Meet Samantha Simone | Actor and Professor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samantha Simone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am originally from Long Island, NY but lived in London, England for a few years and then moved to New Jersey. Growing up my grandfather was a big part of my upbringing, he would babysit me when I was little, and he was my piano teacher. He was a professional musician and also ran his own music school for children in the Bronx. I was always inspired by him. He loved what he did – both playing and performing, and teaching – and had a successful marriage, and raised two amazing children. I looked up to him and wanted my life to be similar in the sense of doing what I loved every day, and being surrounded by people who I love. When I decided to go after my dreams of becoming an actor my family was very supportive, but my grandfather understood the career in a different way because his journey was so similar. I have been successful in my acting endeavors and now am a professor at Rider University, and Bergen Community College in the Theater Departments. I would say I am well on my way to creating the life I once looked up to so much!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My journey to becoming an actor started at a very young age. I was living in London and was taking classes at a school called the Susan Roberts School for Performing Arts. I thought I wanted to be a dancer at the time, but signed up for an acting class because it looked fun. After a few short classes my teacher pulled my parents aside and told them, “She’s really good.” To which my parents replied, “Of course she is, she’s 10 and playing pretend.” But my teacher was right, within 6 months I had landed my first agent and booked 6 episodes on a pilot TV show produced by the BBC. I fell in love with being on camera at a very young age. We were living in London for my dads job, and our time was coming to an end. When we moved back to NJ I was upset because I was really enjoying acting professionally, but out in NJ I had no agent and had to go back to being a “normal” kid. The love for performing never left! I auditioned for an acting program at a vocational school for high school and got in! The program was very challenging and new to me because all my experience was on screen – so learning how to be in the theater was new to me. I quickly fell in love with the stage as well! I continued working on my craft all throughout college and eventually went to graduate school at Columbia University and received my MFA in Acting. At the end of my training at Columbia I booked my first professional job on CBS “Blue Bloods.” It was meant to only be one episode but turned in to 6! I worked on various off-broadway shows in NY, and also booked a movie that is now on streaming services called “Townhouse Confidential.” I enjoy making my own work, writing, producing, and collaborating. I also am a professor and love watching my students succeed!

My journey has not been easy by any means. I have had my share of luck and opportunity for sure, but that does not go without challenges. To start off learning to deal with rejection and criticism was not easy for me. I am a Type A human being, with perfectionist tendencies and it took me a very long timer to learn that even the “best” or “most talented” person for the job doesn’t always book it. So many other factors come in to play that are out of my control – they could want someone who is taller, shorter, etc. and that has nothing to do with my ability. The biggest challenge has been learning to adapt through the various changes in the industry. I graduated grad school in 2018 and loved going to in person auditions, callbacks, etc. But in 2020 when COVID hit and the industry shuttered, when we came back the landscape was totally different. Everything went to self-tape and the human to human connection was harder to come by. Fast forward to 2023 we had a writer and SAG-AFTRA strike, which changed the market yet again. Learning to adapt and change is something I struggle with as a person, so doing it for my profession has not been easy. Along with the change in climate of the industry, staying positive and passionate about performing is also hard. The opportunities have been less, and staying positive about when the next job will come has been hard to manage. These challenges have been my biggest lessons as well. I have learned to change, adapt, accept rejection, and still stay positive and optimistic on my journey. I love acting and don’t want to do anything else besides act or teach acting – as long as that love is there I will continue to push through any challenge that comes my way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I lived in NYC for almost 8 years before moving to my first home in New Jersey: I would say for a week long trip I would take my first to a Broadway show, and a comedy show in NYC. For food I would take them to my favorite spots in NY and NJ: Friedman’s NY, Tacombi, Chilo’s Tacos, Thai Mama, Surf, Turf and Earth, The Salted Lime, and of course NJ Diner’s – yes a lot of tacos!! I would hang out in Brooklyn at Prospect Park or Industry City, or the amazing hikes in NJ! A good balance of nature and the city is my idea of a good week!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to thank a few people for my success: My parents Jim and Jean Simone, my grandfather Angelo Simone, my mentor Peter Campbell, and my partner Alex Stene.

Website: www.samanthanicolesimone.com

Instagram: samsimone30

Linkedin: Samantha Simone

Facebook: Sam Simone

Image Credits
Headshot: Sub/Urban Photography College Photos: Kelly Baron Photography