Eden Epstein
Eden Epstein, an up-and-coming actress, is best known for her role as Ariel on the popular STARZ show “SweetBitter” based on the book by Stephanie Danler. She is about to make her debut as the new character Wren in the second season of dystopian series “See,” which also features Jason Momoa, seen on Apple TV.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?
I trained as a ballet dancer from the time I was very young, and I performed constantly as part of my training. I really loved being on the stage and found that my favorite dances to perform were the ones I could build a character around. I wasn’t the strongest dancer from a technical perspective, but I really enjoyed the discipline and goal- oriented nature of dancing at a studio that trains kids to become professional dancers. There were parents of kids at my studio who were in the industry, and after watching me perform, they shared that they thought I’d be a gifted actor. I also had ballet teachers who were very encouraging of me exploring a career in acting. I was so busy with dance training in high school that I often spent Saturday nights too exhausted from rehearsals to go out and would end up watching films my older brother had recommended from his film classes at the university. That was when I really became interested in acting and filmmaking. I’d find an actor or director who moved me and I’d watch as many of their films as I could get my hands on. I got injured right at the end of high school and had surgery. I knew I couldn’t have a career in dance, and decided I wanted to study acting when I went to university.
Who have been your biggest role models as you decided to enter into this industry?
There are so many. There are actors who feel very far away from me, in that I’ve never met them or worked with them, but who I watch and admire, and hope to emulate in my career. However, the most formative influences have been my family and my teachers. I’m very close with my Mom, and she has always encouraged me to trust my instincts and lead with authenticity, which are two elemental, yet extremely valuable tenets of this career.
During your college years, you attended New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study where you were able to craft your own major. Tell us why you made the decision to do so and what the focus of your major was.
I knew I wanted to go to school in New York City and thought that having the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary study would allow me to cultivate and explore all my interests. It was a really special education. I studied “character development and identity formation through film and theatre.” This meant I took classes in psychology, gender studies, literature, philosophy, ethics, film, art, etc. I didn’t take any acting classes at NYU and decided instead to explore an academic side of something I was growing really passionate about. I was taking scene study classes outside of school with Jennifer Gelfer, who is the most formative acting teacher I’ve had.
How has the journey been for you since leaving school and entering the professional world of acting?
I feel really lucky. I’m still very new to the industry, and I’ve been working pretty steadily so far. In between acting gigs I’ve gone back and worked in restaurants to support myself, stay grounded, and give myself structure. I've learned so much about people by observing them while waiting tables. I have waitress pads full of odd encounters, insane overheard conversations, and descriptions of the amazingly eccentric East Village characters who came into the restaurant. Waiting tables felt like doing character study in a way that I really enjoyed. People-watching is one of my favorite gifts that New York City has to offer, and when you work in a place in an historic neighborhood, you get to interact with a really striking and vibrant community of people. Every actor has a unique path, and I am learning to trust and enjoy mine.
How do you believe that “SweetBitter” has influenced your career, and what have you learned from being on such a major TV show?
Sweetbitter was my first big job, and my first experience working on TV. I learned a huge amount about acting on a show where your character is being written as you’re discovering and creating the character on set. I’d never had to build a character from scripts that were open-ended, and that was an exciting challenge. I remember asking Paul Sparks, who I admire greatly, how he approaches that challenge. He told me to trust what I was doing, and that if the writers were paying attention, they would pick up on my work and write about the choices I was making. It was a really special and wonderful introduction into TV. I’m still close with much of the cast, and still call on experiences from that set as I continue working.
How did having your character in “SweetBitter” being based on a book character help you understand and further develop the character?
Stephanie Danler wrote such a compelling, evocative book. It really encapsulated the feeling of the story we were telling. She was very clear with the cast that although the characters were plucked out of the book, we all had agency, as actors, to make the characters our own. The book felt like a rich template for all of us to jump wildly off of and have fun.
How did you relate to your character in “SweetBitter” as a restaurant worker yourself (after having worked at Cafe Orlin)?
I think more than anything after years of working in restaurants you can see a bit of yourself in everyone. The places I worked in New York were nothing like the restaurant in the show. I worked at very casual places where no one was soigné and where I could tell off a table if they were horrible to me. However, the culture between people who work in restaurants is really universal. So, I related very much to the feeling of dysfunctional family that is built when working in restaurants.
Are you looking forward to your character, Wren, making their debut in the second season of “See,” which premieres soon?
Yes, I’m very excited. I have such tenderness for Wren. It’s been so strange working on a show for almost two years and finally having it come out. Everyone on the show, cast and crew alike, worked so intensely and diligently during such a terrifying time, and I feel really proud of that.
What are some of your long-term goals in the entertainment industry?
I want a dynamic career that allows me to play vastly different characters that belong in vastly different worlds. I really love period pieces and I hope I can do a lot of time-traveling in my career. I speak French and Spanish and really hope to work in those languages and have the chance to travel around the world on jobs while working with directors from all over the globe. The idea of learning new languages, dialects, instruments, skills, etc, for a role, thrills me. I want to stretch myself and learn as much as I can from every role I play. I think one of the biggest gifts of being an actor is having curiosity be an engine in your life. Curiosity about people and their experiences. I think this curiosity enables meaningful connection with people I’m close with as well as with strangers. Moments of connection with people I don’t know both move and fortify my spirit, and I hope to continue to have those moments of synchronicity throughout my life. So far I’ve met people on each job I’ve done with whom I will be close for the rest of my life. I want to continue growing my chosen family with the people I meet on every job. Of course, I have an endless list of directors I dream of working with, from Paul Thomas Anderson to Greta Gerwig, to Barry Jenkins, to Guillermo del Toro, to Joe Wright, to Pedro Almodóvar, and on and on. I’d really love to do theatre as well. I grew up on stage and I think doing a run of a play would teach me so much and would be gratifying in a way that film and TV are not. And some day, I’d like to direct. But I have a lot of learning to do before I explore that world.
What is your Social?
I only have instagram @eden_epstein.
CREW CREDITS:
Photographer: Jenna Jones
Talent: Eden Epstein
Fashion Stylist: Kevin Ericson at The Only Agency
Hair: Brian Fisher
Makeup: Melissa Murdick
Tearsheets: Daniel López, Junior Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview: Julia Gastone, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
