This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Linedy Genao: Hello, hello everybody! Welcome to Entre Acts, your favorite podcast, Ya Tu Sabe. I'm Linedy Genao and I'm so, so, so excited to introduce this week's guest. I have to take it back to seeing In the Heights at the Richard Rogers Theater, being all the way in the back of the house in the rear mezzanine and crying my eyes out because for the first time in my life I saw myself represented on stage. For the first time in my life I heard the words Dominican Republic on a Broadway stage and I saw myself fully, fully, fully represented for the first time with the characters of Nina Rosario and Vanessa. And today I'm so excited to welcome this guest. Our guest today is quite literally one of the greatest singers on earth, just ask Lin-Manuel Miranda.

She's a true titan of the stage and screen whose voice is the soundtrack of a generation. You know her as a Broadway powerhouse from her starring roles in Sunset Boulevard, Wicked, Hamilton, as well as the woman who originated the iconic role of Nina Rosario in In the Heights. But beyond the standing ovations and the Carnegie Hall debuts, Mandy is a champion of resilience. Over a 20-year collaboration with Lin-Manuel, she has navigated the highs of showstopping fame and the heavy intermissions of life. As a breast cancer survivor and founder of the Fearless Squad, she has turned her own intermission into a movement of empowerment and authenticity. So she's here to talk about it all, mi gente. Please, please, please welcome Mandy Gonzalez.

[1:40] Mandy Gonzalez: Thank you, you're so sweet.

[1:42] Linedy Genao: I'm so happy to have you here.

[1:43] Mandy Gonzalez: I'm so happy to be here and I'm so, I'm so, so proud of you.

[1:47] Linedy Genao: Thank you.

[1:48] Mandy Gonzalez: When you wrote me and you were like, will you come to the show? I was like, yes, let's figure it out. Like, when can it happen? So I'm so proud of you.

[1:54] Linedy Genao: Oh my God. Thank you so much, Mandy. So before we get started, like I said, you know, I love to start the show like a little sandwich-ito.

[2:01] Mandy Gonzalez: Absolutely.

[2:02] Linedy Genao: You know, like, well, bochinche is coming at the end, you already know.

[2:06] Mandy Gonzalez: Okay, got it, got it.

[2:07] Linedy Genao: Latinas, ya tu sabes. Some cheese, man.

[2:09] Mandy Gonzalez: Okay, got it. We're going to play a little game of dominoes.

[2:12] Linedy Genao: Okay.

[2:12] Mandy Gonzalez: It's not really dominoes how the Latin culture plays it, but you know, it's the entre-acts way. So you're going to pick a domino, sum up that number, and that's going to pertain to a fun icebreaker question. Are you ready?

[2:22] Mandy Gonzalez: I'm ready.

[2:23] Linedy Genao: Okay, here we go.

[2:24] Mandy Gonzalez: Okay. That's so cute.

[2:26] Linedy Genao: Okay.

[2:27] Mandy Gonzalez: Nine.

[2:28] Linedy Genao: Nine. Okay. The safety of a sure thing or the thrill of a total pivot?

[2:35] Mandy Gonzalez: Ooh, a little bit of both. I would say, you know, now at this time, but I think there is always, I always go for the thrill of the pivot because when it feels scary and I don't know if I should do it, I think that that's like the universe's way of saying, do it and try it. I don't know why I feel that way, but I feel that way about so many things and so yeah, the thrill and just do it.

[3:01] Linedy Genao: Me too.

[3:02] Mandy Gonzalez: Yeah.

[3:03] Linedy Genao: Okay, next.

[3:05] Mandy Gonzalez: Pick another one.

[3:06] Linedy Genao: Oh God, sorry.

[3:06] Mandy Gonzalez: No, it's okay. I'm like, can I add? Can I see this?

[3:10] Linedy Genao: I have a hot coffee today.

[3:11] Mandy Gonzalez: This is four.

[3:12] Linedy Genao: Four. Okay. The room where it happens or the heights?

[3:15] Mandy Gonzalez: Ooh, that's really hard. But I have to say the heights.

[3:20] Linedy Genao: Eso!

