1 00:00:01,793 --> 00:00:03,336 [woman] Favorite number and why. 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:03,420 --> 00:00:05,922 Oh, man. That changes every time I see it. 4 00:00:06,006 --> 00:00:08,633 I loved the ones where I don't do much. 5 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 6 00:00:08,717 --> 00:00:10,135 -I liked, uh... -[laughs] 7 00:00:10,218 --> 00:00:12,595 That's what I was waiting on. Knew he was gonna say that. 8 00:00:12,679 --> 00:00:14,723 Anything without Lin is really my favorite. 9 00:00:18,768 --> 00:00:22,939 Hello and welcome to "The Undefeated Presents Hamilton In-Depth." 10 00:00:23,023 --> 00:00:25,066 I'm your host Kelley Carter. 11 00:00:25,150 --> 00:00:26,568 We're going to be joined today 12 00:00:26,651 --> 00:00:30,196 by nine of the stars of the record-breaking musical Hamilton 13 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:32,782 as well as director Thomas Kail. 14 00:00:32,866 --> 00:00:37,454 Very few Broadway shows have had the massive cultural impact of Hamilton, 15 00:00:37,537 --> 00:00:41,833 which delves into the life of one of America's Founding Fathers, 16 00:00:41,916 --> 00:00:43,501 Alexander Hamilton, 17 00:00:43,585 --> 00:00:46,421 all set to a hip-hop soundtrack. 18 00:00:46,504 --> 00:00:49,341 ♪ Two Virginians and an immigrant Walk into a room ♪ 19 00:00:49,424 --> 00:00:51,760 [with company] ♪ Diametrically opposed, foes ♪ 20 00:00:51,843 --> 00:00:54,137 [Kelley] Despite its massive success, 21 00:00:54,220 --> 00:00:57,098 the show's origins still had humble beginnings, 22 00:00:57,182 --> 00:01:00,560 especially when it was presented to the original cast. 23 00:01:04,647 --> 00:01:10,695 You know, we really wanted to, sort of, lay claim to this story 24 00:01:10,779 --> 00:01:15,825 and provide-- and just really get on the board in terms of musical theater, 25 00:01:15,909 --> 00:01:17,285 in terms of representation, 26 00:01:17,369 --> 00:01:21,998 in terms of what it means for us to tell the story of these flawed people 27 00:01:22,082 --> 00:01:25,835 who created a flawed country with ideals worth chasing 28 00:01:25,919 --> 00:01:29,923 to which we have fallen short for 200-some-odd years. 29 00:01:30,006 --> 00:01:31,925 [man] Lin said, "Hey, I have this idea." 30 00:01:32,008 --> 00:01:34,886 And I said, "Okay, great. How can I help?" 31 00:01:34,969 --> 00:01:36,888 You know, and then we just made the thing. 32 00:01:36,971 --> 00:01:39,182 So we were gonna do this this way no matter what. 33 00:01:39,265 --> 00:01:40,850 And if somebody didn't wanna get on board with that, 34 00:01:40,934 --> 00:01:42,227 then they weren't gonna participate. 35 00:01:42,310 --> 00:01:45,939 But it was never a question from anyone involved with the production, 36 00:01:46,022 --> 00:01:47,273 our producers on down, 37 00:01:47,357 --> 00:01:49,693 that it would be anything else but this. 38 00:01:49,776 --> 00:01:52,654 My particular story with the show is unique, 39 00:01:52,737 --> 00:01:53,738 because I had seen it. 40 00:01:53,822 --> 00:01:58,493 I had seen the very first reading of The Hamilton Mixtape in Poughkeepsie. 41 00:01:58,576 --> 00:02:02,455 And so I scored the very last folding chair in the very last row 42 00:02:02,539 --> 00:02:06,418 to see what was then The Hamilton-- the first act of Hamilton, 43 00:02:06,501 --> 00:02:07,961 then called The Hamilton Mixtape. 44 00:02:08,044 --> 00:02:12,382 So I knew what I was being invited into when he sent me that e-mail, 45 00:02:12,465 --> 00:02:15,802 and I just made it my business to hold on for dear life. 46 00:02:15,885 --> 00:02:20,515 I just-- I never wanted him to replace me. Because I knew-- 47 00:02:20,598 --> 00:02:22,892 I didn't know that America would feel the way it did, 48 00:02:22,976 --> 00:02:24,394 but I knew what I felt about it. 49 00:02:24,477 --> 00:02:29,566 It was just the boldest, freshest, most literate, exciting thing I'd ever seen. 50 00:02:29,649 --> 00:02:33,945 It's funny, 'cause when we were watching the film on our computer the other day, 51 00:02:34,029 --> 00:02:37,240 my husband said, "Remember when you didn't wanna go to this audition?" 52 00:02:37,323 --> 00:02:39,409 [all laughing] 53 00:02:39,492 --> 00:02:40,952 I mean, it's just one of those things, 54 00:02:41,036 --> 00:02:42,829 like, where could I hide in the world 55 00:02:42,912 --> 00:02:45,665 if I had not ended up going and at least trying my hand at it? 56 00:02:45,749 --> 00:02:46,958 But I went to the audition, 57 00:02:47,042 --> 00:02:51,838 which is where I met Lin and Tommy and Alex Lacamoire and the creative team, 58 00:02:51,921 --> 00:02:55,133 and, um, fortunately they called me before I made it home 59 00:02:55,216 --> 00:02:57,010 to tell me that I was gonna get to do the workshop. 