Today we’d like to introduce you to Saige Holst.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
For me, it all starts at the beginning. When I was born with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC). A rather unknown mental disability stemming from missing the corpus callosum in my brain.
Now, most born with any form of ACC, cannot walk, talk or eat on their own. All are at risk for seizures, whether it is early or later in life, and some die at birth. But me? I am one out of 50 that function more like someone with an extream case of ADHD, or a low form of autism.
You see, no one really knows about ACC. So I was always placed in special classes growing up. Even though I did just as well as the other kids, with the exception of needing a little more help. I constantly fought to be treated fairly, and to do so, I needed to prove myself.
So I did, I worked hard and got the best grades I could. I was the best student I could be and worked hard for everything I got. I was by no means perfect, but every time an adult looked down on me with pity or categorized me as ‘incapable’, it just pushed me harder.
It took me until freshman year of high school to be approved for Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
That is how I gained my determination, my work ethic. Because no one, no matter their abilities, should be looked down upon like that.
In high school, I auditioned for every show. Only ever making chorus if anything. Until my senior year, when I finally got cast as Aunt Martha in ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’. One of my favorite shows I have done to this day. And it took four years of constant rejection to get me there.
I would thank many of those people today. Even though their doubt in me hurt at times, I turned it into my motivation. Thanks to them I can handle rejection. Thanks to them, I push myself to be better. And today, I can say that I don’t do what I do because I have to prove myself. But because I have proven to myself that I can do what I set my mind to.
As for how I got into acting. When I was a kid, I also had a passion for singing and performing. Not because I loved the spotlight, but because I loved escaping into the stories and characters of other worlds. Like when I read a book, I could be in Narnia fighting alongside Aslan. Or learning witchcraft with my fellow Ravenclaws. Or my personal favorite, training at Camp Half-Blood alongside other kids with disabilities like mine. But they were our strengths.
Performing became that for me. A way to not only escape, but tell a story. To make the audience feel what I feel as I sing and dance, or cry on stage. To provide the same escape, I experience when being a part of the story.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think a smooth road exists for anyone. One bump in the road for me will seem a little ridiculous but has proven time and time again to block my path. And that is my height. I stand at 5’11”, a height that some might say isn’t the craziest. But in entertainment has costed me on more than one occasion. Playing a mother on stage since age 13. Told I could never be the leading lady because the leading lady doesn’t tower over the leading man. Such a stupid sounding excuse or struggle, but it is a stigma that has been around for decades. All because a tall woman, what? Makes a man feel less than? Even in doing film, which has the use of apple boxes and camera angles to make the man look taller, has still proven a block. Being rejected for a film lead after being told: “The producers and director loved you and wanted to cast you, but you were far too tall for our lead man.” A director once told me after an audition, “I would recommend you don’t wear heels to an audition. It will really hurt your chances at being cast.”
To that I say, If a role calls for me to wear heels, I will wear heels. And if an apple box isn’t enough to heighten the leading man, then maybe men shouldn’t judge their self worth on the height of woman.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am an actress represented by the Callidus Agency here in Dallas. I only recently signed with them in July of 2018. Through them, I audition for commercials, films, and tv shows. Unfortunately, the Dallas film market is small, and not many things film locally. So most auditions are taped and sent over to castings in New Mexico, Los Angeles, New Orleans or Atlanta. Something that sets my agency apart from others is the man who runs it all. John Kolinofsky is an incredible agent to have. Having worked as an agent in Los Angeles, but grew up in Texas, his knowledge of the industry is vast. And he cares about his actors. Being there for me when I have a question. Once speaking on the phone with me for 45 minutes when I asked for some advice on my trip to LA last year. John also recommended R.E.A.C.T Studios, an acting studio focusing in Meisner technique. Which I have now been a part of since September of last year. Through them, I have met many actors from the Dallas area and made more opportunities for myself in this smaller market. While continuing to grow my abilities as an actress.
Though my big break on the big screen is still to come, I am very proud of the work I have done through student filmmakers and web series. Some to note, “The Late Nell Avery”, “Dog People”, and “You Wish” where all projects I did with student filmmaker Christi Kerr. And most recently “Emily”, a short film done by grad student Travis Patton at UT Arlington, has allowed me to do what I love while preparing me for all of the great opportunities I get through Callidus.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have gotten into community theatre sooner. My first show at Coppell Community Theatre was sophomore year of high school. It was then that I started to branch out of the theatre as more than just a career possibility, but a goal. Sure I had always dreamed of performing as a kid, but it’s a whole different story when you can actually get into the professional world.
For so many actors and actresses, Because they knew someone in the film industry or their parents knew someone, they started early. But for me, the daughter of a salesman and an attorney, I had to discover this world all on my own. And I don’t truly think I found my place in it until college. I know I still have plenty of time, but when you look at those who have been in the industry since the age of ten, it’s hard not to feel a little discouraged by the experience gap.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.callidusagency.com/index.php/actors/profile/saigeh
- Email: saigeinbloom1@gmail.com
- Instagram: @saigeinbloom
- Twitter: @Saigeinbloom
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUH5aIN1PS8
Image Credit:
Sergio Garcia, Andrea Cordova, Christina Kerr
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
