Indiewood

From Theater to Hit TV Series: How Actor Sarah Randall Hunt Embraced More Than One Creative Path

• Cinematography for Actors • Season 9 • Episode 1

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What does it truly mean to be a creative multi-hyphenate in today's entertainment landscape? Actor, producer, and writer Sarah Randall Hunt joins us to share her decade-plus journey from opera student to actor and producer, to now starring in Taylor Sheridan's hit series 1923.

In this episode we explore how to defy conventional career development, unpack the realities of producing independent work on limited budgets, and how to discover unexpected opportunities. We even discuss how Yaroslav and Sarah shot their web series "Stupid Cupid,” all across New York City in just six days.

A perfect series for emerging filmmakers, we share advice on how making a movie is like training for a marathon, how to make calculated risks and the inevitable mistakes, and how to tap into your creative confidence.

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A Podcast for Indie Filmmakers

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In the world of social media, and fast-paced journalism, knowledge is abound. But with all the noise, finding the right information is near impossible. Especially if you’re a creative working in independent film.

Produced by Cinematography For Actors, the Indiewood podcast aims to fix that. This is a podcast about indie filmmakers and the many hats we wear in order to solve problems before, during, and after production.

Every month, award-winning Writer/Director Yaroslav Altunin is joined by a different guest co-host to swap hats, learn about the different aspects of the film industry, and how to implement all you learn into your work.

"We learn from indie filmmakers so we can become better filmmakers. Because we all want to be Hollywood, but first we have to be Indiewood."

Yaro:

Welcome to the Indiewood Podcast, a podcast about independent film and the many hats filmmakers wear in order to get those films made. This is a podcast about multi-hyphenates talking to multi-hyphenates, how to be a multi-hyphenate, and sharing wisdom and advice to folks and creatives who want to make movies. This is Series 2, Season 2 of 2025. And with me I have an extra, extra, extra special guest, because I talk about it all the time and I talk about the project that we did all the time time and I talk about the project that we did all the time. Actress, actor, producer and writer, Sarah Randall Hunt.

Sarah:

Hello

Yaro:

Welcome.

Sarah:

Big fan of the pod, I've listened to every single episode. I think it's fantastic.

Yaro:

It is fantastic, thank you.

Yaro:

Yeah, spoiler alert for anybody listening at home Sarah is also my wife, in addition to all these amazing other things that she's doing, and we actually met in entertainment and we currently do entertainment together and we are in constant support of each other, and the reason why I asked her to come on this pod is because she is coming into her own. You are coming into your own as a multi-hyphenate. You are on a really big show right now, which is amazing and fantastic. You are coming into your own as a multi-hyphenate. You are on a really big show right now, which is amazing and fantastic. You are writing a feature film and we are actively producing some stuff, and so I wanted to get you on here, because you are a creative of multiple hats and multi-hyphenates, and I wanted to ask you about your journey, your career, that I know all about because I've been a part of it some of it, most of it, some of it.

Yaro:

Um, but I feel like there's a lot of really cool things that people would want to hear and maybe utilize in their own career. Maybe give them perspective, because you've been doing this for a long time.

Yaro:

Do you want to give a number to that?

Sarah:

I don't, I'd have to do math, which is a ballpark. Yeah, like over 10 years. Okay, definitely over 10. Under 20? I don't know.

Yaro:

You never ask a lady if it's over 20 all right, well, tell me about, because I so you started. Uh well, funny story. We actually almost overlapped in college, yeah we would have met like in 2005. Yeah, but you left and then I came into college.

Sarah:

Yeah, I got a scholarship to Arizona State University for opera performance, which is very different than the life I have now, and then I did not like Arizona nor opera, so I decided to move on from that, and if I had stayed here I would have been in the same department.

Yaro:

I don't know if we would have liked each other, though I hope so, I hope so, I hope so too, but we were both like you know cooler when we got older. Yeah, yeah I was kind of I was kind of a weirdo, yeah, so. So

Yaro:

then you went to emerson you got your degree in musical theater and then you went to new york. You did a lot of really cool plays in musical theater. But the story you keep telling me is that you you got a degree musical theater and then you started doing a bunch of plays that were sad and a bummer.

