IN CONVERSATION WITH ELENA SANCHEZ

interview by JANA LETONJA

Award-winning actress, producer, and stunt performer Elena Sanchez will soon star in murder mystery thriller ‘Bone Face’, set to release on 21st January. Additionally, Elena’s most recent stunt work will be seen in Marvel’s ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ which will premiere theatrically on Valentine’s Day. She has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and has been nominated five additional times, besides also being nominated for two Taurus World Stunt Awards.

You have an impressive background in acting and stunts. How did you first discover your passion for performing, and what inspired your transition from stage plays to on-screen roles?

As a child, I performed in some plays and I also did ballet, but pretty soon gymnastics took over most of my free time. But it wasn’t until college, when I took an acting class and fell in love with it, that I decided I wanted to make a career out of it. While stage work is incredible, I’ve always been drawn to film and TV. I feel like it’s more accessible to people around the world, and I like the realism of working on elaborate sets in different locations, that make you feel like you’re exisiting in the world of the story that you are telling.

Your feature film debut in ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ as Cecelia was highly anticipated. Can you share what that experience was like and how it shaped your career moving forward?

Being cast in the biggest movie of the year was insane. Until I had my first day on camera, I kept thinking I was going to be replaced. I couldn’t make sense of how I had ended up there. It was such a wonderful experience. I got to work with the best of the best, made some life long friends,  and got into the best shape of my life. And being a part of such a huge franchise helped me get my foot in more doors, both for acting and for stunts.

With over 100 credits to your name, what’s been the most challenging project you’ve worked on, and why?

This is interesting to think about because there have been projects that have been challenging for various different reasons. Some have been physically challenging, like ‘Geostorm’, where I was wearing a 60 lb (27 kg) space suit but had to make it look weightless. Some had challenging working conditions, like ‘Texas Chainsaw 3D’ ,where we were filming nights in Louisiana for over a month, and it was still 100° F (38° C) a lot of the time, or ‘The Magnificent Seven’, where it was also that hot and humid, and we were wearing multiple layers of 1800s clothing. 

Some were logistically challenging, like ‘The Fate of the Furious’, where we were in Cuba with no cell phone service, which was refreshing, but we had to resort to old school methods of organizing things, like getting callsheets under our hotel room doors and deciding beforehand on a time and place to meet. And some projects are challenging because of who you’re working with, like the movie where we worked our butts off for the producer and he didn’t want to pay us. That being said, each one of those movies was still a wonderful experience and I enjoyed all of them. 

Soon, we’ll be seeing you in ‘Bone Face’. What drew you to the role of Deputy McCully, and how did you prepare for this character?

Ever since watching ‘Knives Out’ a couple of years ago, I’ve really wanted to do a murder mystery. When I was offered the role of Deputy McCully in ‘Bone Face’, I jumped at the chance. I had also already done two other movies with the same team, so I was excited to work with them again. To prep for the role, I got myself very familiar with the script and also did some research on police officers. I wanted to play the role naturally and asked myself “How would Elena react in this situation?” While at the same time knowing I would have the training and skill as a police officer to not let my emotions interfere with the job I had to do.

Also very soon, you’ll be showcasing your stunt expertise in the upcoming ‘Captain America: Brave New World’. How was it working on this Marvel project? Were there any particularly difficult or memorable stunt sequences?

I’ve been lucky to work on several ‘Marvel’ projects, and they’re always a blast. They have a stellar cast and the sets are super elaborate, when you’re not working in front of a green screen. On this one, I got to work with a bunch of my friends, which made it even more fun. I was a part of a couple of different sequences, which are actually in the trailer. But you’ll have to watch the movie to find out more.

How do you approach balancing acting roles with stunt work, especially on high-profile projects like ‘Captain America’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’?

The first few years of my career, it was actually really hard to balance stunts with acting. I started working so consistently as a stunt double that casting directors and agents had a hard time seeing me as more than that. I had to start turning down long runs of movies as a stunt double to try to book a day or two of acting work to build my acting resume. I went back to drama school. I marketed myself as more of an actor, and didn’t post about my stunt work as much. The beautiful thing is that now I actually get a lot of calls to do “action acting”, where instead of just acting or just stunt doubling, I get to play a character and do my own stunts, so I get the best of both worlds.

As a Screen Actors Guild Award winner and a multiple Taurus World Stunt Awards nominee, what does this recognition mean to you in a field where the physical and creative demands are so intense?

I don’t think anyone gets into stunts thinking about awards, but when it happens, it’s a nice feeling. Both the SAG Awards and Taurus Awards are voted on by our peers, so that makes them extra special. And it’s fun to spend an evening catching up and celebrating each other. I really appreciate that the SAG Awards have a category for stunts, as do the Emmy Awards. We’ve been campaigning a long time for the Academy Awards to add a category for stunts. Hopefully, that will happen sometime soon.

In a career that involves high-risk stunts, how do you ensure safety for yourself and your team?

One of the most important aspects of stunts is knowing what you’re capable of. If I don’t think I can safely perform whatever stunt I’m being asked to do or I don’t have the skills to do it, I turn the job down. So, that means that by the time I show up on set, I’m prepared and confident to perform. On set, a good stunt coordinator will look at every single thing that could go wrong, and prepare for that. I do the same thing and it has saved my life. Safety for myself and the rest of the cast and crew is the number one priority.                                     

Outside of your career, what keeps you motivated and inspired? Are there causes or hobbies that you’re particularly passionate about?

Love is what keeps me motivated and inspired. Love of others, animals, nature, the world. And any kind of sustainability I’m also very passionate about. I also really enjoy traveling and exploring different cultures and foods.

With ‘Bone Face’ and ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ releasing soon, what can you share with us about your other upcoming projects?

Right before the holidays, I wrapped on a thriller called ‘The Neglected’, where I play a detective opposite Josh Duhamel. Also in the cast are Dylan Sprouse, Til Schweiger, and Jeremy and Jason London. I also recently co-produced a short film called ‘The Seventh Turn’, which will hopefully be doing the festival run this year.

photography BEN COPE