Marie Osmond Talks Her ‘Dream Come True’ Visit to ‘Fantasy Island’
Preview
Fox‘s charmingly reimagined Fantasy Island moves from its 8 p.m. ET time slot to a new home at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, March 6, following 9-1-1, and is bringing with it a breezy guest visit from the delightful and so iconic Marie Osmond tonight.
In the episode, “Walk a Country Mile,” Osmond stars as a Grammy-winning country-music legend who has developed a case of writer’s block. Hoping to get her mojo back, she books passage to the titular hot spot and soon finds herself awash in a very creative conundrum crafted by resort doyenne Elena Roarke (Roselyn Sánchez). As assistant Ruby (Kiara Barnes) notes, the boss has “something up her sleeves” for their famous guest. And perhaps a part of her entourage, as well.
Here, the veteran performer who shot to fame with her brother during the 1976-79 run of ABC’s Donny & Marie shares the details of her stay, her still-vibrant musical career, and the children’s charity that has been dear to her heart for the past four decades. And for those of you who spent your youths watching Osmond entertain us, yeah, she was just as fantastic as the island.
Laura Magruder/ FOX
Congratulations. This is so exciting. When was the last time you did a TV show like this? There were the Hallmark movies…
Marie Osmond: Well, I’ve been doing acting things [like those]. But you know, the thing that was fun about this one is it was a little beefier part. Hallmark, is I like doing those, they’re smaller parts and you’re not the lead character. This one, I’m the lead [of my storyline]. And I remember the original Fantasy Island.
Oh, yeah. So do I. My brothers and I grew up watching you on Friday nights and Fantasy Island on Saturday nights.
Oh, you’re cute! [Laughs]
So how was it, getting to be on this version?
Oh, Roselyn Sánchez was wonderful to work with and so sweet.
She is one of the legit best!
Right?! We talked about kids and being women in the business and how you do it all. And she was just really wonderful. And I love how she’s Ricardo Montalban’s grand-niece in the show and what they’ve done with Kiara Barnes, how they made the tattoo on her back. [Laughs]
And you know, when you do different shows, there’s energy on sets too, and oh my gosh. You can just tell that Roselyn and everyone, from the top down, they’re just wonderful people. They were so gracious. I actually got food poisoning during filming but I kept on plowing through and it was really a wonderful experience, even though acting is not my forte. Singing is my forte, but I’ve always wanted to do it since I was a young girl so it’s kind of like one of my dreams to true. The character that I play — she has this hysterical name, Shaye Fury — and she’s a country singer that just can’t write music anymore. So she wants to connect again and figure it out. Let’s just say that her fantasy didn’t quite turn out the way she asked for. [Laughs]
And you get to sing?
No, no, no, no. I wanted to act! I sing all the time. [Laughs] I did 11 years in Vegas and I’m out now doing symphony shows for my current album, “Unexpected.” And I am shocked…I did that strictly as a way to continue to push myself. I love doing that. This is my sixth decade that album debuted at number one on Billboard classical charts. I was like, shut the front door!
I saw that. Most albums don’t sell like that anymore.
Not for women my age! And you know, I coined the phrase, “I’m a little bit country,” and I’ve had pop hits and country hits and all kinds, but this is opera. I sing in five different languages! I really probably spent 20 years preparing myself for it. And I just feel like, right now with the way we struggle with the economy and everything else, I feel like people need a little bit of love and hope. This show I did two nights ago was packed and we had kids there from 10 years old to 110 years old, I swear. My audiences are so diverse, there was a group of girls there, like 20 to 25 years old, and I said, “How did you find me?” And they were like, “Well, we saw you on the [Nutrisystem] commercial and then we found out you could sing! We love your music!” [Laughs]
That’s amazing. So on top of touring, you got to go down to Puerto Rico to film Fantasy. Aside from the food poisoning, how was that trip? I am guessing hot?
No, it was beautiful. It was the perfect time to be there. And I love Puerto Rico. Are you kidding, it’s gorgeous. And to sit there and be able to work and be in Puerto Rico was wonderful.
When you’re on the set, you know, you stay on call. So it’s not like “These are the hours you work.” You work until they get their scenes and then you go home. But it was fun work and I really enjoyed it. It’s a little more of a stretch for me acting and I love that. When you have a role that has to grow over a short period, it’s hard to go from one point to the other to make those transitions. But I really like this character, she’s a unique little thing. [Laughs] You know, I don’t profess to be the greatest actress in the world, but I think every part I’m getting a little better and I really love it.
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Another one of your loves is the Children’s Miracle Network, which you founded with John Schneider, right?
Yes! As a matter of fact, if you follow me on social, I do what’s called a Sunday message, and [a recent one] was about him, you know he just lost his wife. I posted a video of us doing, I think it might be People’s Choice Awards back in the day, but it was the day [we decided] that we needed to do something where all the money goes to the kids. Where all the money goes to the local areas it’s raised in, not sent to a different state. Where we’re not 30% of it is gonna get to the cause or even 20%, but that all of it’s gonna go to the kids. And really that night was where the whole idea kind of began. So I posted it and it’s been an incredible journey. We are now at 8 billion dollars for children that we have raised.
That’s incredible.
Isn’t it? We get to help 10 to 11 million children a year. And it’s our 40-year anniversary this year so you think about that number times 40 years. That’s a lot of children who have been blessed with that money. And the cause is so great.
I love it. I gotta tell you, my brothers are gonna flip out when I tell him who I talked to, they really are. We always reminisce about our Friday nights watching Donny and Marie while having Elio’s pizza with our parents.
You are so sweet. Thank you so much. Give your brothers my best and tell them I said that you’re the cutest one! [Laughs]
Fantasy Island, Mondays, 9/8c, Fox
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