Nathania Ong is the first Singaporean to lead both Les Misérables and Hamilton on London’s West End.
But before any of that, she was 18, alone in a foreign city, rejected by every drama school she applied to in a single week.
This is a story about the years nobody sees.. the flight home after every door closes, and the quiet season where you have to decide: Do I keep going, or do I let this go?
In this conversation, Nathania opens up about:
the rejections that almost broke her
the stage fright she developed after going viral
the best friend who talked her back from the edge
and the philosophy that has carried her through every closed door since
“Sometimes it’s not no. Sometimes it’s not yet. And what is for you will not pass you by.”
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:29 Meet Nathania Ong: From Singapore to the West End
00:02:35 Growing Up in a House Full of Voices
00:07:11 The First Win That Changed Everything
00:10:00 Losing Singing — and Finding Herself Again
00:13:57 Five Rejections in One Week
00:18:00 “I Almost Gave Up”
00:19:47 The Second Chance She Almost Didn’t Take
00:25:55 Her Greatest Triumph Wasn’t Success
00:28:10 What Keeps You Going When Nothing Does
00:29:18 Why Rejection Feels So Personal
00:32:22 Becoming Éponine — And Redefining the Role
00:37:00 When Success Brings Fear
00:38:28 Stage Fright, Anxiety, and Finding Ground Again
00:41:04 Pre-Show Rituals & Becoming the Character
00:42:04 Creating Something Honest for Herself
00:43:33 What She’d Tell Her Younger Self
00:45:11 Advice for Anyone Chasing a Dream
00:45:38 Final Reflections
Follow Rachel here: https://www.instagram.com/ms_rach/
Follow Nathania Ong here: https://www.instagram.com/nattyong/
Write in to the team at
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