[3:20] Mandy Gonzalez: Yeah, you already know. Absolutely. That represents so many things. You know, such an incredible time in my life, but also just so much joy and love. And I got to spend a lot of time in Washington Heights, like doing research, but also like we did the commercial there and everything and everybody would come out and just, and I go to the United Palace all the time and for the movies there. And yeah, just to be part of that community is a beautiful thing.

[3:48] Linedy Genao: I love that.

[3:49] Mandy Gonzalez: Okay, next.

[3:51] Linedy Genao: Oh God.

[3:52] Mandy Gonzalez: So bad at this, obviously. Okay, 11.

[3:55] Linedy Genao: 11. If a classic New York City deli named a sandwich after you, what would be in it? What's your favorite sandwich?

[4:02] Mandy Gonzalez: Okay, absolutely. Okay, so this is my favorite sandwich and I'm super weird. I can't wait. This is, it has to be on a roll. Please let the roll be fresh. It would have cheddar cheese, turkey, lettuce, tomato, pickles is like a must, and mustard and mayonnaise. And yeah, that's it.

[4:29] Linedy Genao: Do you like it pressed or no?

[4:31] Mandy Gonzalez: No pressed.

[4:31] Linedy Genao: No pressed.

[4:31] Mandy Gonzalez: I don't want it hot. That's why it's like it has to be fresh.

[4:34] Linedy Genao: It has to be like, and it always, it never disappoints.

[4:38] Mandy Gonzalez: Oh, that sounds amazing.

[4:39] Linedy Genao: Yeah, so good.

[4:39] Mandy Gonzalez: Okay, last one.

[4:42] Linedy Genao: Oh God.

[4:43] Mandy Gonzalez: This is like in my family playing a game. They're like, man, do it. Okay, five.

[4:48] Linedy Genao: Five. Okay, New York pizza or California tacos?

[4:53] Mandy Gonzalez: California tacos. Absolutely. I was just there and there's nothing like it. I mean, what is it? Number one tacos, which is like right around the corner.

[5:00] Linedy Genao: Right around the corner.

[5:02] Mandy Gonzalez: They're really good, but it's like anywhere you go in California, like a taqueria, like you can just stop at the corner and the tacos are going to be incredible.

[5:11] Linedy Genao: I'm from New York and I agree.

[5:13] Mandy Gonzalez: And my abuelita and the fresh like tortillas and all of that, like it makes me feel like home.

[5:18] Linedy Genao: Oh my gosh. I'll never forget when I visited my brother in LA, we went to the parking lot of a mechanic at night and there was a woman who was making the tortillas like fresh. And that's when they say that, you know, what's going to be a good taco when it's like in the most random place, right? She made the tacos fresh and, you know, there's only specific toppings. And I probably had about seven, but they're like the small.

[5:42] Mandy Gonzalez: Yeah, they're small because, you know, it's like I can just see my abuelita and she's just like. And it's just it's part of the culture. It's just so beautiful.

[5:50] Linedy Genao: I'm hungry now. Oh my gosh. OK, so that's the domino game. Thank you so much for playing.

[5:56] Mandy Gonzalez: I hope I did OK.

[6:00] Linedy Genao: OK, no, you did great. So this show, Entre Acts, right? Entre in between was inspired by my time specifically with Bad Cinderella, right? Kind of reaching the apex of my career and feeling the external pressure, but also the internal pressure of how do I top this? What comes next? Where do I go next? And especially after all the negativity from that too, I just was finding myself in a transitional period of the unknown. I had also gotten married during that time. We're coming out of COVID. So there was transitional periods everywhere in my life. And so I wanted to provide a space to talk about that. So I would love to ask you, what does the in between mean to you when life yells intermission and forgets to tell you what's next? Those periods in life where no one's watching, where no one knows, you know, what we're processing, what we're going through? What does that space and time mean to you?

[6:50] Mandy Gonzalez: It means so many things. It means it's time to for me, it's time to get creative. And that's just something that I've learned through the years being, you know, that wasn't your first Broadway show, but that was a big original show for you. And for me, my first original Broadway show was a show called Dance of the Vampires, which was a huge flop. And you know how that is. Like, it's just it. In fact, that we're Latinas and, you know, it's like, hey, we got that chance and we don't always get that chance. And so it felt like a huge failure, not just for myself, but just like, you know, doing everything and wanting to be the best, not just for myself, but for my family and like all of that pressure.

