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[0:00] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Hi everybody, it's me, Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo, your host of Odd Woman Out, a show where we talk to women, artists, and just women in general about what it is like to be a woman in the entertainment industry and a woman in the world. We're talking some crazy stories, some experiences, overcoming insecurities, but we're having a great time while we're doing it. So thank you guys so much for tuning in and continuing to show love and support. I love you my Odd Squad. Stay odd and send a woman in your life a text today and tell her how fierce she is. That was great. Hi Eden Espinosa, welcome to Odd Woman Out.

[0:40] Eden Espinosa: I'm so happy to be here.

[0:41] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I am so happy to have you here. Thanks. As you know, they don't. We've been trying to do this for a couple months.

[0:46] Eden Espinosa: Yeah.

[0:47] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: And I think it's gonna be worth the wait.

[0:50] Eden Espinosa: I agree.

[0:51] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: So I was telling you when I first created the show, I was like, I think every guest that will come, we'll have like a drink of choice. It doesn't have to be alcohol. It could be kombucha.

[0:59] Eden Espinosa: Okay.

[1:00] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Anything. Yes. But then the whole idea sort of fell through and that we're bringing it to life today with mimosas with freshly squeezed orange juice.

[1:11] Eden Espinosa: Freshly squeezed. Cheers. Clink.

[1:15] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: To us.

[1:16] Eden Espinosa: Chin chin.

[1:17] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Who's like us. Welcome to timesquare.com.

[1:20] Eden Espinosa: Damn you.

[1:21] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Thank you. I missed it, but I picked it up.

[1:23] Eden Espinosa: No, no, no.

[1:24] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Okay. Because you were taking the sip.

[1:26] Eden Espinosa: I was sipping. It was good.

[1:27] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: We took the pause and then we got there. Okay. All that matters is we got there and we did.

[1:30] Eden Espinosa: That's right.

[1:31] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: We have so much to talk about. You have such an iconic career. I have to talk about how I broke into the Brooklyn musical stage door. But before we do that, I want to bring it back to the women of it all. This show is called Odd Woman Out.

[1:39] Eden Espinosa: Yeah.

[1:40] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I want to talk about baby Eden.

[1:44] Eden Espinosa: Oof.

[1:45] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Okay. A younger version of yourself. What do you mean? You're like, I'm still. When you first decided you wanted to become an actor and an artist, was there a woman influence in your life that really inspired you to pursue this crazy, crazy journey?

[1:56] Eden Espinosa: When I was a child, I was obsessed with the Annie movie. Um, and so it was like Bernadette, Carol Burnett and Aileen Quinn, obviously. Um, and, but I was always watching like sound of music, Fiddler on the Roof, all the, all the movie musicals.

[2:13] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[2:14] Eden Espinosa: So it was just the, I think the world of a musical made me very happy.

[2:27] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I love that. I love that. It's like Bernadette. I mean, come on. What an icon. So when you first started working and you like came to the city when you were young,

[2:35] Eden Espinosa: I came, I moved here when I was 24 years and like immediately started working. Right.

[2:42] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Um, it took them, it took a minute. I don't know what research I did.

[2:48] Eden Espinosa: Copy that. I, um, well I auditioned when I was in LA, I was doing everything I could do. You know, I was doing regional theater. I was working at amusement parks. I was doing, um, industrials, um, laying down like ghost vocals for, for singers who weren't as good. You know, I was doing all sorts of things. And, um, I auditioned for a workshop. I got a call to audition for a workshop for a musical, Brooklyn, the musical, and I got it. And that's what brought me to New York.

[3:24] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Okay. This is the story I know. So when you first started working, whether it was in LA and one of those situations you just talked about, or when you got here to New York, do you have a story about a woman supporting woman type of thing where you were still learning the ropes? Was there somebody that like really took you under her wing and was like, come on girl?

[3:38] Eden Espinosa: I have two that come to mind. Uh, Stephanie J. Block. We're both, we're both from Orange County, California. Okay. And so she came to New York. I came to New York and, uh, you know, she had originated Elphaba in LA, those workshops all those years ago. And then, um, she was doing, she was actually out of town with Wicked and I was out of town with Brooklyn and she called me and said, I have been cast in a show opposite Hugh Jackman and I'm not, you should call your agent and be seen for the, for the cover or the standby of, of Elphaba. And I was like, so I, I did. And, um, you know, this is before it wasn't before internet, but it was like, you know, she, before iPhones, yeah, they didn't give you a script, you know? So she coached me on my audition on the scene, on the scene. And she sang Defying Gravity acapella in, in a cassette for me to learn. So that's one.

[4:51] Eden Espinosa: Um, and then when I was doing the workshop of Brooklyn here in New York, I didn't know. And that's what gave me my equity card. I didn't know anything. And KO, um, took me under their wing and showed me the equity building and showed, you know, just showed me around all the local things I needed to know.

