My first desire to act was when I was a little girl. I used to travel with my family across the United States and I was always fascinated with the making of TV shows and movies. I absolutely loved our vacation to Los Angeles, California when we got to tour the studios and also got to go to Universal. I got the acting and California bug at a very early age.
I also am a huge Barbie doll collector and when I was a child I played with my barbies and acted out stories with my dolls. Then when I turned 10, I became a fan of Rick Springfield and became fascinated with his role on General Hospital. In a school notebook/paper which I recently found when I moved into my new house, I wrote that someday I would be on General Hospital. IT took me about 30 years but I finally made it on the show.
Growing up I pursued math and technology since it always came easy to me but I always had the entertainment bug. I started to participate in pageants in high school. I won my first pageant and was a princess of Blaine (a city I lived in) and got to do parades and community activities. It was an amazing experience. I continued to do pageants in college and also when I got married. I even won a national pageant and I was Mrs. Corporate America in 2009-2010.
Thanks Janice McQueen for having me on your new show on 2/21/16. Can’t wait to see the final show! Great group! pic.twitter.com/h4M48MQEB6
— Sonja Fisher (@sofisher) February 28, 2016
When doing pageants, I was spotted by a modeling company that was interested in representing me. I got into modeling for awhile which then helped me get into acting. I graduated from college with a BS. In Mathematics and a BS in statistics. I also got an MBA in business.
I then decided in 2001 after doing additional Mrs. Pageants that I would pursue acting more seriously. I found an amazing teacher, Sandra K. Horner who lived in CA but also was originally from Minnesota where I lived my whole life. She would come home one weekend a month and teach an acting class for a weekend. I signed up for her course and I studied for a couple of years with her. After each class, we would then fly out to Los Angeles to do an acting showcase for LA casting directors, managers and agents. I fell in love and really got bit by the acting bug. I knew to make it in entertainment, I really needed to move to Los Angeles. So in 2004, I moved to California with my husband. My company Cognos at the time paid for my relocation.
When I got to California, I worked full time and pursued acting gigs and classes on the side which I have done now for over 11 years. My husband and I eventually split up and then on my own I continued to pursue my dream. I also earned a doctorate in business and eventually meant a wonderful man, Scott Jones, that I have been with now for almost 6 years. He is also an artist but he is a musician and a lead singer in two bands (Heliopolis and Box of Shamans) so he gets and supports my artistic dream.
Like I said earlier, my dream has always been to be on General Hospital and prior to moving to LA I would send Mark Teschner the casting director from General Hospital my headshot and resume. I also would attend the General Hospital fan club events every year to network. Many occasions, I also met Rick Springfield and he also encouraged me to keep going for my dream. So I sought Mark Teschner out through TVI Studios where he did workshops. I met him and took 3 workshops with him. Then all of sudden one day he called and offered me a one line part on the show to play a seamstress. I canceled the trip I had for the weekend and went to go pick up the script and fill out the paperwork. This was in 2008. I then did the role and was in a scene with Maurice Bernard. It was so amazing. Now fast forward to 2014, I met the Executive Producer and again I have been able to get on the show. I have been recurring now for over a year as a nurse on the show. The funny thing is my character’s name is Nancy Jones and my mom’s name is Nancy and my boyfriend’s last name is Jones. It was meant to be! I also have been filming on set 14 on stage 4 which are my favorite numbers and my birthday! I also missed working with Rick Springfield once by two weeks. I truly believe I was meant to be on the show. Dreams do come true!
I am so proud to be the queen from 2009-2010 of such a class act organization! who will
be crowned MCA for 2016! pic.twitter.com/FpVFBjHgjk— Sonja Fisher (@sofisher) March 4, 2016
Besides General Hospital, I have also done commercials, web series, TV shows, reality shows and movies. Recently I just booked a pilot called Transhuman and I am playing the lead role of Lidia. The pilot is still looking for funding but hope to be in production soon. I am so blessed to be able to do what I love. I am also a sales engineer in business intelligence and big data and have had an extensive career and success doing that as well. Other things I have done include being a published author, speaker and host. Lastly, I love running marathons, playing tennis and traveling. I plan to run a 26.2 mile marathon in every state and so far I have done 11.
Did you study acting
Yes I have studied a lot of acting over the last 15 years. I owe a lot to my first teacher of course Sandra K. Horner. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be in California living my dream. She really encouraged me to move and pursue it seriously. Since being in California, I have taken a lot of acting classes with a lot of different teachers because I feel it is important to learn all aspects and techniques of acting. A few of my other favorite teachers include: Paul Parker (Aida), Bill Colieus, Michael Pointer (Hey I Saw A Commercial), Dallas Travers, TVI and of course Rick Springfield himself! (I did an acting workshop on his fan trips with Rick, Doug Davidson from Young and the restless and Eric Brady from Days of our Lives). I decided as mentioned above to become an actor in Sandra K. Horner’s class. See resume that is enclosed for a detailed list of all my training.