Very Nina Rosario. Like, that's why I identified with that character so well. And I remember after that, some woman came up to me and was like, oh, well, so now are you going to leave the business? Because this was so hard. And I was just like, why? Why would I leave? You know, and my mom, when I do have too much idle time and I feel like I don't have enough to do, like what's going on? I feel lost. My mom will always make the best comments. And she says, well, we're Gonzalez's and we Gonzalez, we work. And so my thing when I'm not, you know, in a show that's, you know, eight shows a week or things like that, it's kind of like, OK, how do I figure out how to make a living during this time? And how do I figure out how to do that creatively?

And so I think that I enjoy those kind of times because I have no trouble putting myself out there. I have no trouble trying things and saying, oh, this worked. This didn't work because I've already had a failure, like at the beginning of my career. So I feel like there's nowhere to go but up.

[8:38] Linedy Genao: I love that. And I think that for me, I just continue to tell myself that, you know, and when it feels like I said, when it feels scary is when I go, oh, I think I should do that. You know, it's like writing a book, putting out a children's book series, you know, for teenagers and writing about characters that I've been writing about forever. It was like, finally, because I was doing Hamilton and people were interested in what I was doing, what do you have next? What do you have this? I was like, oh, I had a whole box of things that I've been working on. And so for me, that's what that time looks like. It looks like a time to get busy and get working, you know, on myself, you know, and that time it's like, you know, I still always try to meditate, which is it doesn't go well for me.

But I do try to work on myself as well. But I always hear my mom in the back of my head going like, you're a Gonzalez, you work. And so it's like, OK, let's figure it out. And that, like you said, that I can see how you resonated with Nina because the Rosarios were the same way. Like, totally. The dad was just like, we work, we provide for the family, for my daughter, for the future. And so that's beautiful to see that connection already, you know, innately with you.

[9:53] Mandy Gonzalez: Absolutely. I think that that man, that show was so, so personal, you know, and I did I went to college for a year and I do come from a very hardworking blue collar family, you know, both of my parents worked like my dad worked swing shift. So there were certain days where he was home at 430, five o'clock. And then there were certain days where he was home at six in the morning. But either of those days, he would he would walk us to school. You know, he was always there, you know, in however he could be there. And I think that just seeing that from like a young age and that sacrifice. And then my mom worked for the school district. So it was like certain days when I didn't feel well or things like that.

I don't know how your parents were. But my mom, I was like, please let my dad be home because my dad would always I'd be like, I have a fever. Let her stay. I know. And my dad would be like, oh, yeah, he wouldn't even check the temperature. It would be like, oh, yeah, me. I like you're sick. You stay home, you know, and then he'd like give us like ice cream and stuff like that. My mom, it was like, I got to go to work. You got to go to school. But she was like, she was just like, so, so, so hardcore. And so I think with Nina, it was like to see I know that sacrifice, you know, and I know how much my parents wanted for me and for us to do well. And that feeling of wanting to do more for them, you know, as well. I still feel that way, but it's a little bit different now, you know, as a mom. And yeah, and all those kind of things. But yeah, I resonated so, so much with that show.

[11:31] Linedy Genao: Oh my gosh. Me too.

[11:32] Mandy Gonzalez: Yeah.

[11:33] Linedy Genao: Speaking of being a mom and writing the children's book, talk to me about how you were inspired to do that. Now raising a teenager yourself.

[11:41] Mandy Gonzalez: I'm also raising two teenagers.

[11:42] Linedy Genao: Yeah, it's hard.

[11:44] Mandy Gonzalez: I mean, it's not like a tutorial, but I feel like maybe that's my next one.

[11:52] Mandy Gonzalez: But it was really, you know, I wrote that was another time like an intermission act for me is when I had my daughter, you know, because I took a break. I had just left Wicked. And then I told my husband, I'm like, you know, you can ask my friends. I was so much about I wanted to start a family. Before I even did Wicked, I was like, I can't wait to start a family. And I talked to my friends about it and get, you know, what they did and all these kind of things. And so right when I was done with Wicked, my husband was like, OK, so we're going to just have like a couple of weeks off or we're going to have some time off. I'm like, yeah, like, let's get pregnant. Let's have a baby. And I was so lucky because it happened like so, so fast.

