Hello Beautiful People,
Brace yourselves. Cause I’m about to gush. Well, no, not really. But I am going to sing Mr. Sahel quite a bit of praise, as I was introduced to him on a day where my busy life seemed to just be overflowing. It was one of those days where I felt like I was being pulled in a million directions. You know what I mean. Too many things to do, too many people to please, and, quite frankly, my head was going to explode. And then Sachin called, even though I thought I had rescheduled his interview. But something told me to stop, and take it anyway.
And so I did.
And I got to learn a bit more about Sachin. I learned about Sachin, the actor. I learned about the bits and pieces of his career, but I also learned a little bit about the bits and pieces of Sachin. I learned how his most favorite part of the day is when he gets home from the gym. I learned about his philosophies on life. About his birthday traditions. I learned how if he had to describe himself in a hashtag, he’d say, #itsonlytuesday. A phrase and a mantra that I will keep in my pocket. For in life there will be ups and downs. There will be failures and successes. There will be mishaps. There will be dreams achieved. Yet in the moments of frustration and darkness, it’s always beneficial to repeat these words…it’s only Tuesday. For Tuesday is the only mediocre day of the week. It’s not the dreaded Monday. It’s not the joyous Friday. It’s not the Hump Day Wednesday. And no, for some reason, it cannot be put on par with Thursday. It’s just…Tuesday. And when it comes down to it, tomorrow is always a new day.
At the conclusion of my conversation with Sachin, I asked him if there was anything he wanted to add, anything I forgot to touch on.
And so he wanted to remind me that he’s grateful. Grateful for his success. Grateful for his place in this business. Grateful for his growth, and grateful for even being in the place to be “interviewed.”
An attitude of gratitude is a beautiful thing indeed.
Ladies + Gents, meet Sachin Sahel…
MM: First things first, did you always know that you wanted to be an actor?
SS: Always. A couple of months ago I actually found my old report cards from when I was in grades 2-6 and they always asked, “What do you want to be?” and on every single one it said “actor”.
MM: Of all the roles you’ve played, which ones are most memorable?
SS: Well, the one I am playing now is easily my favorite so far. I love sci-fi, space and a show that really wants to tell a story and that is what this show is all about. Working with the people I get to work with and read the people’s words I get to read is truly an honor. Also, I am a huge Superman fan, like humongous (there was a point in my life that I had a Superman television) so to not only be able to be on Smallville but say that second to last line in the show before he turns into Superman is something that I will never forget.
MM: Can you tell our readers a bit about The 100 and your character, Jackson?
SS: The way I describe this show is epic. And not just for the special effects, not just for the acting, but for its realism. It is a show that totally immerses you in the world because it is so real and wants to tell you the story of the world they are living in without babying you or without trying to falsify anything for the sake of television. It shows the hard choices and hard decisions these people have to make and the ones we would have to make if we were in this situation and it keeps you glued from beginning to end.
Jackson is the apprentice to Abby who is the head doctor on the ark. He is in the middle of learning how to be a better doctor and then is thrust into this new dire circumstance so I think he is just trying to keep his head above water and help Abby to lead the best she can.
MM: Just for fun, if you were stranded on a desert island, assuming you had a DVD player and a television, what movies and/or TV shows would you want available to you?
SS: I love desert islands! I have been preparing for this question all my life. I always change my mind based on my mood so I’ll just give you the basics and the ones I’m feeling today. The movies I would NEED are: Back to the Future, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, and Star Wars. The TV shows I would NEED are: Friday Night Lights, Game of Thrones, Lois and Clark the New Adventures of Superman, Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Office and Seinfeld.
MM: Just for fun, what’s the wackiest job you’ve ever had?
SS: Wackiest? Well I worked at a Pizza call center for a couple of months and left when my Gameboy broke because that’s basically all I would do there.
MM: Just for fun, if one were to walk into your home, what books would they find on your bookshelf?
SS: I’ll pick the first ones I look at and see: The Giver, Jurassic Park (The book is amazing), Life of Pi, The Iliad, Casino Royale and an unnecessary amount of Superman comics.
MM: If you had to offer one piece of advice to high school and/or college students who wish to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, what would you tell them?
SS: Work. As actors it is so easy to be lazy because there is nothing making you work on your craft… so work. Acting is not an easy thing to do (it only looks easy because someone has worked hard to make it look effortless) and there are so many talented people out there who work very hard and those are the people who are going to be successful. There is so much to learn and the sooner you get to it and work on your mind, your body, your voice and your feelings the better.
MM: In today’s economy, arts education programs are being cut in schools. What reasons would you give to a school board and/or politician in the hopes of preserving such programming?
SS: Some students are built differently. Some are not built to regurgitate information from a book or add up numbers. Some are built to entertain and explore the soul and as a school and a place of learning it is your place to provide a child with every avenue to pursue ANYTHING they want to be in this life and be their own member of this society. All teachers watch TV and movies, and the people you are watching came from somewhere so why not give your own students the opportunity to be the ones that you are watching?
MM: What’s next for Sachin Sahel?
SS: This is the exciting answer for an actor because it could be anything. I just played a doctor in space for goodness sake! But I just finished filming a pilot with Jamie Lee Curtis, I am going to be a couple of voices in a new video game coming out called “Triad Wars” and just finished playing a priest on the new BBC mini-series “The Intruders”… but after that who knows! Haha. The Hundred also got picked up for a season two so I am extremely happy that it is moving forward, I need to know where this story goes!
MM: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
SS: Easily my acting coach and teacher, Debra Podowski. All you ever want in a teacher is someone who continues to make you grow and excel and become a more functioning, better person. I cannot even explain the amount of exponential growth I have had in all areas in my life ever since I met this woman. She instilled hard work, dedication and a love of the craft that just grows and grows everyday and I thank the universe hourly for allowing me to learn from someone who sees the best in people and fosters it without asking for anything in return. She is truly selfless and the epitome of what it means to TEACH.
Thank you, Sachin!
Live, Love, Learn,