We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lucy Sarasin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lucy, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I think being confident is much easier said than done. Everyone always says, “Just be confident!”, because in most scenarios it is beneficial to be confident. Personally, I think most of us are not inherently confident but instead it is something we have to learn. At least, that is true for myself.
Like any child, I struggled with confidence, especially about my looks. But when I started acting at age twelve, confidence began to take on a whole new meaning. I was suddenly expected to stand on stage in front of an audience of (mostly) strangers and perform. There was no room for shyness, for uncertainty, it was just: GO! Being a performer, I learned to fake self-esteem because I had to. I brought this new-found faux-confidence into my school, social and private life until one day, it felt real. Although I have gained more and more real self-esteem over the years primarily thanks to my acting career, there are still times where self-doubt inevitably creeps in. That, I think, is unavoidable as a human being – especially as an artist. The way I continue to develop my self-confidence is by pushing against my self-doubt. By faking it until it becomes a natural, organic feeling.
I think ultimately, commercial and personal success in my career is what has made my confidence grow over the years. Knowing that my insticts as an actor are correct and truthful is what keeps me going. So now, whenever I feel self-doubt creeping in, I always think about all my successes – and suddenly it all dissipates.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a Swiss actor, based in New York City. I started acting at the age of twelve and have since worked in three different countries including Switzerland, England and the USQ. Whilst growing up and living in Switzerland I was a part of several different theater companies including the Theater Basel, the award-winning theater company, Junges Theater Basel (Young Theater Basel) and the Basel English Panto Group. In 2017, I moved to London where I continued to hone my craft as an actor. There, I was a part of several theater companies and in 2019 played the lead in Brickfox Theater Company’s production of “Holy Sh*t” that toured at both the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival and the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I was also cast in several music videos in London that have since garnered tens of thousands of views on YouTube.
I then moved to New York City and in 2023 starred in the short film “Heights” that was selected at various film festivals around the world including the Prague International Film Awards, The New York Short Film Festival, The Lift-Off Global Network Sessions 2023 and the Independent Shorts Awards in Los Angeles. In the fall of 2023 I won the Silver Award for Best Actress of the Month at the Best Actors and Directors Awards. I am very excited about seeing how Heights will be received at other film festivals around the world!
Since then, I have starred in another short film that is currently in post-production and will be hitting film festivals very soon.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say perseverence is one of the most important skills I have learned over the years. In such a competetive industry it is so important to be able to keep advocating and pushing yourself, no matter what. As a trained actor, I know how skilled I am and how many years of experience I have had in this profession. So, in moments of self-doubt, this is what I always try to remind myself of.
Advice I would give to actors just starting out: Always have an attitude of professionalism. At the end of the day, you yourself are a business. Treat yourself as such. People will always remember your attitude.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I think, as simple as it sounds, the most important thing my parents did for me was support my acting career. I expressed my desire to act at an early age and so as soon as I was old enough to enroll in a local theater company, my mother signed me up. After a couple of years of being at the Theater Basel, I found out about another theater company I was interested in, the Junges Theater Basel (Young Theater Basel). I remember my parents coming to all my productions to support me. This support carried through my years at The Basel English Panto Group. Being an actor while still attending middle school and high school was at times challenging, due to the fact that rehearsals mostly took place in the evenings. My parents sometimes expressed concern about me coming home late in the evenings but knowing that this was my passion, they allowed me to continue on with my career.
My parents never questioned my career choice or expressed any doubt about my future success. They always had this complete trust that I would be able to continue to make a professional career out of acting.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: lucysrsn
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