Talking Reality TV and Romance with South Pacific Star Laura Osnes

Standing center stage during curtain call at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, South Pacific’s Tony-winning tropical set stretched behind her, star Laura Osnes is wearing a mega-watt smile millions of TV viewers would recognize. Sharing the stage with a cast of seasoned stage and opera vets, the 23-year-old Minnesota native couldn’t be farther from Grease’s Rydell High, where she made her Broadway debut as Sandy almost two years ago. After winning Grease: You’re the One That I Want!, the reality competition series that placed champs Osnes and Max Crumm in the 2007 revival's starring roles, the actress experienced a whirlwind Broadway debut that, while thrilling, cemented her in the minds of many fans as “that high school girl from the 1950s.” Now, after almost a year away, during which Osnes participated in readings and took some private time with husband Nathan Johnson, the ingenue is back on Broadway, replacing Tony Award nominee Kelli O’Hara (on maternity leave) as cock-eyed optimist Nellie Forbush. We talked to the young star about the new role that’s showing off her legit chops, what it was like as half of Broadway’s “Max and Laura” and how her marriage weathered the storm of reality TV stardom.

You’re spending your summer in South Pacific. What’s it like to follow in Kelli O’Hara’s footsteps? 
Intimidating! I respect Kelli so much; I love her work and think she’s beautiful, as well as being a fantastic actress and singer. Those are huge shoes to fill. But I just have to believe that the creative team saw something in me that they liked and be confident they made the right choice. The cast has been so welcoming and friendly that I felt at home very fast.

This production is miles away from Grease. Was leaping to something so “legit” nerve-wracking? 
Honestly, when I first auditioned I wasn’t nervous because it seemed so far-fetched that I’d get the part. I was shocked to get a callback that it became, “Oh, goodness. They like me? Now what?!” I went back a week later and [director Bartlett Sher] spent time working with me, and then I got a call to sing again, this time for the Rodgers and Hammerstein estate. That’s when I got nervous. Finally, they had me read with [Tony Award-winner] Paulo Szot; they called me the same night with the offer. All of that happened over the course of two weeks. But Kelli was pregnant and growing by the day, so I guess they did have to act quickly.

Do you feel this role will help you step away from the “Sandy in Grease” label? 
Absolutely. This is a Tony Award-winning production—it’s beautiful, literally. The cast is comprised of such brilliant actors that I feel I’m growing and learning professionally each day. I mean, Greasewas fun for what it was and I wouldn’t change a thing about it, but this show is so much more respected that I couldn’t ask for a better “next step.”

So, in a way, this legitimizes your work to those who know you only from reality TV.
Exactly! I feel like when you come in with a reality TV background, the community almost wants you to fail, if that makes sense. They’re almost hoping you’ll bomb. I feel like I’ve gotten a chance to prove myself on my own merit. And I know the creative team didn’t cast me in this role based on my “name.” The part of Nellie Forbush requires a lot of its singing and acting. I’m really honored anyone gave me a shot to take on that challenge and show I’m capable of more than being a high school girl from the 1950s.

Nellie is the most recent in a long line of ingenues you’ve played. Any desire to switch it up as the vamp or soubrette? 
Wow, I am typically the ingenue, aren’t I? Sandy in Grease, Kim McAfee in Birdie, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz—goodness, they’re all so “sweet.” I was Peter in Peter Pan, so at least I’ve played a boy once, and that was fun. I recently did a reading as the [title lead] in Frank Wildhorn’s new musical, Bonnie and Clyde, and she had more of a rough and tough edge to her. It would be a lot of fun to do a dark and edgy role, but I’m probably a better fit as the innocent. But don’t count me out, directors; I’ll take what I can get!

Has moving to New York helped you develop an edgier side? 
I don’t know if I’ll ever get to use the word “edgy,” but I feel worldlier. I have had people say, “Laura, promise you won’t get hard and mean once you move to New York.” I definitely want to keep, maybe, not the “weak” side of me, but the essence of who I am, which is an optimist. But living and working here means I’ve had to get smarter about the business. Knowing what you’re worth and how not to be taken advantage of is important.

Are there any examples of how your new street smarts have helped you? 
I’ve gotten a couple of job offers that morally I didn’t feel right taking, and I’m at a point now where I not only feel comfortable standing up about who I am, but saying out loud, “I’m sorry, but I’m not comfortable putting my name on that.” Usually as an actor you’re just happy to potentially have work. Being able to say, “That’s not the job I want” is a big step, even though it’s still difficult to do. Then a job like South Pacificcomes along and I think, “Wow. If I had said yes to that other job, this probably wouldn’t have happened for me.”

What qualifies a job as not “right” for you? 
Some of it is just because a project won’t fit. For example, after Grease ended, I got an offer to reprise my role on tour, which was an honor. But as far as the money and timing went, it wasn’t the right job. Please don’t take that the wrong way—it’s not always about money, and I don’t think that winning a reality show means I should be handed leading roles. Grease was so good to me, but ultimately that particular tour wasn’t going to be worth the strain of being away from my life here. Another example is that my Christian beliefs and moral background mean I’m not comfortable doing certain things. Like, I auditioned for Hair in the park last summer; it was fortunate that I didn’t get the role, because there’s no way I’d have been comfortable getting naked onstage! At least not at this point in my career.

You and your husband, Nathan Johnson, met as understudies in Aladdin, correct?This is, like, my favorite story to tell. Yes, we met doing Aladdin at the Children’s Theater Company in Minneapolis, where we’re both from. We were the understudies for Aladdin and Jasmine, and one night the two leads collided onstage. They’re supposed to collide, but that night they hit each other too hard—he chipped a tooth and she was gushing blood from her forehead! They stopped the show, and Nate and I were suddenly put on. So there we are, riding a magic carpet and singing “A Whole New World.” We’d had chemistry backstage, but that night sealed the deal. A few days later we were like, “This is inevitable, let’s just start dating already!”