Sarah:

So, that even happened in college, so I had this pretty. So I have a fantastic cousin who is a brilliant singer and performer, who's on Broadway right now in what a Wonderful World A Wonderful World on Broadway, and Jason is one of my artistic inspirations and he was a big model for me, in addition to an aunt who was very artistic and exposed me to a lot of cool theater and music things. And my family, of course, all my family did that. But so my entry point for art was through dancing and music and so I didn't really think I loved movies and I grew up watching them, but I never really thought about doing that as a job for some reason. It was like, you know, white christmas was my favorite movie for the longest time and still still is, really yeah. So I started off modeling kind of what.

Sarah:

The path that my cousin took with opera performance then quickly was like oh wait, I think I want to do musical theater. Yeah, music and theater. And then when I was at in school for musical theater, I did not a single musical. I did all the plays. I did very dramatic and dark things and the joke has always been like what's there gonna? My mom was like, can you please just do a comedy?

Sarah:

yeah, because you keep getting murdered and getting murdered or you know other things, lots of very dramatic things.

Yaro:

So but I like that about you because you're not really afraid to embrace this dramatic undertone of the theater world. I do want to ask you about all these kind of changes that happened early in your career, because it feels like you were a multi-hyphenate before you were really a multi-hyphenate. You did opera, you did musical theater, you did regular theater. You played in a band that toured the world, which is kind of a musical show. You call that the Nation, I'm sorry, tour of the Nation. So how did you juggle that? Was it more of just a um, like happenstance and circumstance, or were you actively seeking out new and different ways to kind of express your art?

Sarah:

I think that it was sort of I've always been driven by project specific things, things that exc me, that make me feel challenged, that make me feel something, and if I respond to it then I'm interested.

Sarah:

In my 20s especially, and in college, I was kind of going off of that and just seeking opportunities where I could get them, because I was fresh out of college and trying to figure out. I was like, could someone hire me, just anyone hire me? And then, as I kind of rounded into my late 20s, I started to get more intentional my career, about the kind of career that I wanted to have and the kind of projects that I wanted to be a part of. And then, funnily enough, that's when I started getting interested in doing film and television and, um, acting more, really committing to doing more like straight theater stuff and I still do musicals, like I did one this past year um, but kind of understanding how my specific journey and the kind of things that I'm right for, what that kind of looks like did you really appreciate the fact that you did multiple things you did opera, you did musical theater and regular theater or do you feel like it kind of held you back?

Sarah:

No, I well I think, look, if this isn't fun, then why are we doing it? Like, I think that I'm really glad for the diversity of experiences that I've had and the reason why I became a performer. So I think you know there's a reason why I didn't wind up at a desk, which I kind of do now still, but anyway, there's a reason why I didn't wind up behind a desk. It's because I like the diversity of experiences that being an artist lends itself to. So I think that part of crafting a career is getting to know yourself better and the kind of stories that you want to be telling, and I don't think you can do. Maybe some people arrived at that sooner than I did, but I think it's all a part of your own unique journey you know what I mean yeah, well, coming to tv and film, because that's a Brian from New York.

Yaro:

What was that moment like in your life? What really flipped the switch to oh, I know what I need to do TV, was it something artistic?

Sarah:

Was it something practical? Well, funnily enough, producing and acting in film and TV kind of started my interest in both of those kind of started around the same time. My interest in both of those kind of started around the same time. So I produced my first short film in 2013.

Yaro:

And this was in Los Angeles.

Sarah:

No, it was in in New York I was. I was kind of bi-coastal. I mean, I'm still bi-coastal, but I was really living all over the place for like a two-year transition between like 2012 to the end of 2013. Um, so I would say that my interest in film and television was kind of sparked around. The same time I started producing but I was producing theater first.

Sarah:

So I had this great acting class that I took in new york, um, consistently, and a big fan and student of Larry Moss's and some people that I met through that were like, let's make our own theater stuff, and so we created a couple short play festivals that we call shorts happening that one of your podcasts get. Previous podcast guest, gene Gallerano, was a part of oh yeah, that's a you man. I've known Gene for a long time and we were in acting class together before that. Gallarano was a part of oh yeah, yeah and um, that's a human, that and no, we knew each other, we, I've known you for a long time, um, and we were in acting class together before that and, um, he's gone on to have such an incredible career, um and uh, as I have all the people in that class, um, kind of foray into taking back ownership of my own career and kind of deciding what kind of stuff I wanted to be a part of, rather than kind of waiting for the opportunity, and I found that super empowering.

