Spotlight On: Sarah Lancaster

Sarah Lancaster was been an eye-catching star since she was cast as Rachel Meyers in the hit series Saved by the Bell: The New Class in 1993.  Three successful seasons later and Sarah was well on her way to being one of the most sought after young actresses.  In the subsequent years, Sarah made an impressive array of guest-starring appearances on such shows as Unhappily Ever After, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Pacific Blue, Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, Dawson’s Creek, Dharma & Greg, Boston Public, That ‘70’s Show, Six Feet Under, and CSI. But it was the rapid succession of significant recurring roles that landed her on the television radar.

In 2002, Sarah caught the eye of J.D. on the comedy series Scrubs, playing Lisa the Gift Shop girl.  It was a role well-suited to Sarah’s natural comedy talents and remains one of the stand-out arcs of the series.

Sarah Lancaster as Madison on Everwood

Then, in 2003, Sarah was cast as Delia Brown’s babysitter in the WB family drama Everwood.  During the two seasons she appeared as Madison on Everwood, Sarah was the notorious other woman who seduced Ephram and then gave their child up for adoption behind his back.  For those who never saw the show, this sounds salacious and scandalous, but only in Everwood and, with a very delicate performance by Sarah, was this storyline one of the most beautiful and touching stories of the series.  Sarah had the monumental task of being both good enough for Gregory Smith’s character and yet mature enough to know that he was too young to be a father.  With uncommon ease, Sarah was up to the challenge and won over viewers and critics alike with her portrayal.  It was simultaneously heart-warming and heart-breaking all at once.

With the unexpected cancellation of Everwood, Sarah quickly moved on to the new Rob Lowe series Dr. Vegas, playing an unlucky blackjack dealer.  But, when the series failed to grab an audience, Sarah scored a role on the series What About Brian.

Like her role in Everwood, in What About Brian, Sarah had the difficult challenge of portraying a character forced to choose between her heart’s desires:  she was engaged to Adam (Matt Davis of The Vampire Diaries) and in love with Brian (Barry Watson of 7th Heaven).  Sarah again walked a very thin line to make sure not to alienate viewers as she danced between the affections of both men.  Sarah had mastered the art of embracing such dilemmas and making the audience sympathize with her predicament — just as her character was torn, we were torn with her. It was astounding that no matter what her character chose, we were still rooting for her.

Sarah Lancaster stars as Ellie Bartowski on Chuck

Then in the role which Sarah may always be known for, in 2007, she was cast as Ellie Bartowski in the dramedy series Chuck.  Three seasons later and recently renewed for a fourth season, the little-spy-drama-that-could has proven time and time again that it has captured the hearts of viewers everywhere.  Playing Ellie, Sarah has the thankless task of playing Chuck’s older sister, the only one who still does not know that Chuck is a spy.  It again calls upon the multiple talents of Sarah to portray a sympathetic and engaging character as the audience must believe that she is worthy of marrying Captain Awesome, deserves all the efforts that Chuck takes to ensure her protection, and would be the ultimate pin-up girl for Morgan Grimes.  Yet Sarah handles the role with grace and aplomb.  She sails through each scene as if she were the heart of the show – and perhaps in the characters’ minds, she is; for they all do everything within their power to make her life as bliss-filled and painless as possible.  It was with great surprise when it was recently revealed that Ellie has a devious streak and she unknowingly conspired with Ring operatives to lure her father out of hiding.  Sarah’s ability to play both the naïve innocent and cold-calculating spy has been a delight.  We are dying to see what new layer she will unveil next!

The Chuck third season finale airs Monday, May 24th at 8/7c on NBC. The series will return next Fall.