It looks like musical performances will be back at this year’s Academy Awards and one of our favorite rising stars is set to perform!
According to the Daily Mail, the cast of Les Miserables will be performing at the Oscars and they won’t just be performing their nominated song “Suddenly.” There has been no confirmation on what song (or even medley) the cast will be singing but Samantha Barks will be participating in the performance along with her co-stars such as best actor nominee Hugh Jackman, best supporting actress front-runner Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried and more. We have our fingers crossed for a medley of all the big songs, but “One Day More” would be a fantastic one on stage.
Samantha is currently starring in the UK tour of Oliver! which was set to close on February 24, the same day as the Oscars. The Daily Mail reports that producer Cameron Mackintosh has granted the 22-year-old permission to leave the tour early in order to rehearse and participate in the big night. This makes us happy, as we definitely missed seeing Samantha at the Golden Globes.
Samantha was definitely one of the stand outs from the movie (and someone we’ve had our eye on since she played the role on the West End and the 25th anniversary) and Les Mis producer Eric Fellner said of her, “‘I happened to be at the studio when she did her costume and make-up tests, and I was struck by her confidence. You’d expect an actor or actress who had never been in front of cinematic cameras to be nervous, but she was like an old pro. ‘She was at home, and it’s clear she loves what she does. She doesn’t have fear or failure in her make-up.”
So what’s Samantha’s next project? She will wrap up Oliver! next month and there were rumors she would be a part of the musical film Walking on Sunshine, but it looks like she doesn’t want to be type cast as the singing girl. She has passed on the role and hopes to do a balance of stage and movie roles – both musical and non-musical.
Are you excited to see the Les Miserables cast perform at the Academy Awards? What would you like them to sing?
Also check out Samantha’s interview with 3FM here. Pictured below, Samantha’s co-star Eddie Redmayne at the Hugo By Hugo Boss Fashion Week show.
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