Sarah Desjardins, from Riverdale to The Night Agent
The following is, more or less, the full text of an interview I did with Sarah Desjardins for the Vancouver Sun in March 2023. A featured player on the CW’s dark Archie Comics series Riverdale, the Vancouver actress was returning to screens for the premiere of Season Two of the hit series Yellowjackets and the first episode of a new Netflix drama, The Night Agent. Sarah was a great interview, and we had a laugh over how the 28-year-old keeps getting cast as a teen.
Q: What kind of impact did being on Riverdale have on your life?
A: I was in season four. And it was an interesting time because I ended up being the villain of that season. It was quite a slow build-up for my character, Donna, in the beginning. Everything really happened for Donna when we were in lockdown. So everybody was watching for sure. And Riverdale fans, there’s a lot of them. Right before the lockdown, the episodes that I was in started airing and it’s definitely the most I’d ever been recognized before Yellowjackets. It’s also funny, because at the time in the show, it was such a mystery. People would see me on the street and be like, tell me what’s happening with Jughead? And I had to say I really can’t, I’m sorry, you just have to watch.
Playing the VP’s daughter in The Night Agent
Q: Just being in a world where people come up to you to ask about Jughead is a magical thing.
A: Yeah, I know. I actually grew up reading Archie comics. I love them. Admittedly, I would usually lean towards the Betty and Veronica Double Digest. But yeah, I remember growing up in the grocery store, they would always be in like the checkout line. I would beg my mom to buy them. I have a collection and they’re still there which I just love.
Q: You played a high school student in Riverdale and a 17-year-old in Yellowjackets. How old is your character in The Night Agent?
A: I’m so excited. She’s the oldest character I’ve played so far in my career. She’s 19.
Q: You finally graduated to university age.
A: Yes. I made it to college.
Q: And you play the vice president’s daughter. Would his be Kamala Harris’s daughter, or is this a made-up vice president?
A: It’s a made-up president and vice president. Our president is actually a woman.
Q: Did you have to do any research for the role? Or would you just kind of show up for work and say, Yeah, where am I standing today?
A: I mean, I never am just like, Oh, where am I standing today? But I think something that is very cool is that there’re a lot of themes in The Night Agent. Storylines that initially start individually come together as the show goes on. I think the show does a really good job of that. But there were a lot of themes for my character Maddie, and things that she has grappled about how she’s felt about herself, that I could really relate to. I remember getting the script in the audition and truly knowing who this person was.
Getting to know Yellowjackets’ Callie better
Q: Someone described your Yellowjackets character Callie, the daughter of one of the survivors of a plane crash, as an “ungrateful daughter.” How do you see her?
A: I think what’s great about Season Two is I’ve been very fortunate that creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson have given Callie a lot more to do this year. We’re getting a better sense of her as a person and how her childhood and her parents’ decisions have affected her. I wouldn’t necessarily call her “ungrateful.” On the surface, she is the typical bratty teenager who’s going through puberty. But I think what we’ll find, especially in this season, is how her upbringing and her parents’ decisions have shaped her.
Q: From the trailer for season, it looks like the show is moving into supernatural, Stephen King-like territory. Is that the case?
A: That’s fair. I would also say there was a sense of that in Season One but that we’re definitely delving into that side of the show even more in Season Two.
Q: And you’re working with some new faces too.
A: Yeah, not new faces in terms of how long they’ve been around, but new to the show. We have Elijah Wood. That’s super casual. Happens every day. And Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessel playing older Vanessa and older Lottie. citizen detective Walter. I’m so excited. It’s so funny. I’m happy to be doing an interview with you. But I can’t say anything.
Playing a ghost in new HBO Max series Dead Boy Detective
Q: Looking at your IMDB, it looks like most of your roles have been in dramas. Would you say you’re ready to do some comedy?
A: Yeah. I want to do comedy so much. Yeah. Between you and I and possibly this article, I’ve gotten quite close to a lot of comedic roles. So it’s just a matter of time. It’s gonna happen. And I can’t wait. It’s a skill in itself. But I also think that there’s definitely a lot of comedy in Season Two of Yellowjackets. There are incredibly serious themes throughout the entire show but there’s also hilarity that can ensue, despite in ludicrous circumstances. So I got to do a little taste of that, which I’m excited for people to see.
Q: What other projects do you have coming up?
A: I do have a guest star coming up on this show called Dead Boy Detective that’s on HBO Max that hasn’t come out yet. And that should be fun. I get to play a ghost. And actually, that was quite quick comedic. But other than that, I’m just enjoying a little bit of a breather. It’s the busiest I’ve ever been in the last couple years. I worked all year, which was incredible.
Q: Well, let’s manifest a comedy role for you in a feature comedy where you get to play a 28-year-old.
A: I’ll take 21. Get into the 20s, you know?