And so I really wanted to take that time. You know, I worked a little bit, but it's, you know, you can do what you can do. I wasn't in a full time show, so I didn't have like, and now I'm going to take the break and all that kind of stuff. But after I had my daughter, you know, I went on a lot of auditions.

[13:55] Mandy Gonzalez: I was terrified and I just said, yes, I'll do it, you know, because it paid. And it was like, okay, let me see if I like doing this kind of thing. And there's that fear you were talking about. Yeah, that fear. And, you know, when I was younger, growing up, I would put together my own shows and, like, perform them around Hollywood and to, like, my grandma and people that would come, you know. And so I was like, do I like this kind of thing? And I put myself out there and I loved it. I loved it. The audience was great. And it was like, oh, this is a way I can make a living and not have to wait by the phone for somebody to call me or wait to see if I'm okay as a mom to, you know, with my daughter and all of those kind of things.

And so that really propelled me to start these things and these projects on my own, which also included writing, you know, and I would write all of these stories as my when my daughter was so young and just stories about characters and things like that that I love. And then finally, when somebody was interested in my stories, you know, I would pitch them to every anybody that would meet with me, any editor, any, you know, publisher. And I got rejected all the time. I got so many rejections. Nobody wanted it. But the fact that you like went out there and did that is so inspiring. And my husband's a painter. And so he has all these friends that are artists. And I hooked up with this artist friend of his.

And I'm like, will you make the paintings for this? Will you make the drawings? And he did. And it was this book called Reli Shoes, which is based on my friend Darrell Grand Moultrie, who is now nominated for two Lucille Lortel Awards. But he's my best friend. And we've been best friends since we did Aida together. We were in the swing room. And we shared a mirror and we would look at each other anytime somebody said something shady. And we were like, oh, we're automatic best friends. And I love that feeling when you're like, yeah, or the or the under the table. Absolutely. You know, it like that's the best part. And so, you know, I was constantly looking for stories about people that were like my friends that were on Broadway or people that I grew up with that loved theater and that looked like me and looked like my friends.

And I constantly had a hard time finding any of those stories, you know. And so I thought, well, I'm going to write my own. And then when I started to do Hamilton, somebody said yes. And then I went to these I would go to these book readings, you know, and then afterwards, I mean, I'm crazy, like, readings. And then afterwards, I would be like, hi, I'm Mandy Gonzalez. And, you know, I wrote these stories and I would meet people like I would put myself out there. And finally, somebody said yes. And so I wanted to create stories, like theater adventure novels about people that I knew. And so my first book is about this young Latina from California, who grew who grew up in really the orange groves of California, like my family, and, and has a love of musical theater.

And along with her I will eat that she gets a part as the understudy to the understudy on Broadway, which I didn't know was a thing until I was one. And so they travel together because my only that she never came to see me in a show, you know, she was always working. And so I felt like this was my way of keeping her spirit alive and letting her have these adventures. And so it was like, she's wearing her you know, her about that and yeah, her hats and all these kind of things. But I decided to create these stories and really is on in my second story. And my friend Daryl grew up in Harlem. And so it tracks it's like a time travel story about Harlem and tap dancing and things that I love.

[17:46] Linedy Genao: Oh my gosh, I love that everybody get your fearless squad books. This is amazing. Talk speaking about the fearless squad, and those moments of reinvention, where the next best best thing hasn't arrived yet, or you're just waiting for something in your life. What is the one thing that you tell yourself to keep from, you know, keep from spiraling?

[18:00] Mandy Gonzalez: Don't we all? Well, I think like the spiral is just part of it. True. I mean, that's okay. I mean, especially as a mom, I think there are those days where you're like, you get home and you just have to cry. And that's okay. You're right. You know, I think the spiral is, is part of the beauty of our humanity. And then it gets you propelled to like, Oh, I can't stay here. Like, I got to pick up my kid at three. So so together, get it together. Like, what am I going to do? And so I think that's the that's the secret is just knowing that there's so many different sides to you. And for myself, like I told you, it's my mom in my head constantly. And just things that she said, you know, if, if something doesn't feel right, this is another kind of feel right, like, if somebody is not nice, like that you're working with or things like that, like my dad would always say, Don't go back, me.