60 00:02:57,093 --> 00:02:59,054 And, like Leslie, I held on for dear life. 61 00:02:59,137 --> 00:03:01,931 And I'm still holding on. 62 00:03:02,015 --> 00:03:06,936 I was onstage doing a performance of In the Heights when Lin-- 63 00:03:07,020 --> 00:03:09,272 Look, there was a moment in the show where-- 64 00:03:09,356 --> 00:03:12,650 where our characters go upstage and we're in Usnavi's bodega, 65 00:03:12,734 --> 00:03:15,528 and he said, "So I got my next thing." 66 00:03:15,612 --> 00:03:16,696 And I was like, "Great." 67 00:03:16,780 --> 00:03:20,367 And then my next thought was, "What am I gonna do in it?" 68 00:03:20,450 --> 00:03:24,079 -But-- But before I could get to it... -[laughing] 69 00:03:24,162 --> 00:03:26,122 ...the time had come for us, in the middle of the show, 70 00:03:26,206 --> 00:03:28,750 to go out and perform the number "96,000." 71 00:03:28,833 --> 00:03:32,087 So the conversation was pretty-- it was abbreviated. 72 00:03:32,170 --> 00:03:35,215 Um, we hadn't, you know, just because we'd just had-- 73 00:03:35,298 --> 00:03:37,467 we hadn't had an opportunity to continue the conversation. 74 00:03:37,550 --> 00:03:41,221 But Tommy walked up to me a few days later at another show before the performance, 75 00:03:41,304 --> 00:03:42,764 he's like, "So, what's up, G-dubbs?" 76 00:03:42,847 --> 00:03:45,141 -And I was like, "What-- Huh? What?" -[laughs] 77 00:03:45,225 --> 00:03:48,269 And he's like, "George Washington. Lin told you about the thing." 78 00:03:48,353 --> 00:03:52,065 And I was like, "Sort of. What do I do? What do you-- Uh, what?" 79 00:03:52,148 --> 00:03:53,858 I had no idea what was going on. 80 00:03:53,942 --> 00:03:55,860 I was also sort of onstage. 81 00:03:55,944 --> 00:03:58,947 We were-- A band that we're both in called "Freestyle Love Supreme" 82 00:03:59,030 --> 00:04:04,411 was, uh, performing down in New Orleans when the Super Bowl was there. 83 00:04:04,494 --> 00:04:09,332 So we're, like, rapping live on ESPN about sports celebrities, 84 00:04:09,416 --> 00:04:12,836 and, uh, Tommy Kail comes up to me and says, 85 00:04:12,919 --> 00:04:19,175 "Hey, uh, Lin's working on this new show. It's a rap show about Alexander Hamilton." 86 00:04:19,259 --> 00:04:20,885 And I said, "That's a terrible idea." 87 00:04:20,969 --> 00:04:25,807 Uh... and he said, "Do you wanna come do this reading of it?" 88 00:04:25,890 --> 00:04:27,392 And I said, "Are you gonna pay me?" 89 00:04:27,475 --> 00:04:31,646 -And he said, "Yes." And so I did. -[Christopher laughing] 90 00:04:31,730 --> 00:04:35,483 I had just come back off from being a singer on a cruise ship, 91 00:04:35,567 --> 00:04:37,402 doing Saturday Night Fever, the musical, 92 00:04:37,485 --> 00:04:41,114 and, uh, I went and auditioned for a show that I wasn't right for. 93 00:04:41,197 --> 00:04:43,700 And the same casting director was casting Hamilton. 94 00:04:43,783 --> 00:04:45,952 And they were like, "You ain't right for this, 95 00:04:46,036 --> 00:04:48,830 but you should come in for this thing called Hamilton's Mixtape." 96 00:04:48,913 --> 00:04:52,917 And I, um, did four auditions for the show. 97 00:04:53,001 --> 00:04:57,505 Um, and-- And, uh, yeah. And then it was great. 98 00:04:57,589 --> 00:04:59,174 And I-- Then they cast me. 99 00:04:59,257 --> 00:05:00,300 It was kinda crazy. 100 00:05:00,383 --> 00:05:04,095 I wasn't in the musical theater world at all. 101 00:05:04,179 --> 00:05:08,266 So it was all, um, very new to me. 102 00:05:08,350 --> 00:05:13,313 And I did about three or four auditions, 103 00:05:13,396 --> 00:05:20,320 and Alex Lacamoire, he wrote just Peggy's lines on a napkin, 104 00:05:20,862 --> 00:05:24,783 and, um, taught it to me in my second callback. 105 00:05:24,866 --> 00:05:29,996 Tommy had, uh, invited me to join them in a reading of Act 2 of Hamilton-- 106 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,248 Hamilton Mixtape, at the moment-- 107 00:05:32,332 --> 00:05:35,502 um, and that was the first time I had heard the music 108 00:05:35,585 --> 00:05:36,795 and worked with those guys, 109 00:05:36,878 --> 00:05:38,963 and I was blown away. 110 00:05:39,047 --> 00:05:41,341 ♪ But just you wait ♪ 111 00:05:41,424 --> 00:05:43,635 ♪ Just you wait ♪ 112 00:05:43,718 --> 00:05:47,806 ♪ When he was ten his father split Full of it, debt-ridden ♪ 113 00:05:47,889 --> 00:05:51,685 ♪ Two years later See Alex and his mother bedridden ♪ 114 00:05:51,768 --> 00:05:52,811 ♪ Half dead... ♪ 115 00:05:52,894 --> 00:05:57,190 My first instinct for Hamilton was as an immigrant narrative. 