Interview: Leah Miller: More Normal than you think!

Since debuting as a Muchmusic VJ seven years ago, a lot has changed for Leah Miller. In that time, she got married to Dallas Green, she left Much after five years to be the newest correspondent on Etalk and she is currently hosting the third season of the highly successful So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Yet despite all the change around her, the most consistent and constant thing around her, as been Miller herself.

I recently got the chance to sit down with Leah and discovered something I never suspected: She’s normal, almost painstakingly so. Yet, she doesn’t seem to mind. Actually, I don’t think she’d have it any other way.

When you are talking to the dancers who are audition for SYTYCDC, what kind of advice do you give the them?

I really try to be a positive person, I really don’t like bad energy around me. I hate it when people talk down about themselves. The advice I always give to them is that you have to be positive. Go out and impress the judges and be happy.

How close to do you get with the dancers?

It’s like a family really. Over the run of the show, we are together for two and a half months and it is only natural that we are going to get close. I’m honestly not the type of person to separate myself from them. Some of the dancers feel close enough to me come ask me about their boy problems and everything. Miles from last season and Vincent from Season 1 leave close by and I’ve had them over for pancakes. We are all really close.
You’ve already accomplished so much, do you set new goals for yourself?
I don’t ever want to think what I’m doing is the be all and end all. I want to constantly improve what I’m doing and think about what my next move is going to be. I worked at Muchmusic for 5 years and after my second year, I was thinking “Okay, what’s next?” And that is where I’m at right now. I think it is good to be thinking about the future, you can’t ever think you are the best at what you do.

Even though you’ve been in front of the camera for a long time, is there anyone you look to for tips?
I watch a lot of television, (I don’t do much else.) I like Regis and Kelly, I like shows that are natural and live. The ones that don’t use teleprompters. When I worked at Muchmusic, we never had one and now on SYTYCD we have one and it is a really hard thing.

How do you deal with the negative criticism that exists about you?
You know what, it is a shame. There are so many people out there that are haters. They like to say negative things about people. And I think it’s interesting that those people can write horrible things about me, yet they’ve never even had a conversation with me. I think that you must be a really sad, pathetic person to sit behind a computer and write those things.

Initially, was it hard to hear it?
At first, yes, of course it bothered me. I’m a regular person, I’m just on TV. I didn’t ask for this, I’m just doing my job. I understand that ff course, people are entitled to their opinions. There is a lot more going on in the world than me. You need to get a job, you need to focus on something else. At the end of the day, the only thing I care about are the people that know me: My parents, my husband, my brothers and sisters. Life is short. I mean really, who gives a shit?

Our entertainment culture seems to make TV personalities celebrities, would you agree with that?
It doesn’t make any sense, because I’m not a celebrity, I’m a girl on TV. I’m a regular person like everyone else. I go home, I watch TV, I cook, I don’t like doing laundry. I’m a normal person, I’m not a celebrity. And I think anyone that thinks any higher of themselves than that, needs a reality check. There are so many different jobs that are more important than this. My sister is a nurse, my brother and dad are teachers. I love what I’m doing and I hope we are entertaining people, but I’m not curing cancer, I’m not a celebrity.