[5:04] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I love those stories, especially like Stephanie giving you the heads up like before posting.

[5:09] Eden Espinosa: Yeah.

[5:10] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: And did you book it?

[5:11] Eden Espinosa: That's when I did book it. That's when I booked the standby. And it was an option. Like it was it, from what I remember, it was like, does she want to be the cover or does she want to be the standby? And because I had Brooklyn, like I Brooklyn, I, you know, I wanted it to be my, my big like break. I was like, Oh, I'll be the standby.

[5:28] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: So you got to choose.

[5:29] Eden Espinosa: I think I remember getting to choose. That's kind of fierce. I think you're like, no problem. Wicked such a hit. I get to choose what kind of Elphaba I want to be. And at the time I was like, I just, I won't want to be on, you know, I want Brooklyn to be my first big thing.

[5:41] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[5:42] Eden Espinosa: Not knowing that like, oh, well, of course I'll just go. I'll be on when Adina can't go on, but she never, ever missed for a long time.

[5:57] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: But were you, so did you do Brooklyn first or you were Elphaba first?

[6:02] Eden Espinosa: I did the workshop of Brooklyn, the out of town for Brooklyn first. And it took longer than they expected to come to Broadway. So that's when I got Wicked. So I ended up, I did my, made my Broadway debut in Wicked, but then I left after Shoshana copy.

[6:23] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[6:24] Eden Espinosa: Because I was doing Brooklyn at the time.

[6:26] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah. Sorry. My timeline is okay. Everyone has actually, everyone has their own version of the timeline. So it's interesting.

[6:34] Eden Espinosa: Mine is not. It was close. Pretty close.

[6:36] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: It was close. Well, because I saw Idina, Shoshana, and you as Elphaba.

[6:39] Eden Espinosa: Okay. So that's why I was confused.

[6:41] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah. But thank you for clarifying.

[6:43] Eden Espinosa: Yeah.

[6:44] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: We're going to go back to Wicked and Brooklyn, but I want to start off, um, by talking about Lempicka.

[6:53] Eden Espinosa: Okay.

[6:54] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Our most recent iconic adventure.

[6:56] Eden Espinosa: Lempicka was so iconic and I have like been to concerts of Lempicka in like 2019.

[7:00] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah. It's been around for a minute.

[7:01] Eden Espinosa: This is amazing. This music is so stunning. I want to, I want you to tell me a little bit about your journey with the show, because talk about like being an odd woman out. That show got a lot of really unnecessary mean things happening on social media and stuff. So how did you navigate that whole process when it was such a beautiful and you were crushing it? Tony, Tony nominated for your performance. How as a performer, did you try to stay present in the amazing art you were doing and shut out the noise?

[7:30] Eden Espinosa: Ooh, that's a big question. We're starting off.

[7:36] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah, I love it. I love it.

[7:37] Eden Espinosa: Well, I mean, my journey with the show is I, I came to know Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews by seeing a, um, a concert of another show that they were doing called Invisible Thread. And I immediately went to Facebook to send them a message. And I saw that Matt Gould had sent me a message years prior. Like I, I am a composer. I love your work. I would love for you to, I'd love to meet and show you some of my stuff. I was mortified.

[8:10] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: How many years?

[8:11] Eden Espinosa: Like three?

[8:12] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: No, I want to say more than that. Like, yeah, it was, I was mortified. Um, because I was just so taken with their work. I was just like, I have to know them. I want to know more about what they do and other stuff they've written. So he sent me, um, Lempicka and, and then I had seen several iterations of it with different people. Other people had been attached to it. I mean, listen, every like Elphaba in town had been attached to Lempicka at some point.

[8:34] Eden Espinosa: And then, um, they did a, they did a reading at Yale in which he asked me to be Raffaella. And then, um, yeah, I had, I had filled in last minute for the NAMT festival, uh, for Casey Levy. She got really sick at the last minute. And he's like, is, can you come and do this in like three days time?

[9:04] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: The whole show?

[9:05] Eden Espinosa: No, it was only, uh, uh, NAMT is I think is a 45 minute presentation of, of, of the show. So I went and did that. It got some commercial interest and they wanted a bigger name. They didn't want to use me. And so, um, and then, and then I had to audition and then later it was like, then Rachel got attached and all that. And then I auditioned three times. And, um, and so, yeah, that was when we went to Williamstown.

[9:32] Eden Espinosa: And what's crazy is just like being a part of something for so long. Like my journey with that show is almost 11 years, like on and off from when I first came to it, to, to Broadway. And it's, um, yeah, it was difficult to, to navigate what you were saying, you know, because nowadays I feel like everyone's a theater, everyone's a self-proclaimed theater critic. And now because we are trying to keep up with the times, like these people on TikTok and Instagram, they are invited to things, you know, I had to really, um, make a conscious effort to stay off of the socials as much as possible.

