Les Miserables Star Samantha Hill on Her Sweetest Job Ever & Not Getting Cosette in High School

Age: “Considering I recently auditioned to play a 16-year-old, I’m going to say my age is 18 to 28.”

Hometown: Manitoba, Canada

Current Role: Cosette, who falls head over heels for Marius (played by Andy Mientus) in the current Broadway revival of Les Miserables.

Stage Cred: After appearing in Canadian productions of August: Osage County and Spring Awakening, Hill made her Broadway debut in The Phantom of the Opera and played Cosette in the Toronto production of Les Miserables.

“I didn’t grow up in a theatrical household, but I was always theatrical. I was put into dance at age 3—my very first recital, I ran off the stage crying because I was so scared. That halted my dance career for a few years.”

“My worst job ever was when I was 16. I worked at a carnival at the Mini Donuts stand. I remember being scared of getting burned by the oil. I thought I’d get free rides, but that didn’t happen. One time we gave donuts to a carny and he gave us one free ride. That’s it!”

“During my second year of university [at the University of Alberta] I was like, ‘I need to get a real job.’ I got scared and thought, 'What’s another creative career besides theater?' So I tried broadcast journalism for a while. Because that’s more stable [laughs].

“Making my Broadway debut in Phantom was an incredible mixture of fear and excitement. I remember panicking at one point because I couldn’t hear the music. I was like, ‘No, this is Broadway, I can’t screw up!’ I was nervous but I made it through. I did it and I didn’t fall on my face!”

“The first day of rehearsal, for me, was the sitzprobe. I’ve never been more nervous to perform than on that day, because everyone had gotten to know each other and [Charlotte Maltby], who I was replacing. But they were the sweetest, most welcoming company. There was no sense that I was barging in.”

“I’ve never actually seen Les Miz, believe it or not. I’m waiting for that day when I can swing out and watch the show. My first introduction to the show was when we did it at my high school. I understudied Cosette! I was in the ensemble.”