TOUGH COOKIE. Go-getter Sarah Dumont chats with DA MAN about HER recent breakout role and hints at more exciting works to come
Bustier and thong by Dita Von Teese, pantyhose by American Apparel, shoes by Carmen Steffens
With her strong modeling background, Sarah Dumont sure knows how to look good in front of a camera. Lately, though, she’s shown the world that she also knows how to act just as good, if not better in front of a film camera. Her acting career might have started out with minor roles in series like the “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” pilot, but today she’s a star in her own right. And on top of all that talent, there’s quite an incredible personality behind her onscreen personas.
DA MAN: Hi, Sarah, glad to have you with us. First of all, can you give us a brief intro on yourself and maybe tell us a bit about what you’re doing lately?
Sarah Dumont: Lately I’ve been working on getting more work, for the most part. Going on auditions, general meetings with producers and all that jazz. I’ve also been working on creating a TV show about prostitution, police corruption and the film industry in 1930s’ Hollywood, which takes up most of my free time.
DA: So, we’ve heard that originally you wanted to become kindergarten teacher. Where did that dream come from?
SD: I’ve always loved being around young children. Kids at that age are experiencing life for the first time. They’re curious, imaginative and unaffected by the pressures of society in the same way that adults are, and every time I’m around them I turn into a big kid too, and that’s when I am the happiest.
“We are not afraid of failure. Failure is easy. We fear our own capacity for greatness”
DA: In retrospect, how do you think would you fare in front of a class full of five-year-olds?
SD: Like I said, I love being around young children so I think I would be very good at it! I also have an enormous amount of patience with children that I don’t have for adults, so I think I would fare quite well surrounded by a class full of five-year-olds.
DA: But, as history would have it, you turned to modeling. How did this chapter begin?
SD: I have always been lanky and very tall. I think I hit 175cm at around 13 years old when strangers started approaching my mother and me on the street asking if I wanted to model. From a very young age, I was always looking for ways to earn money; everything from babysitting to picking up cigarette butts for the neighbors. I loved learning but I always felt out of place in school and had trouble fitting in and getting along with many of my teachers, so when I was offered a contract to spend two months working as a model in Japan, I jumped at the opportunity.
Bustier by Heidi Klum Intimates, panties by L’Agent by Agent Provocateur, pantyhose by Hanes
DA: Were there any particularly memorable moments from your modeling days?
SD: There are many, but I’ll leave that answer to your imagination.
DA: Then you turned to acting. Do you still remember what it was like filming for the very first time?
SD: Of course I do! I was really excited and equally nervous. I wanted to learn everything I could and do well and be natural. I was secretly terrified I would do everything wrong. I think I still feel like that for the first three hours on just about every set.
DA: What would you consider to be your breakout role? “Don Jon” perhaps?
SD: “Don Jon” was definitely the role that first caught people’s attention and got the ball rolling. Before “Don Jon” it was very difficult to “get in the room” for roles and to even get meetings with managers, despite that I would consider my role as Denise in “Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse” to be my breakout role. This is the first leading role in a studio film for me, so, in my opinion, it’ll be the first time people in Hollywood will get to see what I can do.
DA: Speaking of “Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse,” that’s quite an intriguing title. Can you tell us a bit about this movie?
SD: It’s a horror-slash-dark-comedy not a horror B-movie; that’s just one giant spoof. You’ll definitely get scared and jump out of your seat throughout the movie, but you will also laugh your ass off. I’m not a fan of spoilers, so you will just have to go see it on October 24.
Bustier by La Perla, panties by Calvin Klein Black, suspender garter by American Apparel, pantyhose by Hanes, shoes by Carmen Steffens
DA: Now, “Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse” is directed by Christopher Landon who worked on, among others, “Disturbia” and the “Paranormal” movies. But, again, the title alone makes it sound more comedic than scary. So, on a scale from one to “Oh-my-God-get-me-out-of-here,” how scary is it?
SD: I’d say it’s a 6.5 on the scare factor, but only because after almost every big scare, a big laugh follows to keep you from “Oh-my-God”-ing your way out of the theater.
Dress by Nookie, bra by Skarlett Blue, shoes by Christian Louboutin
DA: Was there anything particularly challenging for you in filming “Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse”?
SD: The majority of the film takes place over one night, so we were filming 90-percent night shoots, which can be grueling at times. Chugging coffee and Red Bull all night then trying to sleep during the day can be tough.
DA: Do you have anything else in the works that we can look forward to?
SD: I have a lot in the works, just can’t talk about anything as of yet. Stay tuned!
“I’m not looking for a guy, so you’ll just have to keep wondering”
DA: What would you say is your defining characteristic as an actress?
SD: I really love what I do. The “work” part of my job is trying to land the roles, but once I’m on set, it doesn’t feel like work. I’m doing what I love, so I’m always enjoying myself and I think people like working with people like that.
DA: Of course, we’ve also heard a lot about your extensive-but-mostly-hidden tattoo collection. Can you tell us a bit about these?
SD: I like getting tattooed. Each one, no matter how silly in retrospect, means something to me. They each have a story and bring me back to where I was at the time I got them.
Bra by Heidi Klum Intimates, panties by American Apparel, shorts by Tommy Hilfiger
DA: Besides acting and tattoos, what else are you passionate about?
SD: I’m very passionate about politics, particularly civil rights, women’s rights and human rights. But generally speaking, I try not to take myself too seriously.
DA: What do you look for in a guy? Cliché question, we know … but honestly, we are quite intrigued.
SD: I’m not looking for a guy, so you’ll just have to keep wondering.
Dress by American Apparel
DA: One final question, do you have favorite words of wisdom or a witty quote?
SD: “We are not afraid of failure. Failure is easy. What we fear is our own capacity for greatness. The possibility that we may not reach it is what’s frightening.”
See outtakes from this shoot below:
Photography Mitchell Nguyen Mccormack
Styling Alexa Rangroummith Green
Makeup Elie Maalouf at jedroot.com
Hairdo Taylor Bond at Celestine Agency using Oribe
Fashion Associate Shyan Ranje
Videography Pedro Correa
Video Editing Dimas Anggakara Photo Agency Artmix Creative
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