When did he pop the question? 
On our one-year anniversary, December 23 [2006]. He took me on a carriage ride in a park in Minneapolis. It was freezing, so there was hot chocolate and blankets and mittens; he proposed while we were on a bridge overlooking the Mississippi River. Then I got the reality show, and suddenly we were long-distance engaged. We had planned to get married that August, but once the show started taping we had to decide what would happen if I won. I wasn’t going to New York without him! So we decided to throw a wedding together quickly and get married in March, three months after he proposed. Thenthe reality show extended two weeks, right through when we were supposed to get married. We finally got it done in May, right before Grease rehearsals began in June, and even found time for a honeymoon in Mexico. We spent six days on a Mexican beach, came home, packed everything we owned into a U-Haul and drove across the country.

By today’s standards, you married young. Has that been difficult, especially in this industry? 
I get that question a lot, and I can confidently say I am so happy to have a husband to take care of me in this big city. Nate’s my biggest supporter. He’s an actor and photographer himself, so our life and marriage here fits. We’ve actually met a lot of married friends our age at our church, and most of the cast of South Pacific is married, so it doesn’t feel weird to us. I’m glad I’m married and have a life outside of work. I have so many single friends trying to play the dating game in New York City, and I see how hard it is. I see how lonely and desperate people can become, and I’m just relieved I’m past it. I found my perfect Midwest guy, we have the same values and we’re starting our lives together in the big city. I couldn’t have planned it better!

But no kids yet, right? 
NO! No, we both agree kids are another eight to ten years away! I’m too young to have a baby, but I found the right guy at the right time. He’s 27, so a little older than me [Osnes is 23], and when we met he was more ready for marriage because of that. And since his head was there, my heart followed pretty easily.

How difficult was it for him when you were always associated publicly with Greaseco-star Max Crumm? 
You know, it was really hard on him, and something we needed to talk about a lot. Max and I would get invited to lots of media events; we walked the red carpet at the Tony Awards together. Most people knew we weren’t a couple, but there was this illusion of us being together all the time, and the pictures were always “Max and Laura, Max and Laura.” I’m thankful to be out of that phase now. Nate can be my date! He’s showing up in pictures with me, finally. It was kind of weird to have the spotlight always be on Max and me, while Nate was in the backseat. We had to have several conversations that first year so he understood he was my top priority. It was one of the biggest challenges of our first year of marriage if I’m to be honest.

It has to be hard to work as much as you do while nurturing a relationship. 
We’re still figuring out how to do it every day. Like, I’ll get requests to attend or be involved with concerts or events on Mondays, when the shows are dark, and my first reaction is, “Yes!” But then I have to step back and remember Monday is the only full day my husband and I can spend together—so I need to reserve that as date night for he and I alone. Talking is key. I need to make sure he knows he’s cherished and thought of before I agree to anything. And we’ve established a rule that three weeks is the longest we’ll go without seeing each other.

You’ve really planned this out! 
Well, both sets of our parents are divorced. We have four families! So when we got married, we made an agreement that, for better or worse, we’d make it work. We weren’t going to do the divorce thing to our children. The marriage always has to come first, and sometimes that means making sacrifices in other areas.

As a born and bred Midwesterner, what part of New York life are you enjoying most? 
I always knew I wanted to come here one day and be on Broadway. I never suspected it would happen this soon, or with the help of reality TV, but here I am. So I love being part of the Broadway community. I get into the theater district and am just like, “I live here! My friend’s in that show! Oh, I love that restaurant! This is awesome!”

What don’t you like? 
I really hate waiting for the late-night C train—it takes forever! That and the price of food. Come on! I can get Wheat Thins for two bucks at home, but here they’re $4.49 plus tax? But overall I feel at home in this city. When we first got here, we made sure it became a home. We’ve made friends, found a church, and now have two Broadway casts worth of family. I miss my immediate family, but I can’t say I miss the Midwest. I did get pooped on by a pigeon once here, but I’m told that’s good luck.

Grease has come and gone, but are you still in touch with Max? 
I just texted him yesterday. We talk every few weeks; we’re Facebook buddies. I definitely feel like we’ll be friends for life. No one else really knows what it was like to go through that reality TV-to-Broadway thing, so that’s a bond we’ll always share. But, as you mentioned, we’re both relieved to be done with the “Max and Laura” thing, to be our own people. He’s out in Los Angeles doing his thing and really happy. I think he’s going to make his way back here eventually though. He admits he misses New York.

You’re very private and family-oriented. Was reality TV difficult for you? 
I was sort of put up on a pedestal, and I never really got comfortable with that. It was fun having fans and knowing that America voted for me, but it was such a sudden jump from average Midwestern girl to having hundreds of people at the stage door waiting for an autograph. Again, I had Nate to keep me grounded, but I’m glad to be past the initial craziness of that experience. Every detail of my life was being publicized, and that was weird. Luckily I have my anonymity back, pretty much. South Pacific attracts a very different demographic from Grease.

So, the big, last question…
Uh-oh.

Here goes: Where do you keep your 2009 Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Female Replacement?
Aw! I was so excited about that. I didn’t even know there was a category for replacements, so I was shocked and really honored. Right now it’s sitting on a shelf above my dressing room table at Lincoln Center, right next to my journal. I get a lot of compliments on that, and everyone thinks it’s so cool. So do I!