116 00:05:57,273 --> 00:06:00,026 The thing that hooked me into the story was 117 00:06:00,110 --> 00:06:02,070 this was a kid who grew up in the Caribbean 118 00:06:02,153 --> 00:06:06,616 and wrote his way to an education at a very young age, 119 00:06:06,700 --> 00:06:10,036 which my father did from Puerto Rico at 18. 120 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:13,415 And if there is one thing I know that is true, 121 00:06:13,498 --> 00:06:15,458 it's that if you come to this country from somewhere else, 122 00:06:15,542 --> 00:06:19,421 you have to work four times as hard to get half as far. 123 00:06:19,504 --> 00:06:23,008 And Hamilton certainly meets that threshold. 124 00:06:23,091 --> 00:06:26,428 Um, and so that was the way in which-- 125 00:06:26,511 --> 00:06:29,347 That was my way into this story that had never-- 126 00:06:29,431 --> 00:06:32,809 I don't remember anything from history class in high school. 127 00:06:32,892 --> 00:06:34,894 Like, it-- it just had never grabbed me before. 128 00:06:34,978 --> 00:06:38,732 But because Hamilton was the protoimmigrant among the founders, 129 00:06:38,815 --> 00:06:40,442 that's how I found my way in. 130 00:06:40,525 --> 00:06:44,696 What were your reactions to the concept of Hamilton? 131 00:06:44,779 --> 00:06:48,533 Because it was unlike something that we'd ever seen before on Broadway. 132 00:06:49,117 --> 00:06:50,452 For me, it was always just music. 133 00:06:50,535 --> 00:06:52,662 It was literally just listening to the music. 134 00:06:52,746 --> 00:06:54,706 That's how I understood the show. 135 00:06:54,789 --> 00:06:57,876 And I was so moved by that 136 00:06:57,959 --> 00:07:01,171 that there was a point where, actually, I was not gonna be Hercules Mulligan, 137 00:07:01,254 --> 00:07:02,672 and I reached out to Tommy and Lin, and I said, 138 00:07:02,756 --> 00:07:05,467 "I've never read or done anything like this before, 139 00:07:05,550 --> 00:07:09,346 so just so y'all know, I'm down when y'all get it together. 140 00:07:09,429 --> 00:07:11,097 I'm ready. I wanna do this." 141 00:07:11,181 --> 00:07:14,601 Um, that was-- I'd never been so moved by, just, something-- listening-- 142 00:07:14,684 --> 00:07:17,979 I didn't know anyone. Just off the strength of, literally, the material. 143 00:07:18,063 --> 00:07:21,316 When I came to the show, or, like, when I was auditioning, 144 00:07:21,399 --> 00:07:23,860 I was listening to-- to Phillipa's voice. 145 00:07:23,943 --> 00:07:28,865 And I got to listen to her sing the songs and Leslie sing "Wait For It." 146 00:07:28,948 --> 00:07:32,202 And, you know, it was incredible to be able to, you know, to be cast, 147 00:07:32,285 --> 00:07:34,954 and then, um, and then hear it in real time. 148 00:07:35,038 --> 00:07:37,207 It's the music, the music. That's the pulse of the show. 149 00:07:37,290 --> 00:07:39,542 There's no dialogue in the whole show. It's just music. 150 00:07:39,626 --> 00:07:42,170 I think what's, I think, so mind-blowing 151 00:07:42,253 --> 00:07:45,882 is that something that's genius could get better. 152 00:07:45,965 --> 00:07:47,300 It's still surprising. 153 00:07:47,384 --> 00:07:50,053 Like, even before I got to see this movie, 154 00:07:50,136 --> 00:07:54,307 I was, you know-- I've said to them, "I'm bringing my hopes down. 155 00:07:54,391 --> 00:07:57,894 We can't assume just because everything else has been so great 156 00:07:57,977 --> 00:07:59,354 that this is going to be great. 157 00:07:59,437 --> 00:08:01,398 That's just-- That's crazy, right? 158 00:08:01,481 --> 00:08:05,193 I'm just gonna bring my hopes down and see what happens, you know?" 159 00:08:05,276 --> 00:08:08,988 And, um, that really started from, like, this kind of-- the first-- 160 00:08:09,072 --> 00:08:13,159 My first encounter with it was Lin's demo of "Satisfied." 161 00:08:13,243 --> 00:08:15,495 [company] ♪ To the Union, to the revolution ♪ 162 00:08:15,578 --> 00:08:19,040 -♪ And the hope that you provide ♪ -[company] ♪ You provide ♪ 163 00:08:19,124 --> 00:08:23,169 -♪ And may you always ♪ -♪ Always ♪ 164 00:08:23,253 --> 00:08:25,296 ♪ Be satisfied ♪ 165 00:08:25,380 --> 00:08:26,965 ♪ Rewind ♪ 166 00:08:27,048 --> 00:08:30,385 ♪ Rewind, rewind ♪ 167 00:08:30,468 --> 00:08:34,431 [Renée] I'm like, "Yes! This is music theater. 