About — Sarah Zehner

About Me

How it all began

I was born Sarah Amanda Garcia, a chunky little redheaded baby in Victoria, Hong Kong. Almost immediately, it was evident to my parents I loved being in front of the camera. I’m lucky enough to have almost my entire childhood on video, and more often than not, you’ll hear me saying “Daddy, daddy, look over here!” while I danced or just did something weird (I was a strange child). I’d also take up any opportunity to dress up have a photoshoot, which subsequently led to my love of modelling and sharing my outfits on Instagram.

I had performed ballet, tap, hula (I grew up in Hawaii!), etc. my entire childhood, but it wasn’t until I watched a 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie you may have heard of called High School Musical that I was like “Alright. That’s it. I’m going to be an actor.” It’s honestly surprising to my family and myself that it took me that long to reach this conclusion, considering my…well, everything about me.

From that day, I auditioned for every school play in middle school, and dedicated myself to training in high school. I attended after-school, summer, and weekend acting courses and led my school’s morning news programme. I even auditioned (horribly) for a major feature film after meeting the director and telling him I want to be an actress. I wasn’t too interested in seemingly useless fields of study at this point (Maths? Blech!) and dedicated myself fully to the understanding that acting was it for me.

straight to the facts

Full Name: Sarah Zehner
Location: Bay Area, CA
Sign: Leo!
Height: 5’3 (5’4 on a good day)
Eye Colour: Blue-grey
Natural Hair Colour: Red
Current Hair Colour: Brunette
Favourite Colour: Burnt orange
Favourite Film: (500) Days of Summer

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Moving Forward

Once my career was chosen and I stubbornly refused to explore any other options, despite the opposition of my parents (“Have a Plan B!”), I applied to an art school in my favourite city on Earth, San Francisco, and headed there just as I turned 18. I was expecting to enter as a big fish from a small pond (after being known as “the actress” of my high school), but oddly enough, I was one of the good ones (part of “The A Team”, according to administration). Once I gained some confidence from instructors’ and fellow classmates’ positive reinforcement, I decided to take stab at auditioning for the university’s productions. Through word of mouth, I’d also gained opportunities to audition and participate in various student films. Although these were considered some pretty low-stakes opportunities, it allowed me to gain experience auditioning and on-set—and arguably even more importantly, how to handle rejection.

By the time I graduated university (with two degrees, an Associates of Arts and Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting), I had been in eight productions—four just in my final semester! I’d also been privileged enough to have several auditions for television, film, and commercials. I also was photographed by several incredible photographers that also attended my university, which gave me an amazing portfolio and some lifelong connections.

Since university, I’ve been working as a freelance actress and model (open to finding representation!), using platforms like Backstage and SF Casting to find work. If you think we’d make some magic together, feel free to contact me here! You can also find my work and contact me using my social media below: