An actress who made a name for herself on Broadway before venturing into Great American Family and Hallmark movies says her faith and a specific Bible passage have been the guiding light in her career.
Laura Osnes is a two-time Tony Award nominee for her performances on Broadway in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Bonnie & Clyde and the winner of the role of “Sandy” in the 2007 NBC reality series Grease: You're the One That I Want! She’s appeared on PBS’ A Capitol Fourth three times.
In recent years, though, she has become known for her roles in family-friendly romantic comedies. She has a lead role in Just In Time, a new movie on Great American Pure Flix that Candace Cameron Bure executive produced.
“I often wonder how people survive in the entertainment industry without a firm foundation, because it is so volatile,” she told Crosswalk Headlines, referencing faith. “There are times of highs and there are times of lows -- you are told no a lot in this industry. And you have to be so solid and grounded in who you are and who you're called to be and what you're called to do.
“I've just been so grateful for God's guidance. I feel like my life verse is Proverbs 3:5-6. And it's like, ‘In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.’ And I feel like as I have tried to acknowledge God in my career, He has closed doors, even when I thought that I wanted them open. And then He has opened other doors and He has just guided my path."
In Just In Time, Osnes portrays a woman who is involved in a strained marital relationship. The story is unique in that it involves a husband and a woman; most movies in that genre spotlight first-time live.
“It was different from any of the other films I've done,” she said. “... There's a richness and a depth to this story that tackles a real-life issue and a struggle in a marriage.”
Osnes grew up with a desire to be on stage and was -- she says -- acting, singing and dancing as a child in her living room.
“I used to put in Broadway soundtracks, and act out the full musicals in the living room,” she said. “...Musical theater was something I was always drawn to, because I loved singing, dancing and acting. And that's the space where I could do all three.”
She dipped her toe in the television rom-com realm for the 2019 Hallmark movie In the Key of Love. She got the role, she said, because the crew needed an actress who could sing.
“It's a medium I have really loved but I was kind of afraid of for a long time until I started doing it,” she told CrosswalkHeadlines. “...In theater, we get to rehearse for like a month before anybody ever sees it. And in TV-film, it's like ‘Hi, welcome to set Day One -- the camera is rolling.’ You’ve got to do all that homework on your own ahead of time.”
Her faith, she said, has been her steadfast anchor.
“I can look back now in the 15-20 years that I've been in the industry and go, ‘All of that happened for a reason.’ It wasn't all easy. And some of it was really painful. But the dots connect, the stars aligned to get me where I am now and make me who I am today. And so it's just so wonderful to be able to trust Him with my career instead of feeling like I have to figure it out for myself.”
Image credit: Great American Family
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.