Last year, Samantha Futerman was taking acting classes in the College of Fine Arts, eating in the West Campus dining hall and hanging out in Sleeper Hall every night.
This year, the sophomore is at home with her family in Verona, N.J., far removed from the life at Boston University she was just getting used to. She now spends her days working, getting in shape and rehearsing, because her life is about to get a lot more glamorous.
In April, Futerman will be on her way to making her Broadway debut, appearing with a handful of stars, including legendary singer/actress Eartha Kitt, in the new musical All About Us. Futerman said she decided, after much consideration and debate during the fall semester this year, to take a leave of absence from the university to pursue her already established acting career, which includes major roles in the blockbuster Memoirs of a Geisha and the critically acclaimed independent film The Motel.
The decision to stop taking classes and earning credits, at least for the time-being, was not easy. She said it demanded hours of discussion with family, friends and professors.
“It was incredibly tough to leave BU,” she said. “I learned so much in my classes, and it was hard to leave because of the attachments to my friends, especially inside CFA.
“We’re a giant family,” she added. “Everyone knows each other so well. We are closer than people should be. I know I’ll see them again, but it is tough to be away.”
CFA professors said Futerman has handled the decision with a maturity consistent with her persona on- and off-stage — a poise they say surpasses her 19 years.
Professors commended Futerman for her modesty and eagerness to learn.
“No matter how much success she sees, she is still eager to learn,” said Paolo DiFabio, assistant director of student affairs in the theater department. “She is very gifted [and has] never had the attitude that there’s nothing left to learn.”
DiFabio said he hopes Futerman returns to BU but understands she wants to pursue any acting opportunities that arise after her performance. DiFabio noted Futerman continues to improve her range as an Asian-American actor who refuses to be “pigeonholed in typecasting.”
“She is a great asset to the program,” he said. “She has an open invitation [to return].”
Futerman has acted since middle school and made her professional debut at 13 when she performed in The King and I at the Paper Mill Playhouse, one of New Jersey’s premier theaters.
Though she enjoys working in films, Futerman said she is glad to be performing on Broadway as Gladys in All About Us – an adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s play The Skin Of Our Teeth – because she has a long-lived passion for live theater.
“I knew I wanted to act in the summer after eighth grade,” she said. “I couldn’t see myself doing anything else after the rush of being on stage in front of 1,000 people.”
The road to success has not been easy, Futerman said. She is quick to describe numerous setbacks during her young acting career, especially the “terrible singing voice” she worked desperately to improve.
“I was awful,” she said. “People made faces when I sang.”
Because of her love of musical theater, Futerman said she worked hard to improve her singing voice by taking voice lessons for more than four years. The singing lessons paid off in the spring of 2005, when she was offered the role in All About Us.
The play, which Futerman described as a complex story about perseverance and unity, opens with a multi-week run in Westport, Conn.
“What I hope the audience leaves understanding is that we will get by, even by the ‘skin of our teeth,’ as long as we stick together,” she said.
School of Theater associate professor Judith Chafee said she is constantly impressed by the 4-foot-10-inch actor’s surprising strength and character.
“She has a strong presence,” she said. “As little as she is, she stands out.”
Chafee, as well as other professors, called Futerman popular among her peers and said she is excited for her and knows she will have a successful future.
“Sam doesn’t have a lot of personal judgments getting in her way of trying new things,” Chafee said. “She is just as ready to fall on her face as she is to succeed, and that distinguishes a good actor.”