Don't do this. And so it's like, I got to look at things and go, Okay, who do I what do I like doing? And what do who do I like working with? And what feels good? What? What doesn't give me that don't go back me kind of feeling and, and there's just something in my soul that just says, you can do it. You know, as hard as that is, I think, to constantly believe in yourself, I do have that. And that comes from a long line of people that love me and, you know, and me, you know, believing in myself and finding myself.

[19:34] Linedy Genao: Everybody, this is just you're just dropping gems.

[19:36] Mandy Gonzalez: Oh, God. Here, all of us.

[19:38] Linedy Genao: Oh, thank you. Thank you. Oh, my gosh. Okay. So I got to see you play Norma Desmond.

[19:46] Mandy Gonzalez: Thank you for coming.

[19:47] Linedy Genao: Of course, I, first of all, that production was my introduction to Sunset Boulevard. I didn't know anything about it, which is sad, but also beautiful that in 2025, friends last year, yeah, people are still being introduced to theater that has existed for however many years. So I'm a testament to that, that it's never too late. So many of my friends. Great. So like, number one, to be introduced to that score, that story, I went down a rabbit hole and started researching, watched the movie, I was like, how did I never, ever know about this, but then to also see a Latina Norma Desmond was life changing. Again, I, even when researching the show, I was like, Oh, had I not seen you in it? I was like, Oh, this is not a role that I think I could do.

And to see you, and the way that you looked and your hair and just the way that you expressed yourself, I saw you bring who you are, your culture to it was so inspiring. And to see you go from Nina, you know, that was the first thing I saw you went to Norma Desmond. Oh my gosh, Nina Norma. To see you do that was amazing and inspiring. And so I would love to hear, you know, did you take any of your experience from Nina from your first show that you were talking about to Norma? Like, what did you bring with you? Specifically, if anything, from that in between, because Norma is there's just so much there.

[21:04] Mandy Gonzalez: What Yeah, what did I don't even know what I'm I get it. It's like, I brought everything, everything that I've ever been through, I brought on to that stage because you have to, you have to expose all of those parts of yourself. Just even being, you know, in the rehearsal room, and I only got to do it on Tuesdays. So it was like bringing that to have like, this is my moment. This is my chance, you know, because I don't get another chance the next day. It's like, no, it has to hit every Tuesday, it has to be at the very, very top. I brought all of that energy to that. And it was a show that I absolutely loved growing up because when I was in middle school, art, our class went on a field trip to go see it in LA.

So I got to see Glenn Close and that whole company. And I at that time, I didn't know, Andrew Lloyd Webber's music, I didn't know, I wasn't exposed to that kind of stuff. And, and then in the next year, we went to go see the opera. So it was like, I was so exposed. And I just wanted to sing it all the time. And I wanted to, to sing his music. I was never asked to go and audition for any of his shows, you know, except for this one. And I was like, I'm, I'm so ready for this. Like, I'm so ready to show what I can do as an actor, you know, at this time in my life. And I would keep a picture of JLo in my dressing room, because to me, Norma is, you know, she was only 50. Oh, when Gloria Swanson, when she made that movie, you know, and she had already lived such a full life, like to read her biography was incredible, you know, but to read that, yeah, like having kids at 15.

And, you know, it was just like, not having kids, but having different issues happen and getting married and, you know, wanting to make a living and support herself, but also support her family. It was just like so many things that I felt like, oh, my gosh, like, this is so relevant to what women go through today, you know, and it's like, seeing JLo, but then seeing all this flack that she gets just for being who she is, and wanting more and I there is this picture that my husband sent me of her and this was like, after the whole, her last divorce and she this picture that she posted like, I think it was like the day after she said like, that she and Ben Affleck weren't together. She's me. But they weren't Ben, everybody knows.