[10:10] Eden Espinosa: Um, because yeah, people don't realize that like you have a job to do and, and, you know, as an actor, you have opinions about things too, but you have a job to do and that is to facilitate the creative's vision. And, you know, but still it's like, I think people have a hard time separating that it's a job and it's, and somebody works really hard, doing the best they can. And everyone like designer, like everyone's doing the best they can. And it's just, um, it's just an interesting time. It's, it's funny. I said to somebody the other day, I was like, I wonder if Lempicka had opened this season, if it would have been different because it was like five new musicals as opposed to 14 in the season that we were in, you know, and, um, was it really 14?

[11:00] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: It was something, it was like somewhere between 12 and 14.

[11:05] Eden Espinosa: That's crazy.

[11:06] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Insane. Literally five this season.

[11:08] Eden Espinosa: Yeah. So, you know, it's that roll of the dice and set thing we do where it's funny talking about Brooklyn is because Brooklyn was also my other originated role 20 years apart, which was also not received well.

[11:18] Eden Espinosa: I saw it five times. And I remember that one was, that one was really hard for me. Heartbreaking. Like I just was hard for me to go to work sometimes because you could hear people laughing or the theater was really empty. And Clavant Derrick's one time said to me, he was like, I said,

[11:40] Eden Espinosa: Like it's just so hard like how do we continue to you know keep our head up and keep our spirits lifted and do our job and he was like they can't all be hits baby sis he called me baby sis he's like they can't all be hits and that really like meant something to me it resonated with me as someone who you know was in Dreamgirls like won an award for you know and he was just like yeah they can't all they can't all be that and they won't all be that yeah that's okay.

[12:08] Eden Espinosa: The reason I started you know jumping right in with this question is because I firmly believe that Lempicka got so much bullshit critique and not so much love from the critics I don't think it would have been that aggressive if the show was not about women and lesbians and if this was a male-centered show with the same music and story but if the male was at the center yes it would have been not as I agree with you 100 and so and also or a woman who didn't have the same drive ambition or desires or make the same choices as a man would have made correct yeah a woman who's like so strong so talented having an affair to yeah correct hungry people can't we're still living in this world with so much misogyny and so many people who look down at women which is crazy because it's 2026 but I talk about that a lot on this show of like this specific example like Lempicka I know would have had a longer run if you were Neil Patrick Harris or like you know what I mean yeah and so how do you think as artists as an artist with such a following how can you make a difference in this like what do we do to like change the narrative woof that's an interesting question because it's hard it is hard because there are times that it makes me want to quit yeah because because it's just like what's the not what's the point but if we can't have art that reflects every fragment of what the human experience is right for every gender for every walk of life for every human on this planet then what are we doing right you know so that's a good question I don't know the answer to it yeah I don't know it either it's just it's deeply upsetting and I spoke to the Liberation Ladies last week and we talked about something sim loved loved loved we talked about it similarly of like this show was received well but not not across the board and it's because people can't stand that there's naked women on stage right and how do we get past that in a non-sexual way correct yeah just sitting and chatting just existing and chatting yes and that's what I told Whitney why they said he's a special kind of director to direct naked women and you care so much about what they're saying not about the body right fierce I love that it deserves a drink cheers to the Liberation Ladies.

[15:02] Eden Espinosa: What was their biggest lesson that you learned from that experience or from her oh well from the experience it was layered just because I the biggest lesson I learned from me was to advocate for myself a little bit better and give my opinion a little bit more when you know again when you're with something for so long it we just we the pendulum swung with with the tone of the piece the focus of the piece just to be a little bit more collaborative and own that I am a part of this you know what I mean so it would be that you drove the boat you are the show I mean yes it is filled with amazing characters and talent but like yeah that was you yeah and from her from Tamara just to unapologetically take up the space and without fear of worrying what people think or say or that's so important especially like for the themes you talk about on this show for women yeah stand in your power say what you need to say ask for what you need and deserve that's right fierce yeah next one Eden we'll get the producer credit.