Sarah:

And then, when that seed was planted, I was thinking about doing that for film. And then so, 2013, I did my. I produced my first short. I crowdfunded for it seven thousand dollars on indiegogo and um. So it was a small budget. It was a weekend thing. My dear friend shot up on this business. She and her family donated their uh apartment for weekend. Um, yeah, so the shift was to. I think it's really important to continue to be better at things and to continue to put yourself in scenarios where you're like, oh my God, I don't know how to do this, and so I've been acting for quite a moment.

Yaro:

Yeah, and I've done more than 10, less than 20.

Sarah:

Well, I don't remember I'd have to do them often. I don't want to bother, but at that point I'd been acting in musicals and on stage and I had started to audition for film and TV. But it was sort of like not until I got to Los Angeles where I was like, oh, I don't even know what I don't know about acting on camera, and you know, everybody was telling me to be still and I was like, oh my God, how do I do that? And also be me, you know.

Yaro:

That's actually a good thing to kind of. I want to explore with you is the difference between film and television, because they feel like similar mediums You're acting, you're telling stories but they are so drastically different, so I guess we'll touch on that in a little bit. So you transitioned to Los Angeles, into film and television. My question was going to be what did you feel was the most difficult? Was it the transition to a different environment, a different craft? And do you feel like if people are in film or if people are in theater and they want to try, the next thing, is that something they should do or have to do?

Sarah:

Do whatever you want. Life is short. Do whatever excites you. I mean, I think that the older that I've gotten, the more I realize if you weren't excited, everybody's going to be able to tell and it's not going to make a difference of like and the more you need the job but you're not excited about it, the worse the audition is going to go. You know what I mean. Like, I think, if you're curious about something, give it a try. I think the best test of being a human is to be new at something and to learn how to have the humility but the courage to move through that. I think that is the best life skill.

Yaro:

That's what I found. Is that the initial step at trying something new. You're always bad at it, Always. It's always like you always fall back a little bit.

Yaro:

Oh I suck.

Yaro:

I don't want to do this. This is terrible.

Yaro:

But then if you get through that initial burst of I'm bad at something, you're going to be good at something

Sarah:

Yeah, well Well, and there's also this like beginner's luck thing that happens at first, where you're like oh wow, this is fun and different and new and exciting. And then that wears off and then you're like oh god, now I really understand what. I didn't know when I did that take or that tape for that person. And then um, and then you know better and you can do better

Yaro:

When you started producing your own theater, when you got together with everybody, did you feel like that was part uh, part of something that you wanted to do and explore new things and like, oh, this is like really cool art that I want to do. Or was it more out of necessity, like I wasn't getting enough of the things that I wanted to be in, so I'm going to make it my own?

Sarah:

I think it was both. I mean I had. I've had big chunks of time where I was not working, um, when I was like three years in new york where I wasn't really oh well that's, I wasn't really doing the things that I wanted to be doing I was working just as far as, like you know, I had this whole perception of what it meant to be a working actress.

Yaro:

What was your perception of a working actress?

Sarah:

Oh, that you were on Broadway and that you had the only stream of income was being an actor, and I think just the way the world is now, that's just like. That is fantastic for those people that that can happen to. But also I think it's more and more normal for that to be not the end game but like a great year. You know what I mean. I think it's totally normal to have several like even you know Met Muggle and all of these other like you have a tequila brand. You're not just nobody's just making money anymore off of just being on that show.

Sarah:

I mean, it's fantastic if you can, and some people are and. But you know, like my cousin always says, it's like people who book being on Broadway are like we're part of the lucky, lucky club. That wound up here and some of it's luck, but a lot of it is is preparation. That wound up here and some of it's luck but a lot of it is is preparation and I think luck is opportunity meets preparation.

Yaro:

That's what JJ and I, on the previous, previous series talked about, was like this opportunity meets preparation.

CFA:

Yeah.

Yaro:

And what that means like, is that?

Yaro:

luck and like do you embrace it? Do you you know is it is it? Is it something that you have to rely on or is it something you build yourself? and I think in part you do.

Sarah:

I think synchronicity is like, like energy where energy goes, energy flows yeah and even if I am like risking something by sending an email, the positive momentum that I get from sending that email to this person it feels scary to me like starts to unlock things in other ways, and so, like every little bit of action where you put your energy, it expands. And so anytime you're voting for yourself or for a project that you've either had a hand in creating or you're curious about writing, or anytime you do that for yourself, it changes how you show up for yourself in the world, which is only going to help you.

