Known for her work on the teen drama series “Edgemont,” the Canadian horror film “Severed,” and the father-son drama “A Simple Curve,” Canadian born Sarah Lind co-stars in Nicolas Cage’s dystopian sci-fi thriller, “The Humanity Bureau.” Set in the year 2030, when the world faces a permanent economic recession and serious global warming threats, Lind is Rachel Weller, a single mother deemed unproductive by society and therefore banished to a colony known as New Eden. In this one-on-one interview, Lind reveals the challenges she faced in the film, bringing the role of Rachel to life and thoughts on acting.
What attracted you to this dystopian thriller?
Sarah Lind: I like the relationship between the three characters (Noah Kross, single mother Rachel Weller, and her son Lucas). I like the reluctant forming of a family that occurred as they were fleeing the Agency.
Did you audition for the role? If so, what was that like?
SL: I did not audition for it. It was an offer. It came out of nowhere for me and it was really exciting because the director and producer Rob King and Kevin DeWalt were people I had worked with when I was a kid. I hadn’t been in touch with them for 15 years. It was so exciting to see their names come up and work with them again. It was great to connect with them again. Then when I found out that Nicolas Cage was involved, I was thrilled. He’s an actor whose work I’ve admired forever.
This was a great sci-fi film. Are you a fan of films like this?
SL: Yeah, but not exclusively. I do like some sci-fi. Although I’m no expert in the genre.
There were some powerfully poignant scenes between you and Jakob Davies who played Lucas, your son. What did you draw from to bring out Rachel’s full range of emotions?
SL: Probably the combination of personal and acting experience. The script was well written. We didn’t change much at all from the time I got it ‘till we finished shooting. There were a lot of beautiful relationships in the script. So that was a huge part of it.
You did some serious running and fighting in this film, was that exhausting and challenging?
SL: No. I loved it. I find it energizing. It’s like a fun break when you get to run around.
During the fight scene in the house, you kind of lost control of that machine gun. Was that intended?
SL: (laughs) Yeah, that was intended. It took a few tries because you just want to shoot it straight.
“Humanity Bureau” portends some disturbing and alarming social problems. What do you believe is the core message in this film?
SL: I think it has more to do with humanity than it does a bureau. It is a very timely story.
How are you different from Rachel and how are you alike?
SL: Good grief. That is always a hard question to answer. I would say that I’m very much like her in some ways. I know that one of the things I wanted to do with the part was to play an imperfect parent where she’s a little messier than that perfect glossy parent. Rachel’s a parent who loses her temper and gets annoyed with her kid every once in a while. Nick and Rob and I were all on the same page about that. I thought it was nice to see parents struggle with parenting. I like the imperfectness of Rachel, which I can certainly relate to. It was really fun to play with.
What was it like filming in the desert, in the middle of nowhere?
SL: It was gorgeous and so beautiful. One of the things I remember was it was so cold. They had one of their coldest winters in decades. We weren’t quite prepared for it. Wardrobe was prepared for a much warmer weather. I was in a tank top, jean jacket and what you saw me wearing in the film. We were freezing and all I knew was that the scenes were short—not much longer than a minute. After 60 seconds, I couldn’t move my mouth anymore. I was shaking. It was minus 18 degrees Celsius. It was one take, no rehearsing, just roll.
Every actor has a favorite scene they can’t stop talking about. What was yours?
SL: I don’t know that I have one favorite scene. Honesty just getting to work with Nick was such a treat. I really loved all the scenes with the three of us in the car. The entire arc of that trio was really poignant. Working with Nick and watching him work was such a thrill. Basically, that’s what I talk about: Nick and the cold (laughs).
Were there any scenes that were cut that you wanted to keep?
SL: No, not in this film. Sometimes it happens but this script was in really nice shape.
You play the lead in the upcoming thriller “Eve of Abduction.” What can you tell us about it?
SL: That one has me solving a mystery when my daughter is abducted. It gets more complicated from there. I don’t do any action—running, shooting or fighting—but more sleuthing. And taking the case and solving it on my own.
What do you do to unwind after a busy day of shooting?
SL: One of my favorite ways to unwind is to listen to music really loud. Especially in my car. Just driving home with my music up very loud and singing along.
“The Humanity Bureau” opens in theaters & On Disc/Streaming: Apr 6th.
Check out the trailer.
Alex A. Kecskes is a published author of "Healer a Novel" available on Amazon. He has written hundreds of film reviews and celebrity interviews for a wide variety of online and print outlets. He has covered red carpet premieres and Comic-Con events for major films and independent releases.