[16:15] Eden Espinosa: We're in Tony season the Tonys are coming up this is probably going to come out after the Tonys you have such an interesting story that I've heard a couple of times when you were nominated for a Tony uh-huh how they closed the carpet and you're like nominated for Tony looking fierce and looking amazing can you just tell the story again it's funny because like this is something that like we dream up you know attending the Tonys period getting to perform on the Tonys you know being nominated it's just a it's a dream and unfortunately I quickly realized that like this isn't for us at all this whole thing is not for us yeah yeah it's it's really not and so I got you know I got texts from Ambery Mon from other friends that were like the the carpet is crazy like are you getting here soon they say they're going to close it text my publicist and and she was like no we're fine we're fine how how far are you out I'm like oh we're like 15 minutes out great great great so we get there it's crazy crowded the line is super long to do the carpet and as we're nearing the front they say they're closing the carpet and we're like what are you talking about like what time is it it's not even close it's I don't remember the time but it's not close to the closing the carpet is crazy yeah and but meanwhile I'm seeing like NFL players and people who are not in the theater community like going through and they they closed the carpet literally right in front of me and my date was Matt Gould who is the composer of Lempicka and um and then they opened it like briefly for Nicole Scherzinger to walk through which queen of course she but this was before Sunset but like you know.

[18:02] Eden Espinosa: Yeah um and then they weren't going to let me through they said so sorry Tony nominee literally not gonna let me through congratulations but so sorry you can't and so this you know and god bless this man he's just doing his job he uh is not letting me through I looked up at him and I because he was a very big gentleman and I was like sir I am a nominee tonight I am getting my picture taken and I walked past him went around him and stood in front of the cameras and posed the best it's one of the best photos I've ever seen and in the picture are his hands and my publicist hands because they were arguing and screaming at each other and while they were doing that is when I went around them and I was like and that's the only picture I have on the carpet and it is iconic I know it is I'm so happy that I have it but it was like it was really um it was really a bummer I was just like so fucked up what's happening and like but why I don't know like it's you know obviously I do media and where's the people handling it I don't know and I don't know if it was because it was the it was the first time it was at Lincoln Center like in the you know I don't know but I was just like this isn't happening because also you realize like this might be my only Tonys like I don't know you know right and also you've had such a big career ahead of that ahead of the nom like you've been nominated for Tony a million times in a lot of like theater kids minds you know what I mean and in yours you know so like let her in but also like I asked you to tell that story because talking about this show and women standing in their power and just like being confident in what they deserve yeah fuck yes you said I'm nominated for a Tony award yeah I'm going.

[20:01] Eden Espinosa: That's the only one you have from the carpet literally any interview did you do any interviews um I did one like as I was passing but it was you know it was already it was they were closing it so it was like yeah it was crazy.

[20:14] Eden Espinosa: Were they like excuse me ma'am please get off the carpet I don't really it was such a like it was such a whirlwind and I was also trying to manage my instant anger that had been aroused right yeah because I was just like this is absolutely insane yes what do you mean yes yeah and because it was also just like other you know more important people that they wanted to get on the carpet but I'm like but what about the people who worked their ass off this season who are nominated and it was just also also on top on top piling on top of just you know the show closing and us you know just feeling like on the outside always looking in thank you for sharing that story and shout out to you for standing in your power and saying excuse me I'm a nominee tonight I'm getting my picture taken okay I want to talk about Rent we just celebrated the 30th anniversary of Rent insanity insanity you were the closing Maureen in Rent and it was captured yeah and so it lives on forever and that was the first time or one of the first times that they've ever done like a live grab yeah what is like one of your favorite memories from that experience of playing Maureen.

[21:24] Eden Espinosa: Oh god it was the summer of dreams it was the summer of dreams um I Rent is what I always loved theater you know I always loved musicals as we talked about earlier but Rent was the thing that made me just want to come to New York yeah and pursue it all I ever wanted to do is be Maureen it was the first Broadway show I ever saw here in New York we got scalper tickets um yeah crazy and um yeah I just it was it was a it was a dream it really was I can't think of anything that isn't that wasn't wonderful and beautiful um the only funny part about the the DVD or the live capture is I remember you know they filmed they filmed the last show and then there was a day that we came in to do um the big group numbers like La Vie Bohème and the opening number so that they could be on stage with that so those certain shots were just gotten were grabbed ahead of time um but I remember asking the director and La Vie Bohème when Maureen moons them I was like so what's what's this shot gonna be and he's like it's gonna be from the audience and it's gonna be so it'll be like your side it'll be like your side you know and I was like okay great and then cut to they had a screening for us and I'm sitting behind I don't know I'm sitting on Bernie Telsey like there's you know and we're getting to La Vie Maureen's entrance is yeah yeah we have to wait wait wait and then La Vie Bohème and then the the mooning happens and it's my full my full ass and I was like oh like I I just remember.

[23:19] Eden Espinosa: Gasping so loudly like oh, well, that's my that's a whole. Uh-huh. Not side. Not a wide shot.

[23:27] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Side close. Okay whole thing and like nobody was like, hey, it's gonna be okay. Yeah. No, it was just there do you want like the much younger one? So I'm fine with it. Yeah, it's great.

[23:38] Eden Espinosa: You know if you got it.

