Exclusive: Actress Sarah Lind Unpacks Her Role in Neo-Noir Horror 'A Desert'
- Romey Norton
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Romey Norton - May 8, 2025
Sarah, you play Sam Clark, the wife of the protagonist in 'A Desert.' What drew you to this role, and how did you prepare to portray Sam?
The script Josh sent me captured my attention and imagination pretty immediately. It was (is) oblique, bleak, and strange and exploring Sam from there was exciting to me. It was important to me that her expectations and perspectives be very different from that of the audience who obviously know much more about her situation than she ever could, and that her reactions to everything she’s experiencing be informed by her unresolved conflicts with Alex.
The film explores intense and dark themes and you have a pretty dramatic and emotional scene. How did you navigate the emotional demands of your character during filming?
I was nervous about the final sequence of Sam’s because she’s meant to go through a kaleidoscope of emotions in a solo space at the drive-in, and that can be a very high pressure situation for an actor to be in. It was the scene I fretted about most, but I was very thankful to have been able to draw on some recent personal experiences to help me to accomplish it. I wasn’t working with substitutions, but rather tried to recreate a state that allowed inchoate feelings to flow freely.
You've worked in various genres throughout your career. How does starring in a neo-noir horror film like 'A Desert' compare to your previous roles?
In many ways, acting in one genre is no different from acting in another genre; the demands and preparations are the same. There can be a difference in the volume, or size of a performance, but I feel that typically I’m exploring the same process in every job. Of course each role and each project has its unique challenges and lessons, but that’s part of what makes acting so fascinating as a practice. I’ve been focussing more lately on trying to watch as many films as I can and trying to understand the requirements of different genres more holistically so I can more quickly get beyond the first impression or interpretation of a role. That’s been helping quite a bit.
Filming in the American Southwest's desert landscapes must have been an experience. Did the environment influence your performance or present any unique challenges?
Most of my scenes were filmed in Los Angeles, so the desert in A Desert was more of a metaphor for me. But when I was in the desert, it was July or August and the heat was absurd. I hope the intensity translates to the final product because it can really put you through hell while you’re in it, and I like to think that lends itself to the texture of the movie.
Working alongside director Joshua Erkman in his feature debut, how would you describe his directing style and your collaboration on set? Any truly memorable moments?
I had the rare privilege of being cast several months before we went into production, so Josh and I were able to meet and talk a lot before we ever got to set. I think the script tackles a glut of ideas and themes, so talking about them really helped me to understand what movie we were making together. On set, I thought Josh was very encouraging and supportive, clear-eyed about what he wanted, and really, for the most part we did very few takes. It was a very relaxed atmosphere, as far as I was concerned, and we’ve remained friends since. Working on this movie with this cast and crew was truly one of the most positive experiences I’ve ever had.
Were there any particular scenes or moments that you found especially impactful or challenging to film?
That final scene at the drive-in. It ended up being different from what Josh and I had been imagining, and we had to reconfigure a little bit after filming at the “movie studio.” (I’m trying to avoid spoilers.) That scene, the one with Zack, was loud, and more intense than we had imagined it being, for some reason, and we both agreed that it was at an appropriate level, but meant that the montage sequence at the drive-in would no longer be the main catharsis in the movie, at least in the screamy way we had originally imagined it to be.
With 'A Desert' set to release soon, what do you hope audiences will take away from the film, and what was your most memorable experience during its production?
I hope people take away a lot of questions, and a desire to rewatch it. I hope people feel discomfited in a way that lingers.
And finally, do you have any advice for actors when working on horror films such as this? Would you do another one?
When I work in horror films, and maybe it’s because I’ve done a number of them, I’m very wary of relying on some repeat combination of run-gasp-scream. Those things are all quite easy to do, if I’m being honest, and I think they’re a trap in the sense that you can get stuck there and not explore beyond them. I love to chart a character’s arc of terror the way I would any other emotional or story arc, and to find as many places as possible for the character to be surprised by their own fear, or terror, or horror. There’s a lot of room to be creative even in the most formulaic of horror films, and it’s a real pleasure to find novel ways to terrorize or disturb an audience.
Read our review HERE
A Desert is out now on digital platforms