Yaro:

I like that, and so coming to theater and coming to Los Angeles and how we met which is you were doing. I was doing a pilot. We're casting a pilot. That was self-produced and that's how we met, but that's a story for a different day. Movie with Vince Vaughn called Unfinished Business. You eventually had a small role on Black-ish and then you now are on a show called 1923. So from the beginning of you arriving and then being here how long was that?

Sarah:

2013 to now.

Yaro:

What's? math on that 2013 to now

Sarah:

it's over 10 years, 12 years yeah

Yaro:

That's a long time.

Sarah:

it's not, It's like 11 years and whatever six months or something.

Yaro:

I know there's some, some saying some people kind of bring it up in this way where they're like, okay, well, I have this much time to succeed. Can you? What's your take on that in the sense, like, is there a time limit for success or I?

Sarah:

think that everybody develops on a different level, and I know there's these concepts of like it takes 10 years to create genius, and I think that that's true just from like a, but I think that's not the full story. I think it takes 10 years to get really good at something, and I think it takes 10 years to feel confident in your ability to do it well, and then from there it has to be opportunity meets preparation preparation plus self-confidence and a belief in yourself, and I had a long journey can I curse on this thing?

Sarah:

a long as journey with that. I think that that was my. An acting teacher, larry, said to me very early on he's like the biggest thing you're going to have to work on is your relationship with yourself, and that has been a journey for me. But over time I have found skills and taken swaths of time with the help of a very supportive partner Um, yeah, right, uh who has helped me kind of trust in my ability and trust in my thing. So I also think there's this ticking clock thing with women that unfortunately is not we're not done with it.

Sarah:

Like there's this perception that you hit a certain age and you're dead. You know, I think there's the reality of the fact that there are certain projects I mean, I'm a big fan of the work that the Gina Davis Institute does so there are statistics around the fact that there are less roles, like I forget what the stats are right now, but for women over 50, there are significantly less roles for women over 50 than for men over 50. And also for women under 50, there's significantly more opportunities, with the most being in your 20s and your 30s. So that's true, but also like life is long and there are plenty of people I forget the guy from Frasier, the white hair, the dad, no, no, oh, my God the dad.

Sarah:

He got famous very late on Morgan Freeman right he got. It was like he was in his 40s. Allison Janney too. So I look to those people for inspiration. That I think, especially if you're a character actor like I am. I see myself as a character actress. I think that I hope to be working in my 90s and beyond you know,

Yaro:

like Betty White.

Sarah:

Exactly.

Yaro:

Yeah, I do want to talk about what you said confidence and finding and learning more about yourself, and I think this is great to talk about producing, because I think, initially, when we talked about, like, all the stuff that you were producing, um, when you got to los angeles, it was about not only making work for yourself that you could be in, but also, I think, in the end, it was about discovering your confidence. And I think, talking about this project that I keep talking about over and over again, the web series that we did.

Yaro:

Stupid Cupid, so spoiler alert. Stupid Cupid is the web series. Sarah and I did this is the wife. This is the writer, the director, the star no, I'm the director.

Sarah:

Co-writer, co writer, producer, star, because I had some ideas.

Yaro:

Here's how we can make it digestible we have a good partnership and this is actually what I wanted to talk about in episode two, which we'll talk about next week. But partnerships, I think, are incredibly important, but I want to know seeing Stupid Keep it Unfold a six day shoot with, with multiple actors and locations, and seeing how it had an effect on me. I wanted to hear your side of the story.

Sarah:

I think it goes back to that whole like how do you learn? You need that, and I think that and I'm being I'm joking I think we did a great job, considering the circumstances that were, yeah, and you know, we had a limited budget and with what should have been probably $20,000 more, we did. We accomplished an unbelievable task of filming 48 pages in six days in Manhattan in all boroughs, every single borough except for the Bronx, but it was very close to the bronx um and uh and with yeah under, with a limited budget, and so I think what I love about indie filmmakers is they're so scrappy and that when you work with indie film, when you meet other indie filmmakers, you're like, oh, that's how you're self, oh, that's how I got myself started. That's why you can see even though this isn't like your thing, you can see an opportunity there or how you can help or how you can collaborate, and that's very much what working in a theater is like. So that's why I was really drawn to independent filmmaking.

Yaro:

What did you learn most from that project about yourself?