[23:40] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Are we gonna do? Okay, it's mimosa. I know.

[23:44] Eden Espinosa: Yeah, okay.

[23:47] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: But cheers to you and Maureen.

[23:49] Eden Espinosa: Amazing. Yeah, it was a dream also like if it was today like I would hope that the producer or director or whoever is making that final decision and say hey Eden just so you know, yeah for the story or for whatever reason we think that this is going to be the shot. Is it okay with you? Sure. Yeah, sure. Everyone. Yeah came to the theater and saw it. Yeah, great.

[24:13] Eden Espinosa: But like it's different. Yeah when it's like on camera forever. Yeah, and on a big movie screen, too. God.

[24:22] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Maureen is like one of the most iconic you literally played so many iconic roles. Do you ever like take a step back and you're like, holy fuck?

[24:32] Eden Espinosa: When I do it's a nice trip down memory lane. I have to do it every now and then to kind of to kind of recalibrate. Mm-hmm my mind mm-hmm or my heart or just yeah, you're like, oh because it never it never feels like okay, I yeah it never feels like that for me. Yeah, I'm always feeling like I'm hustling or you know trying to keep up or to everybody I speak to though. Yeah, they say the same thing and so it's a nice thing to go. Oh my gosh I've accomplished so many of my goals and dreams and and like a major way. Yeah.

[25:15] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah, so it's it's a nice thing to congrats revisit.

[25:21] Eden Espinosa: Thank you. Okay, so Stephanie J Block called you and she's like listen girl I'm leaving. Yeah, what show did she go do with Hugh Jackman from Oz? Oh my god, obviously I loved the boy from Oz. Yeah fierce. Yeah, so she said hey girl, I'm leaving go get this part. Mm-hmm. So you went in you booked the standby and then you were on the wicked journey for seven years.

[25:42] Eden Espinosa: That's right on and off for so I did a contract every year for seven years. That is great like in between like Brooklyn was rent in between that to rent was between. Oh, yeah, what kept you going back to wicked?

[25:57] Eden Espinosa: They kept asking me. They kept I mean they kept asking me back and but also I just felt I felt drawn to I love playing Elphaba. I loved it so much and why I just felt like I had a lot of similar experiences to her. Mm-hmm. I was you know bullied a lot in school and made fun of a lot in school made to feel like the odd-woman out perhaps. Yes, and so, you know wrestling also that wrestle with your power with your gifts with with people's perception of what that is and so I felt like I had more to learn every time yeah that I went back and and I remember when that felt when that felt complete I was like, I think I'm I think I'm good. I think it's time to go.

[26:58] Eden Espinosa: Yeah, and then I never went back.

[27:00] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: What was your favorite contract?

[27:03] Eden Espinosa: Oh, I mean the LA come the the LA company because that was also my hometown. I was so yeah the and Megan and I you know, I had done it the most with Megan. Mm-hmm she I was still the standby and she came in as the standby as I was leaving and so we got to know each other then and then done having done it on Broadway and then opening and then we went back to close it as well and it was just a really it was a really special company and it was a really special iteration of the show Joe was very involved in that iteration and and just yeah, that was that was my favorite time, but I have pockets of favorite times in all of them.

[27:46] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah, of course. Yeah, we love the green girl. Come on. Now. I've gotten my niece who is eight so obsessed with wicked and she loves to go we've gone twice and like my niece is eight and like crying during defying gravity and unfortunately, I am very jaded at this point where like wicked is still amazing, but it doesn't it doesn't I'm like I got it. Yeah, and so it's really cool to see what that show still does. Yes to kids.

[28:13] Eden Espinosa: It's literally magic, yes. Beautiful. I know it's crazy.

[28:15] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah. Okay, so you were brought to New York because you booked Brooklyn.

[28:22] Eden Espinosa: Yes, title role twice. Oh shit. Like I knew you're like, this is the second time I originated but title of the show twice. Yeah, that's crazy.

[28:32] Eden Espinosa: Yeah BKLYN this show like I was in middle school talking about it to people who have never been to Broadway like two people in my life Brooklyn was their first Broadway show because I was in middle school I was like, I'm obsessed with this show so much. What is what were you obsessed about? Like, what did you love about it?

[28:49] Eden Espinosa: The music costumes I could do the whole thing. I probably actually I haven't and but I can't find it on Spotify because they they don't have it on any streaming platforms.

[29:02] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: But why?

[29:02] Eden Espinosa: I don't know they took it off. Who's they? I don't know. We need to talk to somebody literally the amount of people who are like, where did it go? Why can't I listen to it? Why can't I stream it? I'm like, I don't know I just one day it was gone and it's not there anymore, but it was there.

