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Natalie Toro |
Natalie Toro in
Les Miserable |
Ivette Sosa |
Ivette Sosa, a New Jersey native, started dancing at
the age of 3 and hasn’t stopped performing since.
She performed in regional theater productions of The
Will Rogers Follies, Fiddler on the Roof, Godspell
and Funny Girl and co-wrote and starred in three
cabaret shows in New York City before Broadway came
knocking. She had an offer to join the cast of Rent,
but a shot at pop music fame intervened. Sosa was
selected as a member of the girl group Eden’s Crush,
which scorched the charts with the number one single
“Get Over Yourself” and the Gold-certified album
Popstars. Her brief tenure in the pop-music world
prompted Sosa to write the one-woman show
Confessions of a Former Pop Star. Since then she’s
added such TV credits as Sabrina the Teenage Witch
and a raft of commercials (look for her in the new
Robitussin ad) to her résumé, as well as worked as
an understudy in Latinologues. Today, she’s Broadway
bound again in the cast of Yo Soy Latina. Helping
her along is her very own “stage dad,” father Gordon
Inverno, a veteran Seton Hall University drama
teacher, who helps manage her website and admits to
“crying like crazy” when he saw her on Broadway the
first time.
LATINA Style spoke with these up-and-coming
actors about their lives as Latinas on—and off—Broadway.
LATINA Style: Why is it
so important to be in a Broadway production?
Roxane Carrasco: The
aura of Broadway still stands, and it can open the
doors for you in other areas of show business. It is
a huge credential. As far as comparing off-Broadway
to Broadway, well, they are different animals, and
in a way, the quality of the work matters greatly.
It’s always great when an off-Broadway show moves to
Broadway. That usually comes with great attention
and accolades.
Natalie Toro: I was
right out of college and nervous as hell [when I got
the role of Eponine]. Les Miz has only been open for
a little more than a year, and I was replacing the
actress who won the Tony for the role. I knew this
would be a huge thing for my career as well as the
show at that point in time. I held on to the role
for three years. Broadway is definitely the place to
work because it gives you the chance to be nominated
for a Tony Award that in turn can catapult your
career.
Ivette Sosa: To me, the
stage is where all the magic happens. So when I got
the opportunity to understudy the only female in the
show of Latinologues, I was thrilled. When I finally
got the opportunity to perform, I felt like I was
home. It was such a thrill to be a part of the
longest-running Latino show on Broadway. It was the
first Broadway show that was written, created,
directed and acted by all Latinos. It was at that
point that I had realized that at the age of 29 I
was a part of a lot of firsts.
Sara Ramirez: Actually,
I never dreamed about being on Broadway. It wasn’t a
life-long ambition. My mother was a singer. Her
father was a singer. It runs in the family, so I was
surrounded by music all my life. I attribute my
career to my grandfather in Mexico, because if it
weren’t for his genes and his voice, I probably
wouldn’t have gone into this business. My mom, from
early on, sensed that I had talent, so she enrolled
me in a performing-arts school. I auditioned for a
play, and they were impressed by my singing. Because
of that, I was put in the top dance class and the
top acting class, and I was surrounded by a lot of
top-notch people. And that’s when it actually hit me
that theater could be my career, because at that
time, I was thinking of becoming an engineer. I feel
like I’ve had angels on my shoulder, always.
LS: What has your experience
been being a Latina in this business? Has it made a
difference, one way or the other? Have you gotten or
lost certain parts because of your ethnicity?
NT: Well, we all know
the color of our skin has a lot to do with the roles
you get. But my experience has been that I look more
Mediterranean. I can play a lot of different ethnic
cultures. But if a role calls for a white, southern
gal, for instance, I wouldn’t be called for that.
For film and TV, being a Latina still means you get
to go in for the housekeeper or the immigrant roles.
It’s quite funny. Hopefully, that will change.
RC: Being a Latina has
hurt me, and it has definitely helped me. I do get
pigeonholed sometimes one way or the other, but
there are some fantastic Latina roles that I have
been able to do simply because I was the right
ethnicity. And, of course, I could sing it and/or
dance it and/or act it. Sometimes, I am not Latina
enough—not dark enough, or not cliché enough. That
is a bummer sometimes, but then I think, I don’t
want to work with someone who does not have the
vision to understand that Latinos come in all shapes,
colors and sizes.
SR: Being in this
business is very much [like] hanging up a bunch of
meat and seeing who’s going to bite. I hate to be
that way, but it’s a very cutthroat industry, and
the actors are really kind of a product. But I think
that being Latina has always worked in my favor, and
if I haven’t gotten a job because of the way I look,
I don’t focus in on, “Well, I’m Latin, and it works
against me.” No matter what you are, at some point,
it’s going to work against you in this business.
Latinos also have this feeling that we have to work
harder. If the white girl sitting next to me brings
100 percent, I have to bring 110 percent. But as a
Latina, I feel that I have something to offer just
in terms of my personality—I feel that my culture
has helped me be more compassionate and more open.
IS: Being a Latina in
this business has its ups and downs! While there are
opportunities, and more all the time, it definitely
gets tough at times. Trying to figure out what kind
of Latina to be. Asking questions like Do they, the
casting directors, want straight hair or curly hair?
Will I be ethnic enough or will I be too ethnic? It
has definitely been a struggle, and although it gets
frustrating, I know it is all worth it. Because who
I am is the most important to me, and in the end
it’s what I can bring to the table that counts.
LS: What have you had to
sacrifice for your success?
SR: This industry is
very demanding. I’m not someone who needs 3 million
friends, and I don’t have many close friends. But I
don’t know if I’d blame the industry, because
sometimes people are just at two different places in
their lives and things don’t work out. Plus, we’re
at a time when women are getting more power, and
when you are successful, it’s a little scary for
some men.
RC: For a long time, I
couldn’t go out on a normal date! Imagine a
lifestyle of eight shows a week, one day off, and
not being able to meet for dinner until 11 p.m.
every night! Dating the average man is difficult.
You wouldn’t believe the number of beautiful women I
know who dance on Broadway and do not have
boyfriends and are dying for them!
IS: It’s difficult not
having a set schedule, never knowing when the next
job will come up. I definitely try to have a social
life, but trying to keep a balance does get hard. I
am really lucky to have the support of my family and
know that they are the backbone of everything. They
have been there for it all and will continue to be.
I love them so much, and it makes it all worth it.
NT: You are constantly
busy with trying to create work for yourself as well
as still taking voice lessons, dance lessons, acting
class and always keeping your chops in shape. I
don’t get to see my family much. Thank God for cell
phones now! But there is nothing more gratifying
than doing really good work and knowing your family
and friends are supporting you all the time.
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