168 00:08:34,514 --> 00:08:36,641 This is music theater. 169 00:08:36,725 --> 00:08:37,934 It is it right now. 170 00:08:38,018 --> 00:08:43,606 This music is what should be telling our story." 171 00:08:43,690 --> 00:08:46,026 And I just-- You know-- 172 00:08:46,109 --> 00:08:48,069 I-If it never got any better than that, 173 00:08:48,153 --> 00:08:51,239 I would've stayed for five years, ten years, whatever. 174 00:08:51,322 --> 00:08:55,410 And the crazy thing is that it kept getting better. 175 00:08:55,493 --> 00:08:58,079 I think for me it goes all the way back to... 176 00:08:58,830 --> 00:09:02,417 um, you know, we're talking about the developmental days, 177 00:09:02,500 --> 00:09:04,586 where we were in these workshops. 178 00:09:04,669 --> 00:09:09,215 And, um, I remember we put the first act on its feet. 179 00:09:09,299 --> 00:09:12,010 And because of time, we just couldn't get to the second act, 180 00:09:12,093 --> 00:09:15,430 so we decided to just do it behind music stands, 181 00:09:15,513 --> 00:09:17,474 and even then, 182 00:09:17,557 --> 00:09:23,229 not doing anything except sitting there and saying the words, singing the words, 183 00:09:23,313 --> 00:09:26,149 the air in the room changed. 184 00:09:26,232 --> 00:09:29,027 And I think we were all aware at that point, 185 00:09:29,110 --> 00:09:32,364 especially because we were, kind of, hearing it as a whole, 186 00:09:32,447 --> 00:09:35,450 um, at least for me, at that-- I was like, 187 00:09:35,533 --> 00:09:39,037 "Ooh, this is, um, this is magical. 188 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:40,872 And I think it'll... 189 00:09:41,831 --> 00:09:47,212 Something will happen, and I won't be able to process it until after it's over." 190 00:09:47,295 --> 00:09:52,258 You know, sitting there when Lin couldn't find, like, an ending, 191 00:09:52,342 --> 00:09:53,802 the ending that he wanted... 192 00:09:53,885 --> 00:09:55,303 Oh, yeah. I forgot. 193 00:09:55,387 --> 00:09:59,224 ...and he writes, like, that whole rap, and it's a cappella. 194 00:09:59,307 --> 00:10:00,600 Right. 195 00:10:00,684 --> 00:10:04,688 And it's all those moments, where you're thinking-- 196 00:10:04,771 --> 00:10:05,897 just like you said, Renée, 197 00:10:05,980 --> 00:10:09,567 "It can't get better. It can't get better. It can't possibly get better." 198 00:10:09,651 --> 00:10:11,945 And it was, you know? 199 00:10:12,028 --> 00:10:18,368 And being in the room, you know, in those rehearsal rooms watching the changes, 200 00:10:18,451 --> 00:10:22,664 and it just getting better, is... 201 00:10:22,747 --> 00:10:26,376 uh, that's also one of the things where, like, I will never forget. 202 00:10:26,459 --> 00:10:28,503 In that first time watching it, 203 00:10:28,586 --> 00:10:34,134 sure, there were moments like "My Shot" and the opening and "Satisfied" 204 00:10:34,217 --> 00:10:36,136 that just completely bowled me over, 205 00:10:36,219 --> 00:10:42,308 but the image that made me a Hamilfan for life-- 206 00:10:42,392 --> 00:10:44,561 like, I didn't know-- I wasn't sitting in that last row 207 00:10:44,644 --> 00:10:46,438 thinking I was gonna be in the show. 208 00:10:46,521 --> 00:10:48,982 But the image in "The Story of Tonight"-- 209 00:10:49,065 --> 00:10:54,237 I had never in my life seen four men of color onstage 210 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:58,033 singing about friendship and brotherhood in my life. 211 00:10:58,116 --> 00:11:01,911 And to me, the image of that was the revolution. 212 00:11:01,995 --> 00:11:04,414 He was showing us something new. 213 00:11:04,497 --> 00:11:05,915 I have chills thinking about it. 214 00:11:06,624 --> 00:11:09,294 The thesis of this story 215 00:11:09,377 --> 00:11:13,298 was always the story of America then told by America now. 216 00:11:13,381 --> 00:11:15,633 And people of color are the future of this country, 217 00:11:15,717 --> 00:11:17,552 they are the present, they are the future, 218 00:11:17,635 --> 00:11:21,431 and, um, on another level, 219 00:11:21,514 --> 00:11:24,100 this was always a hip-hop musical in my head. 220 00:11:24,184 --> 00:11:26,853 Um, if this had been cast with all white people, 221 00:11:26,936 --> 00:11:28,563 wouldn't you think I'd messed up? 222 00:11:28,646 --> 00:11:30,607 It was such an intentional choice. 223 00:11:30,690 --> 00:11:36,321 How do we give more access to a story that has been kept from so many people? 