[29:18] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: It was there who can we speak to do you have can we get someone on the phone? Can we call somebody?

[29:23] Eden Espinosa: Oh, like I don't know. You don't know. I don't know if it I don't know how that works but I think the only reason why I have it on my phone is because when it was I did it downloaded on to my library. Yeah, that's why it's there but that's the only or I purchased it. Yeah, but that's the only because that was when you purchased things.

[29:44] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: That's really crazy. Isn't that wild? I don't even remember why I knew that I think I went to go listen to it maybe like when I was prepping for this it's not good and it's not there.

[29:49] Eden Espinosa: I know I think it was just so amazing and everybody was so fucking good in that show and I don't know it. I don't know I just was young and I loved it.

[30:05] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: So you were young you were 24 when you did the workshop at how old were you and you actually did the role on Broadway?

[30:15] Eden Espinosa: Um, I was let me see. I think I was 25 turning turned 26 at the time were you like fierce like I belong here and I'm a leading lady on Broadway or did you have like imposter syndrome and were you struggling from again themes I talked about on the show a lot are like women having to stand up to like certain expectations and like look and act and sing and be a certain way or were you like I booked it and I'm here and I'm crushing it.

[30:38] Eden Espinosa: It's a combo platter for me because I feel like when I was younger imposter syndrome like wasn't I was more in awe of everyone around me as opposed to comparing myself to everyone around me and that didn't creep it until later in my career the comparison right like now where I struggle with that where I struggle with comparison and imposter syndrome.

[31:16] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Do you think that has anything to do with social media?

[31:22] Eden Espinosa: 100% because you were living in a time 100% pre-tick-tock pre Instagram. Yeah, isn't that sad and it's not captured forever or people aren't saying well, she used to sell or I'm not comparing myself to a different version of you know, if there was no social media, I wouldn't be concerned about well, I sounded better when I was 24 or 25 but from people who are qualified because why correct, right? Yeah.

[31:48] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Do you remember what it was like on like the opening night? Like do you have something like a favorite memory? I know I already asked about a favorite memory, but something that like made you feel like holy shit, like I'm the title character in this show and I'm doing it.

[32:00] Eden Espinosa: Yeah, I think it was just the whole because with wicked because I had the wicked experience first, I I wasn't and I didn't perform every night on stage I was a part of it, but I I wasn't a part of right, you know what I mean? I was a member of the company, right, but I didn't perform the show every night but like this time it was a different experience like you know doing the interviews and like going to opening night and having your family there having just done the show and it was a different a different thing.

[32:35] Eden Espinosa: And it was a you know, I think when it comes to women and how you should I did come across more than of like you should be wearing this like you can't show up to the I remember one time somebody said to me like you can't show up to the theater wearing sweatpants and I was like before you do a show. Yeah, what are you talking about? You're a leading lady now like you can't show up to the theater and like leisure wear and I was like they want you to wear a skirt heel, I don't I that's not something that I'm down for I'm aware whatever I want to wear.

[33:12] Eden Espinosa: I didn't came from a place of like because they worked with people back in the day like Julie Andrews and like Angela Lansbury where you know, it was I'm coming to the theater. I'm coming to work which you know, it's a different time a different thing, but it's just yeah, so I did come across that a little bit.

[33:32] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: That's crazy. Yeah, especially I mean still crazy now, but especially in the time before the iPhone I moved to New York without an iPhone. I've had a razor. I think like nobody's.

[33:42] Eden Espinosa: Well, I have a lot of like what do you call? What do you call the camera? Am I okay? I can't like a disposable camera.

[33:46] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Oh sure. Yeah, of course. I'm going to shoot. Yeah.

[33:51] Eden Espinosa: That's what that's what the third kids are calling one that you had to go develop the film. Yeah, do you need a topper?

[33:56] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I mean only if you are I am we got to do okay. Cheers. Cheers.

[34:00] Eden Espinosa: Shout out to Brooklyn the musical so I said I ran around middle school and I told everyone you need to go see BKLYN the musical do you know anything?

[34:10] Eden Espinosa: Yes, I do. So one time in the blood, honey one time I came with my mom at my best friend Ben Simpson so I like wrote, you know, and I like broke into the stage door pre-show and I give it to the doorman and then you walk down the stairs and I hysterically cried. I have photos and the way I've been looking for these photos to give it to you in this interview this is how you got doubles. I have so many. Yeah, but you know, where are they? My parents moved out of my childhood only a year ago and I have a bin and the way I would look through this bin aggressively over the last month. Okay, I bet you like I'll find it. I'll give it to you. But does every does every parent do every parent wait? Oh my god, it does every parent have a bin that their child needs to come like my parents.

[34:59] Eden Espinosa: I have like these are all your pictures like you have to next time you're home. You have to go through them.

