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Form the West End to Starring with Paris Hilton – Olivia’s Journey

February 21, 2025
Form the West End to Starring with Paris Hilton – Olivia’s Journey
Huge congrats to Stagecoach Buckingham student Olivia who has been taking on professional roles on stage as Little Eponine and cover Cosette in Les Miserables and on screen in a commercial with star Paris Hilton! We caught up with Olivia to find out more about her experiences and her Stagecoach journey. 
 
Olivia, now six and a half, started Stagecoach at just three years-old. She said, for her, Stagecoach is, “like a family. I have brilliant teachers who really get to know me as a person, so they know how to help me. I have so many friends that I can’t wait to see every week. Everyone is supportive and helpful. I love learning about performing and being able to take part in LAMDA exams and shows.”
 
From performing in her Stagecoach shows, Olivia took the leap to professional acting opportunities. For Les Miserables on the West End, Olivia said the audition process was “a lot of fun”. She continued, “There are lots of rounds and it takes many weeks to get to the end. I had to go into a large room, sign in and have a name sticker put on. I then had to sing with other children to a piano, then sing on my own. The casting directors call your name if you are going through to the next round. That part made me a bit nervous! 
 
“I then got called to a semi-final, and then the finals, four weeks later! My agent then rang me to tell me I had been offered the part. I cried and so did my Mummy & Daddy– with happiness! I couldn’t believe I was going to the West End!”
 
Olivia’s shared that what surprised her most about being a professional performer was, “seeing behind the scenes of a West End stage, the main cast members have their own dressing rooms and there are so many different jobs such as a wig makers, set designers, lighting technicians, make-up artists and a live orchestra."
 
 The West End experience has been a memorable one for Olivia with her highlight being “the standing ovation at the end and running out on the stage to do my bow to the crowds! I felt so proud every time.”
 
That’s not the only hugely impressive credit for Olivia though, with her recently working on a TV commercial with none other than American A-lister Paris Hilton! Olivia said, “I spent 2 days ‘on-set’ and it was filmed in a 5-star hotel in Mayfair in London. There was a huge dressing room full of hundreds of items of pink clothing we had to choose from, and I loved trying all the outfits on and having my hair done to look like a mini-Paris Hilton. 
 
“They had to do a lot of takes before they were happy with the scenes I was in. So, I had to be very patient. There were camera and lighting crews everywhere, it was very busy. The film crew looked after me and gave me some really nice food to eat and I had my own hotel room to rest in!
 
“Paris was so kind and funny. She has lots of little Pomeranian dogs and she let me play with them. She had so many dogs with her, she had to have a special dog sitter to travel with her to help look after them all. 
 
“She has big bodyguards who go everywhere with her, they were like giants. She loves wearing pink, she looked just like Barbie!"
 
Olivia was proud of the end result from the shoot, saying, “One of my best memories of working with Paris Hilton was seeing the final commercial on a big screen for the first time! I looked so glamorous – and pink. I couldn’t believe it was me on TV!"
 
From her incredible experiences, Olivia shared some words of advice for her fellow Stagecoach students also looking to pursue professional roles, “Just keep smiling and never give up. I have been to lots of auditions and did not get through and had to keep trying again. Also just try to have fun and don’t take things too seriously, if I ever make a mistake I just carry on, live theatre will never be completely perfect. I even had hiccups on stage once when I was about to sing! 
 
“Ask your Stagecoach teachers for help if you want to be on stage as they can give you lots of advice and extra help. Read lots of books too, any books! Reading has helped me learn scripts.” 
 
As for her future, Olivia hopes to be back on the barricade. She said, “When I grow up, I really want to go back to Les Misérables and play the role of big Eponine because I want to sing the song ‘On My Own’. It’s my favourite song…or if that doesn’t work, I would love to be Mrs Thenardier. 
 
“I would also love to have my own dance and drama school one day, plus I want to work at my Stagecoach as soon as I can helping the little ones.” 
 
We’re wishing Olivia all the best for her future roles and can’t wait to see what she gets up to next – watch this space!