21 October 2023 , 18:44
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For singer Samantha Barks, being booted off a talent show was the best thing to ever happen to her.
The Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream judge says she jumped at the chance to appear on the new ITV show to prove to all the wannabes that winning really isn’t everything. Samantha, who finished third in reality show I’d Do Anything in 2008, went on to land her dream role in musical Les Miserables, and starred in the Oscar-winning Hollywood film version alongside Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe.
She also had a series of West End successes and has starred as Frozen’s Elsa since 2021. But on Sunday she makes her judging debut on Mamma Mia! in which hopefuls compete for the roles of Sophie and Sky in the hit ABBA musical. Samantha, 33, said: “From the minute I met the contestants, I was instantly back in those shoes. I felt everything they were feeling.
“You’re so excited, so nervous, you don’t know what’s happening next – and you’re so aware of how big an opportunity it is, and how much you don’t want to mess it up. When it came to sending people home, it was heartbreaking. But my advice to them was always to say, ‘Look, I was booted out and it’s not the end.
Samantha with fellow judges Amber Riley, Jessie Ware and Alan Carr (ITV)"It’s the beginning of your career and the rest of your life. You are singing your last song on the show, but it’s the first song of the rest of your career’.” The new series, hosted by Zoe Ball, was filmed over the summer in Corfu and judges Samantha, Alan Carr, Jessie Ware and Amber Riley were tasked with whittling down the cast to just four hopefuls.
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They were helped along the way by Judy Craymer, the mastermind behind the Mamma Mia! films. In December, the four remaining wannabes will compete in a live final, with members of the public deciding who the roles are handed to. And while Samantha insists the judges took the decision-making “with great responsibility”, she says they had a great time behind the scenes, and comic Alan had them in stitches.
“It looks like we had so much fun when you watch the show, and it was even more fun in real life,” she recalled. With Alan, what you see is what he’s like. He’s pure joy and a lovely person. We shared a car a lot, and one of the funniest moments happened on day one, when there was a bee stuck in the car.
Hopefuls Stephanie and Maddy (ITV)"The reaction… I’ve never seen anything like it. I had to take a video. We all had so much fun, on and off set. Looking back at it, it’s hard to believe it was actually a job.” While the tough decisions on set were made by the four judges, Mamma Mia! The Musical creator Judy – who produced the 2008 film and sequel starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried and Pierce Brosnan – offered her guidance throughout the process.
And Samantha, who is pals with actress Amanda, told how both she and Alan have their eye on a role in Mamma Mia 3. She said: “Everyone who works on Mamma Mia! the film, the stage show or this show… there’s just such a camaraderie. Judy is to thank for that – she makes it magical. On set, we were trying to get all the gossip about Mamma Mia 3. We all want to be part of it.”
Samantha first met Amanda when they were both cast in the 2012 film version of Les Miserables. But she recalled her introduction to her famous co-stars wasn’t as enjoyable as she might have imagined – because she needed a root canal. Samantha, who played Eponine, laughed: “I got there, I met Hugh Jackman – the nicest man in the world – I met Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne… amazing.
Filming ITV show in Corfu (ITV)“But my body decided this was the day I needed a root canal, so I was in so much pain. I had an emergency dentist appointment and had the tooth out then and there, but had to go back into rehearsals with a numb face and try to sing. It was awful. But the cast were all amazing.
“To have Eddie as your leading man is a gift like no other. He is such a gentleman. No question was too stupid and he put me at such ease, as all of them did. Every Friday, Hugh bought everyone – and that’s everyone, cast, crew, catering – a lottery ticket and people won some serious money.
“You see a cast of superstars like that and wonder if they will be tricky, but they just weren’t. It was lovely.” After Les Miserables, Samantha landed a series of other high-profile roles in Chicago and Pretty Woman: The Musical. But playing Elsa in Disney’s Frozen has made her a real stage favourite.
The competitors (ITV)Samantha, who this week gave birth to her first child – son Rafael – with husband Alex Stoll, joked that after filming Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream while pregnant, her new arrival would be word perfect on all ABBA’s hits. She said: “They are going to know all the ABBA and Frozen song lyrics inside out. They will have a nice little catalogue of lyrics going on there. I never thought my pregnancy would be smooth enough to allow me to do so much – I performed in Frozen up until I was eight months pregnant – but I’ve been very lucky. It’s been a very special time.”
* Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream airs tonight on ITV at 6pm. Hear Samantha’s full interview on our Invite Only podcast by going to podfollow.com/inviteonly
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