People say I have my own Cinderella story, and in a way, I guess I do.
Laura Osnes
Broadway has been my dream since I was 5 years old.
I was born in Burnsville, Minnesota, and raised in Eagan, which is right by Burnsville. I've been in that area my whole life.
Julie Andrews is so iconic, and I grew up watching 'The Sound of Music' - it's every girl's dream to play Maria, in a way, I think. That music!
I'm actually so low maintenance when it comes to my hair. It's naturally stick-straight, but I do like to use a curling iron to give my locks some life.
I let the whole 'Grease' experience be a springboard for me. I wanted to use the exposure I got from that very wisely to continue a successful career. It's taken a lot of work and perseverance.
I'm doing what I wanted to do since I was a young girl. I pinch myself every day to make sure it's true.
I have to say that getting to tackle Maria in 'The Sound of Music' at Carnegie Hall was surreal. When I heard my voice, it was all I could do to keep myself from doing a British accent and sound like Julie Andrews!
I think knowing where you can generally fit is important, but the fun thing about being an actor is sometimes stretching beyond that stereotype and stretching beyond the box that people put you in.
If I can impact people with my music, that's what I want.
I found an agent midway through my year-long run at 'Grease' and just started to audition. I fortunately booked 'South Pacific' six months after 'Grease' was over, and I feel like that was a huge turning point in legitimizing myself in the Broadway community, and getting to do that was absolutely amazing.
'Grease' was my Broadway debut. That was eye-opening. At the same time, it was very familiar. It was a Broadway show, but it's kind of the same as doing a show in Minnesota. It's the same type of rehearsal process. You are doing 8 shows a week, but I worked at a theatre in Minnesota that did 11 shows a week.
After high school, I went to the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point for a year, and I studied musical theatre. By that point, I was like, 'This is what I want to do.'
I was always a very good student, 3.98 GPA... But once I found out I only had to take math and science for two years, I didn't take them junior or senior year. And I convinced my high school to give me actual credits for doing professional shows in Minneapolis... as work-study.
My first Broadway show wasn't until I was a freshman in high school. It was my first trip to New York. I came with a group of theatre kids, and we saw four shows. The very first one was 'Contact.'
I've always wanted to be on an original cast recording. I grew up listening to them, and now to know that my voice is heard on three or four of them is just surreal. I never thought I would be that person.
I don't think I want to transition into being a recording artist for the rest of my life or anything like that, but it's something I'd like to try.
Getting to perform at the Carlyle, following in the footsteps of women like Elaine Stritch, Barbara Cook, Christine Ebersole, Kelli O'Hara, and so many others, is nothing short of a dream come true.
Cinderella is making her Broadway debut. It's an honor to step into that position and, in that way, I am creating a role because it's never been done on Broadway. I feel so honored.
I was never like, 'Oh, I really want to play Cinderella.' That's not necessarily always been the dream. But it's super fun to play a princess.
I've never dyed my hair or even gotten highlights. All the products I need for my hair are at the drugstore!
I'd love to do movies and be on TV. But I think if I transitioned into TV/film completely, I would really miss singing and dancing. It would be ideal to be cast in a movie musical!
Getting to do 'December Songs' in a cabaret-style format was so interesting because it's like a one-woman song cycle that actually tells a story. It feels like a theatrical experience more than a cabaret because I didn't talk in between. We went from one song to the next, nine songs in a row - bam - I told the story in half an hour.
I really have been so, so blessed with all my leading men.
Oh, I am such a nerd when it comes to music - I only listen to Broadway!
I don't think auditioning will ever faze me again after the 'Grease' TV experience. It was fierce. There were thousands of people auditioning in four cities. I flew from home in Minneapolis to audition in L.A. I waited in line all day. I arrived at 7 A.M. and wasn't seen until 6 P.M.
That's the ideal. Not to get stuck in a rut playing the same role.
That's the joy of getting to be an actor - getting to play all kinds of different roles and showing so many different sides of yourself.
'South Pacific' - I really learned a lot. I swear I like to say that during 'South Pacific,' I went from being a girl to being a woman.
'Bonnie and Clyde' was the first show and the first role that I got to originate. Being part of that from the ground up and investing three years of my life into seeing that show come to Broadway was really rigorous but also so exciting.
'Carousel,' please! I would die to do that.
As wonderful as being on stage is, family comes first.
I don't have a gym membership. I usually do a bit of basic yoga or stretches at home or in my dressing room before the show. I've done plank for 60 seconds almost every day since 2009, when I had to wear a bikini onstage in 'South Pacific.'
I did my first show in second grade. I was a munchkin in 'The Wizard of Oz.'
When I did 'Grease,' I took good care of myself. I treated it like a job. I approached it very professionally because I wanted to make a good reputation and hopefully continue on in the Broadway community and continue to do shows.
If you can be a good example to other people, why not try to be that person? I have a bit of a people pleaser in me, but not so much so that it's out of control.
