Sarah Minnich Talks ‘Preacher’ and ‘Better Call Saul’ [Exclusive Interview]

Sarah Minnich has always loved being in front of a camera.

Minnich currently plays Sindy, a prostitute at Toadvine on the AMC series, Preacher. But you might also recognize her from a two other AMC shows: Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.

I recently had the chance to chat with Minnich about her acting career, her education, and her roles on Preacher and Better Call Saul.

“From the day that I was born, I have been on camera. Literally, in the delivery room my dad was filming. I’ve been on camera forever. I’ve just always loved being the center of attention, and I’m not trying make it like an ego thing,” Minnich laughed. “I just love being on camera. I love portraying human emotion. I love the idea of getting to sort of fit yourself into different gloves.”

Minnich actually started out with modeling when she was younger, but it wasn’t the right fit. “I loved being in front of a camera for the modeling aspect, but I wasn’t able to express myself. I wasn’t able to use my brain,” she explained.

And for Minnich, acting on-screen means more than just trying to entertain.

“I want to express complex human emotion on-screen for the purpose of affecting young women — and men — in a positive way. And more specifically in the sense of, it doesn’t matter what you’ve gone through. It doesn’t matter the obstacles and mistakes, or the downfalls that you’ve experienced.”

“When I was 18, 19, 20 years old, I did some pretty crazy shenanigans,” she continued. “I rebelled and played the social deviant in my actual life for a couple of years there. I thought my life was over.”

Minnich went on to say that she thought it meant she’d never be given another chance. “I started acting in 2006. I was a lead on a small feature film called Spring Break Massacre, and I loved it. I was in heaven. I loved filming; I loved portraying the character that I was. And then, like I said, pretty quickly after that I fell into sort of a period of personal growth and great emotional trauma. And thank God I came out of that.”

Things started looking up for Minnich when she decided to move to New Mexico to be near her parents, who had retired there, and to attend the University of New Mexico.

She began as a Comparative Literature major, but quickly changed directions. “I took a Communication class, specifically Interpersonal Communication, and another class called Persuasive Communication. And I was blown away! I said, ‘this is where I’m supposed to be.’”

After that, Minnich decided to pursue her Master’s Degree in Interpersonal Communication, also at the University of New Mexico.

It was during that experience that Minnich said she found her best acting coach, which actually wasn’t a coach at all. It was the experience of teaching her own classes. “Teaching is an incredible way to get you to be comfortable,” she explained.

One of the reasons Minnich was particularly excited to be a part of Preacher was the network. “I’m a major AMC fan. I’ve said it before: I think AMC is the place to be!” Minnich exclaimed.

“I love a lot of their shows, personally. I’ve worked with them on Breaking Bad, I’ve worked with them on Better Call Saul, and then now on Preacher. And I hope to continue working with them, because I just love what they do.”

Of course, Preacher is a very different show from Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul.

“I really like that it’s sort of an out-of-this-world concept. The idea of, you know, this preacher that is struck by the hand of — we’re not sure what yet — and then also becomes best friends with this vampire. But then [he] is also in this town that is obviously struck by an evil force. I mean all of that together? Yes! That’s exactly what I want to do.”

“Working on fantasy shows, working on period piece shows, those kind of things, is what I want to do,” Minnich continued. “I really wanted a part in this show when they started auditioning.”

“I was fortunate enough to be able to get one of the Toadvine girls, because that’s a decently important part of the story, which hasn’t necessarily come out yet,” she said. “But it’s something to keep eyes on. And I’m really honored to have been a part of that specific part of the storyline.”

There is one particular thing about working on AMC shows that Minnich said is a challenge, but that is also “one of their greatest positives.”

“AMC is very hush hush about everything they do, which I think is kind of what adds to their popularity and their prized status in this industry,” Minnich explained. But being so hush hush means the actors don’t get all of the scripts.

“We don’t always receive the materials. We get our lines, we get what we’re doing, but then it’s kind of blank,” she said. “We’re building a character out of two — maybe if we’re lucky, three — pages of the script, and that’s kind of challenging.”

In addition to Preacher, Minnich is also excited for Season 3 of Better Call Saul.

“I love working on that set. I love working with those people. I don’t have a huge part or anything, I have a relatively small part,” Minnich said of her role as Brenda on the show. “I’m hoping that my character might develop a little bit more in this coming third season.”

“Things are starting flesh out and becoming more Saul-like,” Minnich continued. “I think it’s only going to get more epic as we get into the third season.”

Minnich has a few other upcoming projects she’s looking forward to as well. “I have a film coming out called Days Young and Golden that I star in. I recommend that people keep an eye out for that.”

She will also be appearing in the sci-fi film, The Space Between Us with Britt Robertson and Gary Oldman later this summer.

In the meantime, you can catch Sarah Minnich on Preacher, airing Sundays at 10/9c on AMC.

You can also follow her on social media: Twitter: @sarahaminnich, Instagram: sarah.minnich

Photo credit: Lesley Bryce