous other casting sessions throughout the year, two weeks before the show's premiere on the frog Network on October 9th. A few phone calls from production to Sarah's agent later, she had the part.
Brown showed up for an eight-day shoot late in the evening as call times dictated and prepared to get into her role as the "all too human" Lucy. She says there was a real "goofy, playful, 'I didn't get to sleep until nine a.m. this morning" vibe on the set, and she was made to feel very comfortable by stars Ashley Scott and Shemar Moore. She did all of her dialogue and scene work for the cameras and even did some of her own smaller stunt work, which resulted in a nice set of "black and blue battle scars". In line with her tough character, Sarah had to investigate the use of firearms and the various ways to both hold and fire them, with help from the stunt coordinator and properties master. However, the riding of a motorcycle was left to a stunt woman, she says - "I'd love to have learned, but there is no time in episodic teleivsion to learn something like that."
The 5'5 actress states she had a blast doing the show and would definitely return, "if the timing is right, and the show asked [her] to." Given the positive comments made about her performance by Laeta Kalogridis and her office, we can no doubt expect further invitation to the series should storylines permit - and Sarah's willingness to return must mean Lucy's fate permits this as well. "Everyone was keeping each other laughing and smiling - such a great bunch! ... I had soooo much fun with the people who work there... and I think it's such a cool show." Of course, the concept of strong women is nothing very new to Brown. "Daytime is almost exclusively run by women," she says. Still, she loves the trend of women being portrayed as strong and capable on television lately in shows such as Charmed and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and is proud to be part of it. "I'm seeing more and more of that these days - women who are strong are not masculine, they are just strong. Real women are getting stronger and the media is reflecting that and I'm very pleased."
So does the actress kick back and party after finishing work? "I have very little time or interest in partying," she responds. Her weeks are taken up by meetings, auditions, classes, acting jobs and workouts - and then add to that the fact that she is raising a child as well. Her time as a single mother of a four-year-old is also taken up with carpools, field trips, playmates and activities with her daughter. When asked what precautions she took or limits she enforced to make sure her career didn't interfere with her home life, she talked about the fact that her daughter's father and she share joint custody each week. "This way, we help each other balance the needs of our careers with our daughter's needs. But it's still never going to be easy. You do have to draw lines, and be great at organization, to keep it all balanced."
"On the weekend, I barbecue with my family, try to see as many movies as possible, catch up on reading the trades, and occasionally I'll go to an event, out on a date, or just hang out with friends. Such a glamorous life, huh?" Given how devoted, strong-willed, down-to-earth and balanced this reporter thinks Miss Brown sounds, glamour may not be everything. After all, as Sarah herself says, "It takes all kind of women to make a world."
Interviewed by: Ted Weiland
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Visit Sarah Brown Online, Sarah's official website on the internet.
Thanks to Sarah for the interview and Jen for helping us to contact her.
Please do not repost this article on your site; link to our site instead.
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