ANTM Interview: Samantha Potter

Today, I sat in on a conference call with Cycle 11’s runner-up the bubbly and athletic Samantha Potter. Sam talked to us about what is was like to transform for everyday California tomboy to top model contendor.

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Full Q&A is below the jump!

How did you get involved with Top Model?

My mother and I went to CW website got application, downloaded and filled it out. It was coincidental that there was a casting call a block away. We figured, what the heck, let’s go do it! We took my cousin and went to the casting call. We waited in 6-hour line with thousands of girls! We finally got to the front and got callback after callback. I got to the top 33 and made it into the house and in the final fourteen.

You seemed to be close with makeup and wardrobe people. What was that relationship like?

I’m not a serious girl and I like to have fun. When work has to get done, I’ll buckle down and do it, but I love to socialize. They are great fun backstage. There’s always laughs! The makeup artists are great and have funny stories about past experiences of people they did makeup for. The wardrobe designers are the greatest girls you’d ever meet in your life. They’d pick out the weirdest clothes and say “Sam! This is so you!” and I’d be like “Noooo!” It was the funnest time. People see me as a jokester and I’m definitely the class clown of America’s Next Top Model.

What was the weirdest outfit they out you in?

On the windmill episode, I was with Masha and we were having the funnest time. She put me in this plastic jacket. Every move I made was super-loud, like “crunch, crunch, crunch” and it was so stiff! She put clogs on me and there was cow poop and mud in them. My hair was a flying mess. I looked ridiculous. It was so outrageous and so much fun, even though my photo turned out really bad. The entire shoot was fun. Me and Sutan went on the farm and played with the cows and went into the fields and looked at the windmills. Everything backstage was so fun and so real. It wasn’t staged and that was refreshing.

On the show, you said you never felt like a pretty girl until now. How did that transform go and how did it feel?

If you ask anyone who knows me, my family, my high school, “What’s Sam Potter like?” They’d be “Oh! I know her! She’s the athlete, she’s the goofball, she won the state championships in 2007.” They never go “oh she’s a model, she’s pretty. She’s the pretty girl.” But after being put on this stage and having people tell you you are pretty it’s amazing. I’ll never get that from any other experience. Looking at pictures, thinking about everything that happened, it hit me. I am pretty, I am a model. I can do that. Hopefully agencies will look at me and see me and go “We want her.” Acting seems great too and I would love to be on either of these industries.

How did it feel to make it to the top two?

It was amazing! I had no idea that I would make it this far. I was like, “let’s try out, let’s go do this.” I saw it as an adventure and a challenge. I got in, that was a shock. Photos, shoots, modeling everything happened so fast! On panel days, I was so nervous. You never know what’s going to happen, or who id going home. It’s always a surprise, it’s always a shock. Unlike the other girls, I had no modeling experience. This show was an amazing experience, it put me out there and exposed me to this industry and now I’m ready to start my career! In the final two, you really can’t just say “I knew I was going win” or “I knew McKey was going to win”. There are so many factors. We both put ourselves out there and worked so hard. McKey is golden, always shining. She’s amazing and a fantastic model. We worked hard did our best. I have no regrets. I’m sure the judges had a hard time figuring out the winner and made their decision. It was CRAZY being in the top two!! It was so amazing. You have no idea. I didn’t see myself going that far. Everyone else was so much more a model. I was thrown into mix straight from a volleyball court. I made it this far, that’s amazing. My experience on the show was all so amazing. Seeing the recaps and the pictures, its all so amazing. I had a fantastic experience and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

What was it like walking that runway?

First of all, let me tell you about this runway. Jay was way over his head! There was an 80-degree angled mountain you had to run in order to get up it or you’d fall back and die. You had to run! It was crazy! The runway was a magical candy-land fantasy. It was so cool, so amazing. Walking in the show was very nerve-wracking. I used to run cross-country and know how to run up hills, but running up hills in 5-inch heels is not the easiest thing to do. It was really stressful, scary and hectic. But I have no regrets. It was amazing.

What did you learn from your time on the show?

I learned so much! Like, how to dress. On the show, I was getting reamed for not dressing appropriately, not having the right styles. I’m not a fashionable person. After the show, I went shopping and I have the right outfits now. I know my look now and that has helped me and now I’m a better model. People can see me as a model now and not as a everyday girl.

How did you feel about your makeover?

I loved my long hair. But as soon as they cut it and I saw myself in my first photo with short hair, I saw a totally different person. I completely respect Tyra for that. She made the right choice for me. People don’t look at me like I’m a normal girl anymore. I look like a model. It has helped me and it will help me in the future. I have kept the makeover. My hair is still pretty short. It’s grown out a bit, I have roots now, but I’ll fix that. I was upset about it at first, but the stylists told me id be high fashion, not commercials, they told me it was a chance to step up my game.

How did you feel about the judges constantly calling your look commercial?

It was frustrating. I kept taking it in and working on it. My personality plays a big part on that. I’m a bubbly happy person and that plays into the commercial presence. But I’m getting better. My windmill shoot was pretty high fashion, as were a few others. I’m becoming more versatile and I’m growing.

Which photo shoot was your favorite?

My favorite shoot was definitely the first one when we got to Amsterdam. We had to run through Amsterdam like crazy. It was like The Amazing Race Top Model style. Me and Elina got there first so we got 50 extra frames. The shoot itself was amazing. Being on the boat in middle of Amsterdam was s much fun. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out, there was a makeup artist below deck. It was so pretty outside and the photographer was great. It was so cool. I was standing on the bow at the front of the boat, on a foot of wood. If I fell off that wood, I was going to fall into the water. It was so amazing to be there. There were birds and sky and it was so amazing and I had so much fun.

How were the go-sees?

Oh my gosh. That was one of the hardest things ever. Time restraint was a huge factor. They didn’t go very fast. The boats didn’t go very fast, so there was lots of down time in the boats, which was really stressful. The designers were amazing. The people in this industry are so nice. They are genuine and they care about you. There are people who are going to judge you, but that’s part of the industry and I respect their opinions. Some of the designers thought I was too commercial for them, but that’s okay. I understand that. I can see that. Not every model has the right look for every designer. It was great to meet them and try on their clothes. It was so stressful, but one of the most fun things I’ve ever done.

What’s your favorite thing about being a model?

It’s definitely seeing yourself in a magazine or in advertising. Also, it’s knowing that people are looking at you and seeing your pictures, it’s like inspirational that people are looking at you and wanting to be you. When people look at my pictures are going “whoa” it’s such an honor to be recognized and to have the power to inspire people and influence people. It’s really cool.

Thanks for speaking with us today.

Oh, thank you! This was fun!