224 00:11:36,404 --> 00:11:38,907 So many people that we cared about, so many people that we believed in, 225 00:11:38,990 --> 00:11:43,703 and so many people that we know, uh, had something that needed to be heard. 226 00:11:43,787 --> 00:11:46,206 So it wasn't even a conversation about that. 227 00:11:46,289 --> 00:11:47,540 It's just, "This is what the show is. 228 00:11:47,624 --> 00:11:50,627 And if you wanna be a part of it, then embrace that." 229 00:11:50,710 --> 00:11:52,379 And it was-- it was embraced. 230 00:11:52,462 --> 00:11:55,882 -♪ We are waiting in the wings for you ♪ -♪ Waiting in the wings for you ♪ 231 00:11:55,965 --> 00:11:57,634 ♪ You could never back down ♪ 232 00:11:57,717 --> 00:11:59,719 ♪ You never learned to take your ♪ 233 00:11:59,803 --> 00:12:02,472 ♪ Time ♪ 234 00:12:02,555 --> 00:12:05,183 ♪ Oh, Alexander Hamilton... ♪ 235 00:12:05,266 --> 00:12:11,356 What we are watching in this film is the, sort of, genesis of America. 236 00:12:11,439 --> 00:12:18,238 And all these figures, historical figures that we've vaguely learned about 237 00:12:18,321 --> 00:12:22,742 are being embodied by a multiethnic cast, 238 00:12:22,826 --> 00:12:24,452 and mostly brown people. 239 00:12:24,536 --> 00:12:31,334 And there is an implicit assumption there 240 00:12:31,418 --> 00:12:36,840 that the rights that are virtues of being American 241 00:12:36,923 --> 00:12:40,301 should be given to all Americans, right? 242 00:12:40,385 --> 00:12:43,596 By putting brown people at the center of that story, it means-- 243 00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:47,225 What you're really saying is, "We built this country too." 244 00:12:47,308 --> 00:12:50,061 And so if you watch this movie 245 00:12:50,145 --> 00:12:55,275 and you feel a sense of pride in the America that you see in this movie, 246 00:12:55,358 --> 00:12:57,193 you should then be inspired to take action 247 00:12:57,277 --> 00:13:00,321 to make that the America that you see in real life. 248 00:13:00,864 --> 00:13:05,744 We are taking the principles that have been espoused by these great thinkers 249 00:13:05,827 --> 00:13:09,539 to elevate the idea of what a democracy or a republic is, right? 250 00:13:09,622 --> 00:13:13,043 And rather than get caught up in, um, 251 00:13:13,126 --> 00:13:16,171 the-- the things that historically we've been caught up in-- 252 00:13:16,254 --> 00:13:20,884 You know, all of those Founding Fathers were all about posterity. 253 00:13:20,967 --> 00:13:23,720 They were all about what history would remember of them 254 00:13:23,803 --> 00:13:25,764 and, uh, were very-- 255 00:13:25,847 --> 00:13:29,934 Those that adhered to that were very careful in crafting that messaging. 256 00:13:30,018 --> 00:13:34,606 Um, unfortunately, it has historically left out 257 00:13:34,689 --> 00:13:38,401 the most substantive part of what that message was-- 258 00:13:38,485 --> 00:13:40,987 who that message was supposed to represent. 259 00:13:41,071 --> 00:13:45,200 It wasn't about what was behind that flag, it was about who made up that flag, 260 00:13:45,283 --> 00:13:49,788 who-- who literally contributed to the founding 261 00:13:49,871 --> 00:13:53,249 and the everyday goings-on of this experiment. 262 00:13:53,333 --> 00:13:55,752 This story is-- And the American story is one of those things 263 00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:58,922 where all of these things are true all at one time. 264 00:13:59,005 --> 00:14:04,052 But it's a matter of who's publishing the final word, 265 00:14:04,135 --> 00:14:07,305 or the word that-- that endures. 266 00:14:07,389 --> 00:14:10,225 They hadn't had it all figured out, and that's what we're saying in the story. 267 00:14:10,308 --> 00:14:14,854 We didn't-- The American experiment is going to be that forever. 268 00:14:14,938 --> 00:14:17,399 ♪ No one really knows How the game is played ♪ 269 00:14:17,482 --> 00:14:20,527 ♪ The art of the trade How the sausage gets made ♪ 270 00:14:20,610 --> 00:14:22,696 ♪ We just assume that it happens ♪ 271 00:14:23,405 --> 00:14:26,366 ♪ But no one else is in the room Where it happens ♪ 272 00:14:35,834 --> 00:14:40,296 When did you realize that this was a certified pop-cultural phenomenon? 273 00:14:40,380 --> 00:14:45,010 Like, what moment happened that made you understand how big this was? 274 00:14:45,093 --> 00:14:49,472 Um, I knew that this was gonna be unprecedented 275 00:14:49,556 --> 00:14:52,892 when we announced our second extension off-Broadway. 276 00:14:52,976 --> 00:14:55,478 We announced we were gonna run through May. 277 00:14:55,562 --> 00:14:59,941 And the folks at the Public told us that the phone banks went down. 278 00:15:00,025 --> 00:15:03,611 Um, and they said, "We've had the website crash before. 