But they weren't together. And it's her like with a selfie and she just like her butt is out. And she just looks like flawless. And you're just like, JLo's that girl. She's that girl like that is Norma. That is normal. Like you still you still got it, you never lost it. And so I would keep that picture in there. And I would I would look at it through the whole thing. But Norma to me is just a survivor of so many things of this business that can chew you up and spit you out in a heartbeat. But of life and family and things that she wanted and that, you know, she never gave up. She was always fighting for that next thing. And I wanted to show that, you know, because in my life at this point in my life, like I have done that. I have fought to get back where I want to be. And, and to be able to show that through a character is just it was a total dream come true. It was a dream come true to watch.

[24:51] Linedy Genao: Right now. So okay, before we get to the end of the sandwich, I have two more questions. Okay, so I know that you're doing your Everything I Know symphonic. So exciting. I hope I get to see one soon. Is there something within that show or that came up during that show that you didn't know about yourself about these songs, you know that you're singing again, anything like that?

[25:18] Mandy Gonzalez: Um, I think the thing that I, I learned is that as I continue to learn is just to trust your instinct. And you know, it was about, I guess, like three years ago, four years ago now where I did a show with the Boston Pops for their July 4. And to do that is a big deal. Like, Marin Mazzie's done it. Kelly O'Hara, like, it was a total honor. And En Vogue was the pop group that like introduced and I was like,

[25:50] Mandy Gonzalez: Hi. I just felt like I knew them, you know, from my childhood. And I'm like, never gonna get it. But it was such a moment for me. And it was a first orchestra that I've worked with now, working with orchestras 10, 15 years, that it asked me to sing a Lin-Manuel song. And they had asked me to sing Everything I Know and Fearless. And then after that, when you do the July 4th, it's in this, it's called The Shell. And it's an open audience, like, people just, it was raining, but then people come and they bring their picnic blankets, they bring their families, like anybody can go, it's free, free concert outdoor. And so all these people came up to me afterwards, because there's also not a lot of security.

So all these people came up to me, I know, all these people came up to me after I love and they were like, Oh my gosh, in the Heights meant so much to me. This song means so much to me, Lin-Manuel, like his music. And I just thought, like, there's a space, like, there are so many shows that are like the Andrew Lloyd Webber show, or the Stephen Sondheim show. And I was like, Lin-Manuel deserves a space 1000% in, in these concert halls, and audiences need to feel like they can also have a space to come and that they belong there. And so it's the same thing when I opened, not opened the show, but the second show that I did was at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops. And I thought about it. I was like, what if, again, my abuelita, you know, here I am, and I was nervous, you know, right before I went out.

And then the doors open, and I thought about my abuelita, and what if she was there, I felt like she was there with me, but like, she got to get dressed up that night to go to Carnegie Hall, to see the name Gonzalez, to hear the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda. It's like she would feel like she belonged. And I was like, oh, my gosh, this is so much bigger than me, this project that I've, you know, created. And it's such a beautiful, beautiful show. But I have so many people that come up to me afterwards saying this is my first time coming to the symphony. This is my first time and I come with my whole entire family because we love Moana, or we love Encanto, or we love Sesame Street, these songs that he wrote, or we love In the Heights and Hamilton.

And it just makes me feel so blessed to be a vessel to represent his beautiful music. And I'm just so proud of him. And I want everybody to know that, you know, because sometimes people would say things like, well, what is he doing now? Like, I remember after In the Heights, like, people would be like, well, what's he doing now? Like, what is he writing? I'd be like, what are you talking about? Like, he did songs on Electric Company. He did Sesame Street. He did Moana. It was just like, people sometimes they don't know or they're not thinking about it. I mean, now they think about it since Hamilton because now it's like he is part of this, you know, vernacular, you know, just part of this. He's like pop pop star, you know, he's he's an incredible light in this world.

But I wanted people to know like, no, he did this. And then he did this. And then he did this. And I want you if you hadn't heard this song, I want you to fall in love with it. Oh, my God. And ask more questions. What else did he write? Because there's more. I had to, you know, really, you know, there were a couple times where people like it's too long. Like, you have to cut a couple songs. And I had full orchestrations for certain songs. And I had to cut them because it was just too long. Yeah. So there's there's so much still to discover. And there's so much he's still writing. I know. We love you, Lynn.

[29:26] Linedy Genao: We love you. Oh, my gosh, what an inspiration, you know, lend to create these opportunities and spaces for us to feel represented and be able to go to Carnegie Hall like that. Oh, my gosh, what an honor. This is my gosh, Mandy, you're amazing. Okay. In three words, how would you describe the sea this season of your life you're stepping into right now?