[35:04] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah, I mean I was forced to for the move.

[35:07] Eden Espinosa: But I don't know where these photos are and I have to give it to you guys.

[35:10] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I need to see that so epic. My mom's like I bet you she has the letter. I'm like, I bet you not.

[35:14] Eden Espinosa: I don't unfortunately for I unfortunately for this moment. I don't have it.

[35:19] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I bet you not but like just shout out to you cuz like I teeter the line of like, okay now I exist in this industry but I'm interviewing women that like I looked up to that like inspired me to get here. So thanks Eden. Thank you for your inspiration.

[35:34] Eden Espinosa: Thank you for letting me talk to you talk about gumption. And can I tell you something else? I remember from that day and then I watched the show.

[35:40] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Okay.

[35:43] Eden Espinosa: Only psycho in the audience screaming at the top of my lungs standing up after once upon a time and I was like really a fat kid, too, so like this fat girl just chubby.

[35:53] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I'm just like this chubby girl standing up being like love it.

[36:01] Eden Espinosa: So I skipped over this question at the beginning because we're drinking mimosas and just chatting but I want you to tell me about a time in the industry or in your life if you have a specific story or just in general where you felt like the odd woman out and I mean we talked about it a little bit with like situations from certain roles you played our experiences but is there like a pinpoint moment where you felt like the odd woman out and how did you deal with that?

[36:32] Eden Espinosa: Listen I've had mimosas but also transparency and authenticity and vulnerability, right? Yeah, this is how we're rocking our lives or trying to I feel like it all the time. I'm not gonna lie. I do and that's what it's a weird thing this industry. It's like it often feels like a cool kids club, even though we're all on the island of misfit toys. We're all theater, you know, but and so if you're not if you're not plugged into something that is currently, excuse me relevant or exciting, you can eat I can easily feel like what a hi, I'm here too. Yeah, I play. Yeah, you know what I mean? Yeah, and so you know, I'm ultimately grateful for it because it has caused me to expand into other areas of passion and interest but it can very easily feel like again, waving through a window. Thank you. Thank you Ben Platt. Thank you. Pass it in Paul. Thank you.

[37:37] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I want to put this on please. Yes. I'm so upset. I forgot mine.

[37:41] Eden Espinosa: I love a cap, it's good. Why it's good, right? Sometimes when I wear a cap I'm like you can't tell me nothing in this cap. I feel like especially an odd woman hat. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, so I think you know truth be told I'm I'm giving up my apartment here in New York. I need a minute from now. I need a minute. I'm going I'm going to do some Shakespeare at the Old Globe this summer and San Diego.

[38:09] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Amazing.

[38:10] Eden Espinosa: Yeah, and I just was like, you know what I will be back obviously, but I just need a reset. I need a minute and I need to come back feeling differently about the city about the vibe in the city and the industry. You know, that's just for me right because even the city right now it just feels it feels different after the pandemic. Oh, I've never felt the same.

[38:34] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah, I don't have a sense of peace or Center here right now and most of my work is outside of the city so I'm just like let's just take our hands open and see what's gonna happen.

[38:47] Eden Espinosa: How do you think we as women can overcome these feelings of feeling like the odd woman out even in situations where there is the cool kids club? Yeah, like we think we shouldn't wear something because our body is looking different like I almost didn't wear these pants because I'm like I look big but I didn't care then I was like I don't care says who though says who me my own on a patriarchal. Yeah based off of being a fat kid standing up in Brooklyn he's off of giving you a solo standing ovation.

[39:22] Eden Espinosa: You know, I think that it's for me at the moment. It's really getting quiet and being like, what do you want? And what is that inside voice telling you and not being afraid to like follow it, right? You know, whatever it may be.

[39:39] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I love that getting quiet. Yeah, it's so important. That is like such a key especially talking about the city like yeah, you need moments of quiet and moments with yourself.

[39:51] Eden Espinosa: Yeah, not what people think you should do not what your team think you should do not what the you know, you should really try this now what other people are doing. What do you want to do? This is our only life like yeah, what's gonna make you happy or right be fun, right?

[40:06] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: So you're gonna take a beat out of the city, but you're still performing. Yeah, you're always gonna be like such an iconic performer. What keeps you hopefully choosing a life to beat to live a life of an artist?

[40:20] Eden Espinosa: That's all I know. Yeah, that's all I know and I really do believe that like when you're in alignment with that calling because it is a calling. Mm-hmm. It's not it's not for the faint of heart. It's not I wouldn't tell people to choose it if they did if they didn't have to do. Yeah. Yeah, because it's tough. Yeah, especially especially the older you get and if you have any success in in the field for me, it gets harder people thinks that people think it gets easier, but it to me it it doesn't.