279 00:15:03,695 --> 00:15:06,406 We've never had the phone bank crash before." 280 00:15:06,489 --> 00:15:08,616 It truly was, kind of, a word-of-mouth show. 281 00:15:08,700 --> 00:15:11,995 People saw it. Only 300 people at a time at the Public could see it. 282 00:15:12,078 --> 00:15:13,246 And we were there for months. 283 00:15:13,329 --> 00:15:16,875 And by the time we moved to Broadway, folks had made some decisions 284 00:15:16,958 --> 00:15:21,004 about how they were gonna, you know, borrow from that 401k, or... 285 00:15:21,087 --> 00:15:22,714 [laughing] 286 00:15:22,797 --> 00:15:27,218 Or forgo that, uh-- [chuckles] forgo that vacation, you know? 287 00:15:27,302 --> 00:15:28,303 -Um-- -[Daveed] Yeah. 288 00:15:28,386 --> 00:15:30,138 You know, because that's just what the market did. 289 00:15:30,221 --> 00:15:32,390 It was a very strange thing. But, um-- 290 00:15:32,474 --> 00:15:35,602 But just, you know, you do theater long enough, 291 00:15:35,685 --> 00:15:37,437 you can see what is resonating. 292 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:43,401 And in real time, you can see, um, how people are moved by an experience. 293 00:15:43,485 --> 00:15:44,819 And to know that, um-- 294 00:15:45,528 --> 00:15:47,197 To know that we were doing something-- 295 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,950 You know, that people were examining our work and our work together 296 00:15:51,034 --> 00:15:52,619 in the telling of this thing, 297 00:15:52,702 --> 00:15:55,163 you could tell that people were very, very, very excited. 298 00:15:55,246 --> 00:15:56,581 And it also-- 299 00:15:56,664 --> 00:15:59,834 It's a very real thing when-- when POTUS comes to the-- 300 00:15:59,918 --> 00:16:02,170 -[laughs] comes to the last show... -I was about to say-- 301 00:16:02,253 --> 00:16:03,797 ...of the first week of previews. 302 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:04,881 Like, that's, uh-- 303 00:16:04,964 --> 00:16:07,175 -You know you've gotten some attention. -I always-- 304 00:16:07,258 --> 00:16:08,343 -[laughs] -[Kelley] Yeah. 305 00:16:08,426 --> 00:16:10,970 I always say the second time we met the Obamas 306 00:16:11,054 --> 00:16:12,681 -is the best night. -Yeah. 307 00:16:12,764 --> 00:16:15,308 You know what I'm saying? It's like, "Oh, you're back?" 308 00:16:15,392 --> 00:16:18,269 [Christopher, laughing] Yeah. "And you brought your crew with you." 309 00:16:18,353 --> 00:16:19,187 [Daveed] Yeah. 310 00:16:19,270 --> 00:16:20,980 I was like, "Oh, the president's here?" 311 00:16:21,064 --> 00:16:22,816 [Kelley and Okieriete laugh] 312 00:16:22,899 --> 00:16:23,900 "Twice?" 313 00:16:24,442 --> 00:16:26,653 -"Oh, he giving a speech?" -[Okieriete laughing] 314 00:16:26,736 --> 00:16:32,575 And then not to mention, like, every person I've seen on TV or whatever. 315 00:16:32,659 --> 00:16:35,161 You know, from athletes to this to that-- 316 00:16:35,245 --> 00:16:39,249 All these people making it a point to see our show. 317 00:16:40,667 --> 00:16:43,044 I was like, "Yo, this is kinda crazy." 318 00:16:43,128 --> 00:16:44,754 The telling part about the show too, 319 00:16:44,838 --> 00:16:49,259 is that when people came back after the show, especially on Broadway, like, 320 00:16:49,342 --> 00:16:53,263 our stage transformed into this incredible green room experience, right? 321 00:16:53,346 --> 00:16:55,348 Because Meryl Streep has come back, 322 00:16:55,432 --> 00:17:00,270 and she's kicking it with us on stage. Like, "Okay..." 323 00:17:00,353 --> 00:17:01,312 -[Daveed] Yes. -Um, 324 00:17:01,396 --> 00:17:03,148 but we're meeting these other artists, 325 00:17:03,231 --> 00:17:06,776 and this is the kind of experience that had artists open, right? 326 00:17:06,860 --> 00:17:10,113 I remember we were off Broadway when Busta Rhymes came the first time. 327 00:17:10,196 --> 00:17:11,406 Man. 328 00:17:11,489 --> 00:17:15,660 And he's like-- I just-- He-- He-- He-- You know, it's-- He's Bust, right? 329 00:17:15,744 --> 00:17:19,789 Like, he's the guy that we all know and love through his music. 330 00:17:19,873 --> 00:17:23,793 But he came back and he's like, "Yo, yo, I gotta go to the studio and write. 331 00:17:23,877 --> 00:17:26,796 I-- I just gotta do more. I'm not doing enough. 