Ep 4: Sara Holden - How I Became A Hollywood Stunt Actress - a podcast by Ling Yah

Today’s guest is Sara Holden and she, well, has been shot, strangled, bludgeoned, suffocated & died in pretty much every imaginable way possible on the big & small screens! 

Sounds crazy?

Not at all. She’s pretty used to it, given her career as a Hollywood stunt actress!

A quick look at her IMDb profile will reveal an impressive CV with appearances in I’m Your Woman, Batwoman, General Hospital, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Veronica Mars, NCIS, American Horror Story, Venom, The Walking Dead, Transformers, Divergent, Man of Steel, Oz the Great and Powerful, Sons of Anarchy… the list just goes on and on!!

But who exactly is Sara Holden?

Sara hails from Detroit, Michigan and she always had a love of theatre while growing up. And while she had no idea what stunts even were back then, retrospectively, it seems as though it was all meant to be. 

She was a tomboy not afraid to get down and dirty. Played soccer, gymnast and also competitive cheerleading before joining the women’s rugby team in Western Michigan University. The story of how she even ended up in the rugby team is pretty hilarious and involves, surprisingly, the offer of beer! And being smashed into the ground at every match (which she seems to relish! ;)).

Moving to Los Angeles

Upon graduation, she did an 8-month advertising stint before deciding to quit to give acting a shot. Her reasoning?

I've always wanted to do this acting thing... and if I don't do this now, I don't know that I'll ever do it. It was kind of like my time, let's just take the jump leap of faith, if you will, and just see what happens. And so I did, I just moved to Hollywood. And I packed whatever I had into my car and drove out there.

But you know what makes that decision especially remarkable?

I didn't know anybody. I did not have a job. I did have some money saved up… and I remember I kind of told a little white lie to my parents and said that I had this job. I didn't really have a job at all... And yeah, I just drove out there and got a job as a hostess in Beverly Hills and just started networking. 

One of the many pieces of evidence of her “what is the worst that can happen?” go-getter attitude. 

Establishing A Presence In Hollywood

Establishing herself in Hollywood with no contacts, no job and more importantly, no SAG card, was difficult. And we explore:

• The art of networking in LA/Hollywood;
• The realities of being one of the many faceless “extras”;
• How she first discovered the world of stunts;
• How she got into the exclusive invite-only stunt training facility run by circus-trained Bob Yerkes;
• What it was like doubling for Pamela Anderson & executing her first professional stunt on a 80mph speed boat; 
• The turning point where she knew she could “make it” in Hollywood; and

The Realities of Life as a Stunt Actress

We also get real on some of the challenges, including

• How she got booked onto stunt jobs;
• How much stunt person make & the realities of the Hollywood freelance life; 
• The competitive nature of the stunt industry; 
• How she handles the injuries & risks taken on every day; 
• The difference in career opportunities between men and female stunt workers; 
• Why Sara is self-funding a car flip gag;
• The role of social media in as a stunt person; 
• Managing life at home with young children during the COVID-19; 
• What the future could hold for stunt work in a social distancing era; and
• What you should do if you want to be a stunt actress in Hollywood.  

For more details, check out https://www.sothisismywhy.com 

And don’t forget - if you’re looking to flip your own cars, make sure you give Sara a holler first!!

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