Sarah:

I think I learned that I can do a lot with no sleep. Yeah yeah, yeah, and that I can. We surprised ourselves. I think I mean, I surprised myself about what you know. We had to make some script adjustments and doing quick memorizations while at the same time, doing call sheets for the next night and also managing something with regards to, like, one of our locations that you know, fell through at the very last minute, and I think it was you know.

Sarah:

someone after that whole process said making a film is actually a marathon and you need to train for one yeah and I wish someone had said that to me before we took on a larger project than we ever had before.

Sarah:

So now I'm saying it to all of you who are watching this. They were hearing it um, train for it like it's a marathon. The longer the project, the more mental, emotional, physical and actual prep you need to do for the thing. The more moving parts, the more you need to be thoughtful about the time that you're doing to make sure that thing goes well. So even though you might have something that's a super expensive shot, that's like a two-minute bit, the preparation for that doesn't match the two minutes. It matches the effort.

Yaro:

Yeah, I like that, for that doesn't match the two minutes, it matches the effort. Yeah, I like them. I I uh a previous guest said that when they were making a short, knowing that they would want to do bigger projects they wanted to and not knowing how to produce or how to kind of bring all these things together, they said, oh, I want to do a small project, something low stakes, in one location, with a small group of actors, in order to really learn and test and fail, so that when I do get to that bigger project I'm more well prepared, because I don't want to test myself in a bigger film yeah and then fail.

Sarah:

I think that's super smart, look, and I many people told me this and I ignore them. So I'm going to say it to everyone listening and you can ignore it too. And you can ignore it too because it turns out fine. But really, especially if you're self-taught having a place to play, and be simple and do one location and focus on relationship, dialogue, performance, sound shot list, all of those things, even when you are trained Like there are some incredible movies but the entire thing is in one place and even then that took months to complete and to perfect and, you know, spend the time with the edit and learn.

Sarah:

On the lower risk thing, to start off, I think we're all trying to get to sundance and to do the big thing and have a big career and it's like I think you just gotta behave as if like I.

Sarah:

I love I heard this thing on this book that I just audiobook I just finished called the big leap. I highly recommend it. Um, it's by gay hend and the audiobook is delightful. He's lovely and at the very end he kind of shares this story about Asian art and the differences between European-centric art and Japanese art, being that we see in European art how it's kind of like you're finishing this over a beautiful masterpiece and like how can you expand, how that your career expands and you have this masterpiece? Whereas with the approach in asian art is the, the object is there and it's just a matter of whittling away at it until it becomes the perfect sculpture. So we are always in a state of becoming something, and to allow that, to have patience and time, I think is super important and because I think creativity happens under pressure but it doesn't thrive there.

Yaro:

I think you're totally right In a pinch, if you are talented, if you have experience, if you've been working on it, if you've been putting in that time, you can produce something good in a pinch if you're really put under pressure.

Sarah:

But then you've got an ulcer.

Yaro:

Exactly, you produce an ulcer as well, so you're going to do another one. But I think what you said is also correct about having the time and the patience and the consistency. So for those listening at home, you know stay consistent, try new things, explore, make mistakes, but really keep it low stakes. Make mistakes, low stakes.

Sarah:

Yeah, get messy. The whole reason why everybody gets into this is because you were the weird kid who, like, did something funky that made everybody laugh. Or you're the one that, like you got obsessive about the sandbox or like playing with mud pies. Like, just be that person, be that version of you like think of little kid you and do everything from there

Yaro:

We did Stupid Cupid together.

Yaro:

You are currently writing a feature with someone, and then you've done a myriad of other films and also worked in in really big productions with other people and collaborated with really cool people. So I really want to talk to you about partnerships but I think we'll save that for next week.

Yaro:

You got it, yeah. So thank you for listening everyone. I hope this was helpful. And so thank you for listening everyone. I hope this was helpful and I hope you are going to take more risks and fail more and learn and grow more, and we'll see you next week.

Sarah:

Can't wait.

Sarah:

Thanks for having me on.

Yaro:

Take care. Thank you for listening to the Indiewood Podcast. You can find the podcast and anywhere you find your podcasts or on the CFA YouTube channel.

CFA:

From the CFA Network. Cinematography for Actors is bridging the gap through education and community building. Find out about us and listen to our other podcast at cinematographyforactorscom. Cinematography for Actors Institute is a 501c3 nonprofit. For more information on fiscal sponsorship, donations because we're tax exempt now, so it's a tax write-off and upcoming education, you can email us at contact@ cinematography for actors. com. Thanks.