332 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,466 I gotta write more. I gotta-- I gotta do more." 333 00:17:29,549 --> 00:17:33,053 You know, to see that from someone who's obviously a legend 334 00:17:33,136 --> 00:17:37,474 but is prolific and always has been on so many levels 335 00:17:37,557 --> 00:17:40,268 say that that's what he took away from the show, 336 00:17:40,352 --> 00:17:43,396 but then he stayed for an hour to, like, kick it with us, right? Like-- 337 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,190 Just, like, holding court downstairs. 338 00:17:45,273 --> 00:17:46,232 -Just, like... -Yeah. 339 00:17:46,316 --> 00:17:48,693 ...wanting to talk about every second of the show and how-- 340 00:17:48,777 --> 00:17:50,945 -Yeah. Yeah. -"That was crazy when you"-- 341 00:17:51,029 --> 00:17:53,948 You know what I'm saying? Mind you, he also sat in the front row, remember, 342 00:17:54,032 --> 00:17:55,408 -with that bright red shirt on... -Yeah, yeah. 343 00:17:55,492 --> 00:17:58,620 ...and every chain that's ever been made around his neck. 344 00:17:58,703 --> 00:18:02,457 And, like, at intermission, the, like, folks came to him and were like, 345 00:18:02,540 --> 00:18:05,835 "We can move you to a better seat. These aren't actually the best seats," 346 00:18:05,919 --> 00:18:09,547 and he was like, "Nah, I'm trying to be in it. I wanna be here." You know, like-- 347 00:18:09,631 --> 00:18:12,425 And then he proceeded to come back hella times, 348 00:18:12,509 --> 00:18:14,177 -and we would just go up... -Oh, yeah, yeah. 349 00:18:14,260 --> 00:18:17,097 ...to The Library Bar and kick it. Like, Bust was at the show a lot. 350 00:18:17,180 --> 00:18:21,184 He wouldn't even see the show. He'd just come hang out afterwards like-- 351 00:18:21,267 --> 00:18:22,852 How about you, Oak? 352 00:18:22,936 --> 00:18:24,771 For me, hands down, it's Dave Chappelle. 353 00:18:24,854 --> 00:18:28,566 He's always been an idol of mine, and meeting him was absolutely perfect. 354 00:18:28,650 --> 00:18:31,695 Being able to say to him, you know, "You have moved me in terms 355 00:18:31,778 --> 00:18:34,698 of how you continue to educate people through your art, 356 00:18:34,781 --> 00:18:37,033 how you never sacrifice your voice through your art, 357 00:18:37,117 --> 00:18:39,786 how you're constantly trying to move your own people, black people, 358 00:18:39,869 --> 00:18:41,746 forward in thought through your art." 359 00:18:41,830 --> 00:18:43,623 He's so prolific with everything. 360 00:18:43,707 --> 00:18:45,625 He continues to be consistent in saying, 361 00:18:45,709 --> 00:18:47,293 "I will continually use my platform and art 362 00:18:47,377 --> 00:18:49,963 to really speak on things that I think people really need to hear 363 00:18:50,046 --> 00:18:53,258 that aren't talking about, and put it in a way that's ugly but necessary." 364 00:18:53,341 --> 00:18:56,761 The fact that he came to see our show, saw our performances, my performance, 365 00:18:56,845 --> 00:19:00,015 and said he was moved, that just completely blew me out of the water. 366 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:04,978 Yeah. I think there's a lot of people who, 367 00:19:05,061 --> 00:19:07,522 like Busta and like Dave Chappelle, 368 00:19:07,605 --> 00:19:11,985 like, that we grew up listening to or watching 369 00:19:12,068 --> 00:19:14,571 in our most defining moments, 370 00:19:14,654 --> 00:19:16,823 and the fact that they were coming 371 00:19:16,906 --> 00:19:21,494 and not only seeing the show and complimenting it, 372 00:19:21,578 --> 00:19:23,663 but talking to us afterwards 373 00:19:23,747 --> 00:19:28,418 and having real conversations as equals, 374 00:19:28,501 --> 00:19:33,173 as people in the same community, it was really, like, mind-blowing, 375 00:19:33,256 --> 00:19:37,844 um, to feel, like, connected to them in that way 376 00:19:37,927 --> 00:19:40,221 because as kids or as young people, we're-- 377 00:19:40,305 --> 00:19:43,308 We feel so distant from the people that we're inspired by. 378 00:19:43,391 --> 00:19:46,353 So I think that was a really magical moment for a lot of us, 379 00:19:46,436 --> 00:19:50,065 seeing our heroes come and say that they were moved 380 00:19:50,148 --> 00:19:51,983 and that we were their heroes. 381 00:19:52,067 --> 00:19:55,362 ♪ Will they know what you overcame? ♪ 382 00:19:55,445 --> 00:19:58,782 ♪ Will they know you rewrote the game? ♪ 383 00:19:58,865 --> 00:20:05,789 ♪ The world will never be the same, oh ♪ 384 00:20:09,125 --> 00:20:12,295 What's good, everybody? This is Justin Tinsley from theundefeated.com, 385 00:20:12,379 --> 00:20:14,798 and I'm here to tell you how The Hamilton Mixtape 386 00:20:14,881 --> 00:20:17,258 brought the Hamilton experience full circle. 