This Broadway Phenom Is Taking Hollywood By Storm
Interview
With gamine-meets-girly style and a fresh face, we expected 19-year-old Sami Gayle to be like the lovable girl next door: sweet as pie. And, she is. But, her deliberate, thoughtful insights reveal an intellect and a depth that made us even more excited to get to know this ingénue. Not to mention, she’s got a pretty impressive résumé.
A dancer practically since she could walk, Gayle moved to New York when she was 11 years old to study at Steps on Broadway (a professional dance school on the Upper West Side). Just one Broadway audition later, she was starring in Gypsy with Patti LuPone. Since her first “big break,” Sami has starred in indie films like Hateship Loveship and big-ticket flicks like Vampire Academy, and she's scored a series regular role as Nicky Reagan-Boyle on Blue Bloods.
So, between shooting and classes (she just started college), we snagged the starlet for a tour of NYC on a sunny Saturday and snapped her in some of her favorite designers, courtesy of Neiman Marcus. Ahead, we spill the scoop on the best career advice she’s ever received (the sage minds of Adrien Brody and Tom Selleck make appearances), why she'll never stop performing, and when she developed that fierce sense of style.
R: Between filming Blue Bloods and doing press, your schedule must be packed. Why did you choose to start school now?
SG: "I don't want to do anything besides act, but I DO want to be a really well-rounded person. I've already done two summer sessions — I just finished my second one yesterday! So, I'm ahead of the game now if I need to take a lighter course-load for work. Mark Feuerstein [from Royal Pains], who has been an amazing mentor, inspires me. He's a successful actor, but he went to Princeton. He's a polyglot, and he's brilliant."
When did you fall in love with performing?
SG: "I went all over the country for dance competitions growing up, and I would leave before the awards part of the competition. I just wanted to be onstage. But, when you watch an audience respond to your [acting] when you're portraying a message about the human condition, you know you're affecting people. No matter what's happening in your life, you can step into someone else's shoes, assume their character and emotions, and just empty yourself."
R: Between filming Blue Bloods and doing press, your schedule must be packed. Why did you choose to start school now?
SG: "I don't want to do anything besides act, but I DO want to be a really well-rounded person. I've already done two summer sessions — I just finished my second one yesterday! So, I'm ahead of the game now if I need to take a lighter course-load for work. Mark Feuerstein [from Royal Pains], who has been an amazing mentor, inspires me. He's a successful actor, but he went to Princeton. He's a polyglot, and he's brilliant."
When did you fall in love with performing?
SG: "I went all over the country for dance competitions growing up, and I would leave before the awards part of the competition. I just wanted to be onstage. But, when you watch an audience respond to your [acting] when you're portraying a message about the human condition, you know you're affecting people. No matter what's happening in your life, you can step into someone else's shoes, assume their character and emotions, and just empty yourself."
Hollywood fairy tales are pretty rare, but your story IS one. What was your big break?
SG: "My teacher at Steps on Broadway offered me a role in a Broadway show. Her husband was the choreographer. I had to turn it down because my brother was being bar mitzvahed. But, he started looking for auditions for me and found Gypsy. I auditioned with thousands of people and eventually got the part. I've been acting — with my brother as my manager — ever since."
Has your style changed at all since your acting career took off?
SG:"I've always loved playing dress-up. When I was 3 years old, I would dress myself, insisting, 'I'm gonna pick my outfit!' I wish I could get some of the clothes I had as a child and turn them into adult clothes. I was probably more stylish then than I am now. But, no matter what I wear, the bottom line for me is that I'll never wear anything my grandma would not approve of."
Has your style changed at all since your acting career took off?
SG:"I've always loved playing dress-up. When I was 3 years old, I would dress myself, insisting, 'I'm gonna pick my outfit!' I wish I could get some of the clothes I had as a child and turn them into adult clothes. I was probably more stylish then than I am now. But, no matter what I wear, the bottom line for me is that I'll never wear anything my grandma would not approve of."