[29:46] Mandy Gonzalez: Oh, I feel like this is my señora era, which I really like. Um, and I feel, you know, I'm going to be doing this new musical we're going to do out of town tryouts called Basura, which is the music is written by Gloria and Emily Estefan with a book by Karen Zacarias, who I worked with before on Destiny of Desire in San Diego and Michael Greif is directing. It's just I'm very, very excited. But I am the the older one in the cast, as I was in Sunset Boulevard. And I feel like such a there's such a pride in that, because I am the kind of personality that's very open and wanting to talk and wanting to encourage. But I also, I just feel very comfortable in who I am and where I want to spend my time, and what I want to do and what I want to eat when I want to have a drink, I have a drink.

[30:47] Linedy Genao: Exactly.

[30:47] Mandy Gonzalez: It's like, I don't feel like I have to ask anybody's permission anymore. And, I mean, you know, for legality things, yes. But as far as everything else goes, I feel very proud of this woman that that I am today. So I feel like this is my señora era. So you said three? I love that. Yeah. Okay, so three. So señora. And then I feel mother, because I feel like, I mean, that's part of the señora. But just, I want to experience as much as I can that my daughter is and is at this moment, because she is just my everything. And then so I guess like, so señora family, because my husband too. And then I think just artist, I want to continue to create more creative, I want to continue to create new things and new opportunities for myself, but also for others.

[31:42] Linedy Genao: Oh, I love that. Yeah, I love that.

[31:44] Mandy Gonzalez: Thanks.

[31:45] Linedy Genao: Okay, so to finish our sandwichito, our little show, we have some rapid fire chisme questions.

[31:52] Mandy Gonzalez: Okay.

[31:52] Linedy Genao: Are you ready?

[31:53] Mandy Gonzalez: I'm ready.

[31:54] Linedy Genao: Okay. Alexander, Benny, or Figueroa?

[31:57] Mandy Gonzalez: Oh, Benny.

[31:58] Linedy Genao: That was quick. And that's the correct answer. Come on. Chris Jackson?

[32:02] Mandy Gonzalez: Yes.

[32:03] Linedy Genao: Hello. Okay.

[32:05] Linedy Genao: Oh, my gosh. Our producers are, I'm straight. And yes, I'm screaming. Okay, the green makeup from Wicked, or the black and white lighting from Sunset?

[32:17] Mandy Gonzalez: Oh, black and white lighting.

[32:19] Linedy Genao: I know.

[32:19] Mandy Gonzalez: That makeup was hard to get off. It was in your pores. It was everywhere. Yeah, I saw somebody that I had seen in Wicked. This was like maybe five years ago when I saw it with my daughter. And I was like, is that the girl from Wicked? And then she like walked past me. And then she had this line of green at her hairline. I'm like, Oh, my God, that's her.

[32:38] Linedy Genao: Yes, that's the girl from Wicked.

[32:38] Mandy Gonzalez: Yeah, but nobody tells you that green is hard. It is hard. Yes.

[32:41] Linedy Genao: I give it to Cynthia.

[32:43] Mandy Gonzalez: The green is hard. Ay, ay, ay. What is your perreo song? The song that you are shaking your booty to?

[32:50] Mandy Gonzalez: Oh, my gosh. Anything right now by Bruno Mars. I feel like, you know, I'm gonna go to his concert in August. I'm so excited. I love it so much. But yeah, and I feel like he's really making the music for The Señoras. Like, have you listened to his new album? I'm just like, and that video, I was like, this is my, you know, this is my tias and like all the women that I grew up with. Like, this is their, he's representing. And I'm so proud of him. But I'm also just so proud of me and that I listen to it and I take the time. Yes, but I'm so jealous.

[33:26] Linedy Genao: Where are you seeing him in August?

[33:28] Mandy Gonzalez: I'm seeing him in New Jersey. He's playing like all over. He's playing Madison Square Garden, like everywhere. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. And there's still tickets available.

[33:36] Linedy Genao: Oh, I know. I'm not on his roster.