What acting technique do you use
I have used many techniques over my career that consist of Robert Lewis, Meisner, Sensed Memory and Emotional Recall. I also be myself and bring myself to the characters and roles I play. I am always a professional as well which is so important! I have extensive business, sales and marketing skills that I also bring to my acting career.
Do you take courses to improve your craft
To continue to grow and evolve as an actor, I feel you always have to be taking classes and do private coaching. It is what enables you to continue to become excellent at your craft. One of the great things about acting is that you are always learning about experience, storytelling and yourself throughout the process. So it is essential to keep learning to keep your craft fresh. In addition, I attend lots of workshops, meetings and networking activities to meet people in the industry that include casting, producers, directors, actors and writers. It is essentially to always be growing your network to help others and also excel your career forward. I love to get feedback of my performances to see where I can excel and improve. One of the great services out there for actors is CAZT. I love how they film your auditions and then the producers, directors and casting directors give you valuable feedback so you can learn from each audition and apply these comments toward future performances.
What acting books do you read
I have read so many acting books that it is too many list. I think I own stock in Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Samuel French lol! I love acting books on breaking into the business as well as acting technique books.
How do you keep fit as an actor
As an actress, I keep fit mentally and physically as much as possible by ensuring I have a life balance as well as a regular workout plan. Acting is hard profession because it is filled with rejection and mentally you have to keep yourself going and not take it personally. Sometimes you don’t get the job because you may not be the right look or height. Realizing that is subjective is so important and just do the best you can do with what you got and learn from each experience. Pageant and sales have taught me a lot about rejection in my life and I think it just makes me stronger now as an actress. I also think that if this is really your dream you have go for it and no matter what be in it for the long haul and just keep persevering.
How do you prepare for a role
I have to read the script many times and then I have to really concentrate on memorizing the lines. I also love to rehearse it a few times and say the script aloud because it helps tremendously.
How do you take a character in a script to a honest, believable and breathing person
I find this pretty easy for me. I bring myself to every role and what you see is what you get. I am a very down to earth and easy going person. I am very adaptable and go with the flow.
How do you stay fresh on set
I actually like to rehearse between cuts so I can really bring the best that I can to the shot. I also love to interact with cast members and really get to know them because acting is also a lot about listening and understanding the characters and people you are working with. It is essential to build an open and trusting relationship with each other to truly have an effective performance.
Describe a memorable character you played
One of the characters I loved to play was an FBI Agent. I was in a movie called Four 1 Liberation Front by Magic Hour Productions in 2008. I got to play a woman agent and I have been an advocate for women in leadership roles in IT, Entertainment and for women doing non-traditional roles. Since I experience being one of the only women in my IT role as a sales engineer this really hit home for me. I was the only woman amongst the agents and I loved to be a part of this story in this way. It is important to show the strength of woman in movies and shows today!
Explain one creative choice you took on set
One time, I was playing a mother in a web series who would get high on drugs which is so far from myself. I thought what would this character do after a night of partying. I thought she would be famished and just wouldn’t care about anything. So there was a full sheet cake on set since the cake got stolen from another party in the scene and I turned while we were filming and put my fork right into the middle of it and started to eat it. Everyone on the entire set started to crack up laughing and loved my choice in the moment. The director told me to go with it and also even told me to do more.
What do you want most from a director
I love a director that loves to work as a team and also listen to your ideas you may have for the character or the team. I think a movie that is truly successful is collaborative.
What actors do you long to work with
My dream would be to work with Sandra Bullock. I have been a fan of hers for so long. I love her career. I have always enjoyed doing comedy as well as drama. Due to my experience in pageants, I really related to her in Miss Congeniality since I have even won Miss Congeniality many times. She seems so down to earth! I would love to be her sister some day in a movie. I would also of course love to work with Rick Springfield since this has been my ultimate dream since I was a child.
Why
I really appreciate all that she has accomplished and love here brand. She also is a great role model to women and girls in the world! She definitely has left a legacy which I hope to do.
What advice would you give to actors
Go for your dreams and never give up! You could be closer to them than you think!
Briefly write about your career
Sonja Fisher is an actress and producer, known for Unsolved Suburbia (2010), Four 1 Liberation Front (2008) and Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee (2007).
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