[40:57] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah, I mean, especially what you're saying about like the comparison. Yeah to a younger version of yourself.

[41:04] Eden Espinosa: Sure, which also again to talk about women is different for women because of hormones and everything that our bodies go through that men don't go through. So, of course, you're gonna sound different from when you're 23 and when you're still 23, yeah, you know, yes.

[41:22] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: I do. So fuck them preach. Fuck. I'll say it. Fuck them. Fuck them. We have a lot of odd women listening. What is your advice to somebody listening who might be feeling insecure about the way they sound the way they look the way they are. That's maybe holding them back to purge to pursuing a life and sorry.

[41:41] Eden Espinosa: What is your advice to the odd squad?

[41:48] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: The odd squad.

[41:50] Eden Espinosa: First of all, you are the Queen's. The odd squad queens are the Queen's my grammar. It's okay my tenses. This is fun. But I'm just gonna say that like what? What I do for myself that brings me back to Center is just myself. Mm-hmm like you have to love yourself more than anyone else.

[42:14] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Preach.

[42:14] Eden Espinosa: You have to know yourself so intimately and so it's just like I encourage people women to spend time with themselves to get to know what do you actually it's like that thing in Runaway Bride you know when she like likes the eggs that all of her ex-fiances likes and then she's like actually what eggs do I actually like? You know, it's like what do you like because then it's gonna that's gonna like permeate through your art through your perspective through your opinion and it's just gonna make you stronger so that you don't get wobbly in your sense of self because there's only we are all like completely unique people all trying to conform into something that society tells us to conform into and it's just like it makes a watered-down version of everybody sure and like everyone's gonna be a hundred percent and beating themselves up at night I like feeling so good about something and then watching footage back or seeing a photo and being like fuck I felt so good in that moment. And now I'm gonna sit here and look at everything I think is wrong and it's not nice or fair. That's right.

[43:25] Eden Espinosa: And look I'm working hard to like break it and it's tough. Yeah, it is hard. It's tough, especially when I sit here on camera and then edit it I'm like, can I edit my arm out? You know what I mean? It's not nice, but it's still things we think and we just need to break. We just need to break it and that's why we're talking about it. Yeah, so maybe that this conversation will inspire a younger woman to be like, you know what I am who I am.

[43:52] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: That's right. I am what I am.

[43:53] Eden Espinosa: Lakaj is coming to cheers to the odd squad cheers to the odd squad and to Billy Porter.

[44:00] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Oh, have you seen anything this season that you have loved that has inspired you that you should tell our listeners to go run and see?

[44:12] Eden Espinosa: Every brilliant thing shout out. I it really wrecked me.

[44:17] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Me too.

[44:18] Eden Espinosa: It really wrecked me in the most beautiful way and really inspired me to look at the simple beautiful moments that we experience in life that light us up from the inside that you can practice gratitude for.

[44:32] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah, Mimosa's.

[44:35] Eden Espinosa: One of them put it on the drain interview put it on the list speaking of every brilliant thing. Are you gonna go see Marsh garden? I don't brought a debut last night. I want to okay. Yeah, let's do it. Okay.

[44:46] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Okay, let's go. I'll arrange it. Okay, great.

[44:50] Eden Espinosa: Also lost boys, I just shout out, you know, it's been so long since we've had a musical that big with the sound and the costumes and the lights and the talent the I the audience was like shaking with anticipation before that curtain went, you know, I was just like wow this whole experience. We haven't had theatrically in a long time. It's visually the most beautiful thing. I yeah, like stunning thing. I've ever seen on Broadway.

[45:21] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah, when I went there was a vampire dog like this audience member has a repeat customer dress their little dog up as a vampire.

[45:28] Eden Espinosa: I love that. Yeah.

[45:31] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah, I love that too.

[45:31] Eden Espinosa: Yeah, Eden it's been such a honor to have you on the show.

[45:37] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for coming.

[45:41] Eden Espinosa: Thank you to Shoshana bean for having a thing that we met up.

[45:43] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: Yeah, which we have not been blackout at not mimosas.

[45:47] Eden Espinosa: No mimosas and maybe not blackout. Maybe I was not you weren't blackout. We had a full conversation for sure.

[45:52] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: That's when you invited me on the show for sure. Okay. Okay. Thank you so much everyone follow Eden Espinosa and give her some love like the icon she is.

[46:04] Eden Espinosa: Yeah.

[46:08] Samantha Dawn Tuozzolo: That was so fun, hello my odd squad, it's me again Samantha Don tits low. Thank you guys so much for tuning into this episode this literal iconic episode. Don't forget to Like subscribe and follow to the show. Tell somebody else to take a listen. We are odd woman show on Instagram and tik-tok and you can follow me also, if you want at Sammy toots, I love you my odd squad.