[33:41] Mandy Gonzalez: Okay, I'm serious. And it's also like, Anderson .Paak and like a bunch of people that he's collaborated with are on that on that tour. Yeah, it's a good show. I need to I need to do that.

[33:56] Linedy Genao: What's the one thing you always have in your dressing room?

[33:58] Mandy Gonzalez: Ah, an elephant. Why? Because it's not like a real elephant. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But like a statue of an elephant that I bring everywhere because that's how I grew up. My father always had elephants in the house. And he would always say that me how you got to stick the put the trunk towards the window to bring good luck. And I don't know if that's true. But I keep one in my, in my dressing room. And I also keep pennies at the top of the doorways like my dad does. And on all of his doors, just because I don't know. He says it brings good luck. Yeah, I'm very superstitious.

[34:37] Linedy Genao: I am too.

[34:37] Mandy Gonzalez: Yeah, I mean, it has made me superstitious. We're Latinas. Like, that's how we were raised. Wow, you just solved it. No, you you just all of it. Like, maybe my feet get wet. Like my head has to get wet too. Like my dad is just very Yeah, we were raised with all of it. Wow. Okay. Yeah, I know. Your sister's looking like what? Yeah. If you know, you know, if you know, you know, it's okay. And last one. Oh, what's a rule from your what's a rule you hated from your parents that you now fully support?

[35:01] Mandy Gonzalez: Oh, you're the youngest child. So I'm, I'm sure they were stricter with your they were like, I feel like my brother and sister got away with everything. Because they am like by the time they got to me, it was like I couldn't get away with anything like my all the windows like had these like, what is it called like little door things so you couldn't open them? Like, it's usually the opposite. Oh, I know. The oldest like my dad was so strictly my brother had to come over with me. No, my sister's my dad's like, Okay, bye. No, not with me. I mean, my dad is still like my sister is still like Monica Bay. Like he is still like, that is my my baby, but I'm the baby. But he's like, yeah, we had security sticks.

Did you have that? What is that? That's like, when you have a sliding door in? Oh, you put it at the bottom, you put it at the bottom. Yeah, my dad would like whittle them down. And now he has to to security sticks. I feel like their their houses like Fort Knox, like I can't even get out like he has like a screen door now to protect all of them. But I'm like, hey, you got to do what you got to do. If it works, it works. Exactly. If it works, it works. But um, I don't know, you know, I think that my parents, you know, they work so hard to take care of us. And I think so much of their working hard, they never took care of themselves, like spoiled themselves in a way. So that's the thing that I, I would like to change and continue working on changing is that, you know, it's okay to buy a little something for yourself.

Yes, it's okay to get that extra coffee or things like that. My parents just did not do that. And they still don't do it to this day. Although they're getting a little bit better. They came to see me I did my show my concert in New Orleans. And my mom had like, I she's like, I don't know, we want to come but I don't know. You know, it's very expensive and all this stuff. And I was like, okay, let me see what I can do. And so I went on her united app. She had like 200,000 points. I was like, Mom, you and I feel like I'm giving them the the sayings now. I'm like, when you go, these points don't go with you. I'm like, spend them now. So I got them full free, right? round trip flights to New Orleans, free hotel, all on these points.

And I was just like, so proud of them because they did it. You know, but I think that, um, yeah, I think we're constantly still learning as much as we can, if we're lucky. And our parents are still around. We're still learning from them. But we're also like taking a little bit and, you know, it's okay to change it a little bit.

[37:35] Linedy Genao: Yes, that's we got. Absolutely. Yeah, Mandy, thank you so much. So to end each episode, I love to have you join me on our little tagline. And it's because life doesn't pause. Okay, it just moves in three acts. Because life doesn't pause. It just moves in three acts. Okay, I love it. 321 because life doesn't pause. It just moves in three acts.

[38:06] Linedy Genao: And three acts is created, posted and executive produced by yours truly. Produced in partnership with Alan Seals and the Broadway Podcast Network. Carlos Hernandez of EG guy management and media serves as our lead executive producer, original music by Johan Beltré and Pedro F. Fortunato. And special thanks to welcome to timesquare.com the billboard where you can be a star for the day. Don't forget to subscribe and follow and react so you never miss an episode. Nos vemos!