9 Things You Need to Know About Sandra Echeverría

"I prepared so much; I worked with a soprano teacher [for three months] to sing the opera music and got a callback in New York. So I had to pay for my plane ticket, hotel, and everything," Sandra started, already breathless reliving the grueling incident.

"When they saw me singing [for Maria], they were like, 'Oh my God, we want to see you now, but for Anita's role.' And I was like, what? But she's mezzo-soprano, not soprano." In case you're wondering: mezzo-soprano is a lower-sounding voice (think Adele and Beyoncé) than soprano (think Mariah Carey).

"I went back the next day and sang 'America' for Anita in mezzo-soprano," she continued. "They loved it! 'Oh my god, you sing so well! Come back again tomorrow but for Maria's role.' So I went back and sang for [playwright] Arthur Laurents. He said, 'It was lovely, my dear!' I was so proud and so excited. Then, they offered me the understudy role."