Excerpts from an article written by Kurt Krug, for the Oakland Press.
Actress Sarah Habel personifies the benefits of the Michigan film tax incentive that was passed in April, which gives moviemakers a 40 percent tax rebate and boosts the sagging economy, calling it a “godsend.”
“If it wasn’t for the tax incentive, the films wouldn’t be here. And if the films weren’t here, I wouldn’t have had these opportunities. It’s amazing — not just for me, but for lots of people. It’s a fresh start,” said Habel, of Ferndale, sipping coffee at The Emory, a Ferndale-based restaurant she has worked at for nearly three years when not on set.
An alumna of Eisenhower High School in Utica and Michigan State University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in theatre, Sarah has been acting, singing, and dancing since elementary school and has many years of private voice lessons.
“(‘Whip It!’) is a perfect induction for me into the world of film. It’s also Drew Barrymore’s first directorial effort. I’ve always looked up to her. It’s her first time (directing) and my first time (in a feature film); there’s an interesting parallel there,” said Habel.
In “Whip It!,” Habel plays the beauty pageant nemesis and former friend of Bliss Cavendar. In “Motor City,” she has a scene as a screaming woman in a car with Rutger Hauer (“Batman Begins”), “We had to improv an argument. There’s emotion in you at all times, it’s just being able to focus it,” said Habel. “It was a very professional set. I was excited to be included. It was intimidating, but at the same time inspiring.”
“(Sarah is) a natural actress who can bring any character to life with a passionate intensity that radiates on film or TV,” said Tony DiMambro, Habel’s film agent at the Southfield-based The I GROUP, who has represented her since 2006.
Habel has numerous aspirations in the world of performing arts.
“I want to do everything!” she enthused. “I want to do more voiceover work. I want to do more stage work. I’ve been a stripper and a pageant queen — there’s a million other things to do. It’s never enough. The quest to do more is never tiresome because there’s so many things to do.”
For more photos of Sarah, visit Our Theatrical Exclusives section.
