One other San Diego Comedian-Con has come and gone, however not with out the Her Universe Trend Present embracing glitz, glam, and geek couture for the eleventh yr. Her Universe founder Ashley Eckstein and co-host Michael James Scott embraced all issues Common and Depraved for the occasion this time. Eckstein’s was in fact a well-recognized title within the SDCC sphere even earlier than the style present because of her function because the voice of Star Wars‘ Ahsoka Tano, but it surely seems that even being a part of as formidable franchise as Star Wars did not imply overcoming all of her fears about performing.
She and her co-host spoke with CinemaBlend about going full Depraved for SDCC this yr, together with why she pushed herself to play the Glinda to her Broadway greatest good friend’s Elphaba. I used to be lucky sufficient to attend the Her Universe Trend Present for the primary time this yr after Eckstein had opened up about leaning into Depraved and defying trend. The Her Universe founder teased forward of time that there “shall be singing” with Michael James Scott on stage, however she joined him to kick off the style present with a medley of Depraved songs, together with “Defying Gravity.”
For Eckstein, the efficiency marked the primary time she sang in public in 25 years, and it was in entrance of one of many stars of Depraved no much less, with Nessarose actress Marissa Bode in attendance as a trend present choose. She defined why she ended up singing:
It was actually vital to Common. They stated from day one, Depraved is a celebration of friendship, and it was vital to have parity between Glinda and Elphaba, as a result of that is what their friendship is all about, and it is in regards to the two of them. So it was vital to Common, but it surely was additionally vital to Michael and his husband Jeremy, that I sing. There was a gathering the place, actually, everybody was on the decision, and Common stated, ‘Effectively, Ashley must sing too.’
Ashley Eckstein overcame nerves to host the Her Universe Trend Present within the first place in addition to deal with initiatives like her Star Wars Conscious Issues shorts, however singing Depraved was not like something she’d confronted as a performer in public earlier than. She went on:
And I used to be speechless then, like I’m now! All eyes turned on me, and so they’re like, ‘So that you’re gonna sing, proper, Ashley?’ And I used to be like, ‘Uh, okay?’ as I am texting Jeremy behind the scenes. Like, ‘You have to be kidding me! No, no, no, I can not do that.’ However the entire theme is, as I talked about through the present, not solely defying trend however defying your personal expectations and your personal fears and your personal limits. And so I am glad I did it. I am glad they compelled me to do it. [laughs]
Michael James Scott got here to the Her Universe Trend Present not solely as Ashley Eckstein’s longtime good friend, however with a protracted listing of Broadway credit together with Aladdin, The Ebook of Mormon, and – one in all my private favourite musicals – One thing Rotten.
He defined that he “grew up realizing and truly listening to Ashley sing” since they went to highschool collectively, however Depraved does have “actually, really, a few of the hardest music on this planet.” Eckstein elaborated on his level of being “enthusiastic about being alive and singing and being an artist,” saying:
As youngsters, you naturally, I believe, begin out fearless. You are extra prepared to attempt issues and so in my thoughts, I am like, ‘Oh my gosh, I am in entrance of 2500 individuals,’ and Michael has gone on to change into one in all Broadway’s brightest stars. However what I attempted to only remind myself of, and I really feel like I did – going up on that stage, it was simply us in highschool. I simply virtually took myself again and stated, ‘That is no totally different than us in highschool singing.’ And so I did enable myself to have enjoyable in that second.
From my place within the viewers of the style present, I by no means would have guessed that she hadn’t sung publicly in a long time, and Michael James Scott confirmed “that’s the response from actually, principally everybody,” and reiterated to his good friend that she “can sing” and is a singer now. Ashley Eckstein went on to share why she determined to maneuver previous her nerves and carry out with him:
Effectively, it was vital for me to say one thing in that second, as a result of that was a very huge deal for me personally. I’ve discovered by doing my Psychological Well being Monday posts, and now we’re doing Hype Buddy [podcast], that I believe individuals have a look at us on stage and assume like, ‘Oh, they do not get nervous. They’ve all of it collectively.’ No, we do not. We’ve the identical fears, we’ve the identical nerves, we’ve the identical emotions and feelings that everybody else does on any given day, identical to anybody. Some days you’re feeling such as you sparkle and you may tackle the world, and a few days you do not. And so I simply tried to be actual and I assumed in that second, I am like, ‘You realize what? I am gonna let this complete viewers in on the key of this actual worry that I simply overcame,’ and hopefully, by sharing the story, I might assist another person out.
Ashley Eckstein and Michael James Scott had been fairly actually glowing in pink and inexperienced outfits worthy of Depraved after we spoke at San Diego Comedian-Con. This was Her Universe’s largest yr but with the style present, and the timing could not have been higher for the Depraved theme. After the primary film gained over audiences final yr, Depraved: For Good arrives in theaters on November 21 within the 2025 film schedule. As for Her Universe, it stays to be seen what Eckstein could have in retailer for 2026.