He Comes From a Creative Family

Sam grew up in an artistic family. He told Interview magazine [5] that his dad's a sculptor and a painter and his mum ran an art gallery, while his little brother trained as an illustrator. He did "a little bit of painting" himself but then went down the performing arts route.

His parents were totally supportive of his going to drama school to become an actor and had the attitude that he should do what he's good at and what makes him happy. Very sadly, Sam's mum passed away [6] in November 2018.

He Gave Fishy Show-and-Tells

Sam grew up on the coast in Cornwall [7] and was into the local marine life as a child. He had a marine fish tank outside his house, where he kept the crabs, cuttlefish, starfish, and fish that he caught in the tide pools. So for show-and-tell at school, he brought in "a load of live sea creatures".

His First Acting Job Gave Him a Love of Barry Manilow

Sam's first-ever paid acting job [8] out of drama school was a Barry Manilow jukebox musical called Can't Smile Without You. All of the cast were actor-musicians who played the score, and Sam still knows "a vast amount of Barry Manilow, which is actually amazing because he's incredible".

So Sam would love to see Barry in concert because he'd be able to sing along, since he was the understudy for three parts (bass, drummer, and lead guitar) and had to learn all the lines and the whole score.

A Hair Advert Saved Him From Abercrombie & Fitch

The Can't Smile Without You show was in 2008, and Sam didn't get cast in Nashville until January 2012. In the interim, he managed to keep working in the business, but he came close to having to get a sales job [9].

Sam says the "most depressing" was ending up in Abercrombie & Fitch and dreading working behind the tills, because the shop smelled "really funny". Luckily for him, just as he was going to have to end up in "the real world", he got a big hair advert that he says "saved [his] life": for VO5 Extreme Styling Shampoo [10].

He's Got Plenty of Small-Screen Credits to His Name

If you think you recognise Sam from other projects, that's probably because you've seen him on TV. As well as being Gunnar Scott in his big hit, Nashville, Sam starred as Stoke in Matt LeBlanc's Episodes, and as Ed in Humans, and he also appeared on Doctors and The Hour.

He's Late to the Game on Cult TV Shows

Although Sam has starred in plenty of TV shows, he's just like us when it comes to watching them — he often misses the big hits the first time around. He told Entertainment Focus [11] that he's been "late to the game" on so many TV shows. Years after they're released, he'll find them on streaming services and wonder why he didn't discover them the first time around.

Sam hopes there'll be a "legacy" for Nashville in that way and that new fans will find it as it gets added to streaming platforms.

Shakespeare Inspired His Band's Name

Sam's just as talented a musician as he is actor, as fans have seen in Nashville — and there always seems to be a link between the two, even as far back as the band he formed on home turf. They were called Salt Water Thief, which was inspired by a Shakespeare quote from Twelfth Night [12].

Sam played Orsino in the UK tour of that play, and he likes that quote so much, he thinks "the Salt Water Thief thing will come back into the mix" — maybe as an album name.

His Hometown Festival

Although he grew up in Cornwall, Sam was actually born in Pembury in Kent. And he got to return to his home county when he performed at Black Deer Festival in Kent [13] in Summer 2018.

As a "Kentish boy", he was thrilled to be playing the first time in Kent, as he has a lot of family in that area, so it was a good excuse for a Summer party.

His Famous Fan Became a Best Buddy

Nashville is what really put Sam on the map, and it's also earned him some new, famous friends — like Ronnie Vannucci from The Killers. Sam spotted Ronnie in a cafe in London and was quietly sitting there, thinking it was "awesome". And then an hour later, Ronnie came over and told Sam how much he and his wife love Nashville [14].

Sam returned the love, they had a drink together, and the rest is history — they became "really good buddies". He hopes to open for them at one of their gigs someday.

He's a Dab Hand at Accents

Sam put on a very convincing Southern accent for Nashville and told Elle magazine [15] it was thanks to the "great training" he had — including all the accent work he did at drama school. He credits having "a musician's ear for listening" and likes to listen to conversations in bars to pick up accents.

That came in handy when he was at the read-through for the movie Runner, Runner, as he was asked to read all of the other bit parts. By reading seven different parts with all the different accents, he managed to impress a couple of people [16] in the room.

He told Digital Spy [17] he's determined to keep his English accent intact, though, saying that as soon as they say "cut", he's back in his hometown voice. He's met a lot of English people in the US whose voices are turning very American, but he wants to retain his accent and "keep it where it belongs!"

Justin Timberlake Taught Him How to Do It All

Speaking of Runner, Runner, Sam learned a lot from Justin Timberlake [18] while shooting the film with him. Sam's spoken of the respect he has for JT, because he's "proven himself in so many fields".

It made Sam realise you can "balance everything" if you have enough talent, and it gave him the confidence to say he's going to act and keep up with his music. He sees JT as a man that's testament to "really milking the industry for all it's worth".

He's Dueted With Una Healy

When Una Healy released her debut solo single [19] away from The Saturdays at the beginning of 2017, she did it with Sam. The pair sang "Stay My Love" together as part of Una's album The Waiting Game.

Una said she wanted Sam to be a part of the single because she loves the "Nashville country feel" of his music, as it's exactly the direction she wanted her solo music to take.

He Has Star Wars Goals

So what are Sam's hopes for the future? He says his ultimate goal [20] is to be in a Star Wars movie. A lead role? Sam would be happy if he just got to wear a Stormtrooper helmet and stand right at the back of the scene.

His Dog Helped Him Win Over His Girlfriend

Sam's built up a legion of fans, not least his girlfriend of one year, Cassadee Pope. The Voice-winning country singer told People magazine [21] in March 2018 that although they'd met a long time ago at a CMA afterparty, they got chatting again in December 2017. And how did they reconnect? By taking their dogs to the park!

Cassadee revealed that although their dogs are complete opposites — she has French bulldog Cuppy; he has a Whippet called River — they love each other.

Cassadee described their relationship as "super easy-breezy". She was previously engaged to All Time Low drummer Rian Dawson, while Sam was previously linked to his Nashville costar Chaley Rose.

Prince Harry Inspired Sam's Princely Role

Sam began filming The Princess Switch [22] back in May 2018, arriving on set the day that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle [23] got married, and their royal romance helped inspire his performance. He said [24] the royal wedding was "really good character research".

Sam revealed there are "some human elements of Harry" in his performance, and he wanted to capture their love story in the movie. He says that at the end of the film, we realise Prince Edward is a "normal guy" who just wants to find somebody to love — and Sam sees parallels between that story and Harry and Meghan's.

Sam's Christmas single "Bring the Snow" [25] — which was released on Nov. 30 on Apple Music and Spotify — he wrote for The Princess Switch. He's combining his acting and music talents once more.