For 18-year-old Nikki Blonsky, director Adam Shankman’s adaptation of the stage musical Hairspray represents a life-changing experience, as well as a dream come true. Plucked out of obscurity from a Great Neck, New York Coldstone Creamery ice cream shop, Blonsky was a hardcore fan of the show. “I auditioned for Broadway two years ago, and they told me I was too young,” she says. “Then I saw the Broadway show when I was 15, and I was hooked. I loved it. I wanted to play Tracy more than anything.”

“And then the next year, I read up on the web site where it said, ‘We’re making the movie, and [looking for] ages are 17 to 24,’” Blonsky continues. “So I said, ‘Oh, I’m 17! Let’s do it — this is perfect!’”

The rest, as they say, is history. “To hear my own version of ‘Good Morning Baltimore,’ and to look at the soundtrack and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I am on a soundtrack with Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, John Travolta…’” Here Blonsky trails off and laughs, a huge smile spreading across her face. “It’s mind-blowing, just totally mind-blowing. My life has completely turned around, I’ll tell you that much. I have extremely supportive parents, so I’ve always been very happy and content with my life with them and everything. But when you’re finally doing what you want to do in life, it’s this level of joy that I never thought was possible. I mean, I’m just happy 24-7, I’ve just never been this happy!”