Character Bio: Sarah Kellogg (Fire Down Below)

Mini Bio

Sarah Kellogg is an outcast in the community in which she lives, because people there believe that she murdered her father, although she was acquitted for that crime. Jack Taggart (played by Steven Seagal), later discovers that in fact Earl was the one that killed their father, after his father discovered Earl was molesting his sister. Jack becomes a love interest for Sarah, and he tries to get the community to accept her. She also becomes a vital witness in the case against Orin Hanner Sr., who is dumping toxic waste into the community’s drinking water.

Vital Stats

  • Name: Sarah Kellogg
  • Age/Born: 30′s
  • Marital Status: Single
  • Family: One brother, Earl, who molested her when she was a child. Both parents are dead.
  • Employment: She makes honey from the bees that she keeps.
  • Love Interest/s: Jack Taggart
  • Hobbies: Beekeeping.

Function of Role

Marg’s role in this movie is twofold. First of all, she is the love interest of Steven Seagal’s character. Most importantly, however, she plays a key role in the main storyline. She becomes a vital witness for the state against Orin Hanner Sr., who has been ordering toxic chemicals to be dumped into the drinking water of the people in Appalocha, Kentucky.

Marg on Her Character/Experience Filming

  • PLAYBOY: You appeared in Fire Down Below. Is Steven Seagal as wooden as he appears?

    HELGENBERGER: Well, I wouldn’t use that word. He was rarely there. Seriously. He showed up when he needed to show up, and the rest of the time I acted with his stand-in. Because of his martial arts training, I think he’s a very present guy. Whether or not he’s going to fuck with you is another thing. He loves to play games more than anybody I know. Otherwise he gets bored. But once he realizes you won’t play games with him, he’ll back off. A game player doesn’t like to play games with somebody who’s not interested. They’ll go on to find somebody who’s going to fall for their shit. But he was very complimentary to me. He would always say, “We think you’re a terrific actress. The best thing I did was put you in this film.”

  • “When I first met Steven, the first thing we said was, ‘Isn’t this a great female role?’,” Helgenberger recalls. “Sarah is a woman who’s overcome enormous odds and has still managed to retain her dignity and grace. She’s a coal miner’s daughter, an outcast in this town, who’s aware of what’s going on — that there is toxic waste being dumped in these abandoned coal mines.”

  • Helgenberger dug into her role by exploring actual coal mines while on location in Kentucky. “I went into a couple of mines, five miles into one and two miles into another,” she admits. “It was an incredible experience. These tunnels are 45 inches high and it’s pitch black. You have to be a mole to stay down there for ten hours at a time.”

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