387 00:20:17,342 --> 00:20:18,385 Think about it like this. 388 00:20:18,468 --> 00:20:21,262 The Hamilton stage play is the biggest thing in pop culture. 389 00:20:21,346 --> 00:20:23,473 Not only was it the number one album in the country, 390 00:20:23,556 --> 00:20:26,059 which is the beacon of success in the music industry, 391 00:20:26,142 --> 00:20:30,021 it reinvigorated the cassette tape industry in 2017. 392 00:20:30,105 --> 00:20:32,315 Sales spiked by 35%, 393 00:20:32,399 --> 00:20:34,943 and The Hamilton Mixtape was a huge reason for that. 394 00:20:49,582 --> 00:20:51,751 Now that we're in this renewed awakening, 395 00:20:51,835 --> 00:20:55,630 what do you hope is the takeaway from everyone who consumes this show? 396 00:20:55,714 --> 00:20:58,633 Um, in terms of the conversations the world is having, 397 00:20:58,717 --> 00:21:00,510 and particularly the United States is having, 398 00:21:00,593 --> 00:21:04,014 about systemic racism that have been there since our founding, 399 00:21:04,097 --> 00:21:07,267 to have this story that brushes up against our founding, 400 00:21:07,350 --> 00:21:10,478 um, I think, is really interesting. 401 00:21:10,562 --> 00:21:12,480 It's funny. I had another reporter ask me, 402 00:21:12,564 --> 00:21:15,859 "How has Hamilton changed from the Obama era to the Trump era?" 403 00:21:15,942 --> 00:21:18,653 And the answer is, it hasn't changed at all. 404 00:21:18,737 --> 00:21:24,200 Um, and if there's anything really political about the show, 405 00:21:24,284 --> 00:21:28,621 it's that the fights that were present and the paradoxes that were present 406 00:21:28,705 --> 00:21:30,957 at our founding still exist. 407 00:21:31,041 --> 00:21:34,252 They're the same fights we keep having, and that is everything 408 00:21:34,336 --> 00:21:38,048 from the original sin of slavery to gun control. 409 00:21:38,131 --> 00:21:40,717 Everyone in our show dies as a result of gun violence 410 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:42,886 with the exception of George Washington. 411 00:21:42,969 --> 00:21:47,640 Um, the-- So many things that were present then are present now, 412 00:21:47,724 --> 00:21:50,101 and the way in which I wrote them was to try to make them 413 00:21:50,185 --> 00:21:53,938 as present as possible, so things just hit different. 414 00:21:54,356 --> 00:21:56,316 Like, things that were present in the show, 415 00:21:56,399 --> 00:21:59,903 the stories about slavery and what they did, 416 00:21:59,986 --> 00:22:02,364 and they were all complicit, and what they didn't do, 417 00:22:02,447 --> 00:22:06,284 I think, hit different than they may have in 2015. 418 00:22:06,368 --> 00:22:09,871 Um, but the show hasn't changed, and it will be very inter-- It-- 419 00:22:09,954 --> 00:22:15,168 What's been incredible is to see lyrics from the show popping up 420 00:22:15,251 --> 00:22:18,171 at Black Lives Matter protests all over the country. 421 00:22:18,254 --> 00:22:21,508 Seeing "History has its eyes on you," seeing "Tomorrow there'll be more of us," 422 00:22:21,591 --> 00:22:25,679 and people finding the language of revolution in this other revolution, 423 00:22:25,762 --> 00:22:29,933 and that's been very heartening and overwhelming. 424 00:22:30,517 --> 00:22:36,356 The-- That the conversation, um, has progressed. 425 00:22:36,439 --> 00:22:40,026 You know, we are in a different point of this conversation 426 00:22:40,110 --> 00:22:42,612 than we've ever been before. I-- I-- 427 00:22:43,655 --> 00:22:48,827 My own little form of honoring one of our fallen brothers was, you know, 428 00:22:48,910 --> 00:22:54,165 I remember dedicating my final performance in Hamilton to Philando Castile. 429 00:22:54,582 --> 00:22:57,377 -Um, and that's four years ago. -[Kelley] Mm-hmm. 430 00:22:57,460 --> 00:23:01,881 And so, now we see, you know, brother George Floyd's lynching, 431 00:23:01,965 --> 00:23:05,385 his murder, leading to people taking it to the streets. 432 00:23:06,219 --> 00:23:07,554 I mean, I'm... 433 00:23:09,723 --> 00:23:13,226 Still hopeful, you know, that we can-- That we can get this thing right. 434 00:23:13,309 --> 00:23:16,396 That we can-- That we can make it right. 435 00:23:16,479 --> 00:23:19,315 Um, but the first step was-- 436 00:23:19,399 --> 00:23:22,485 First step was being honest about how we got here. 437 00:23:22,569 --> 00:23:28,408 The first step is really talking about-- Talking about this trauma, 438 00:23:28,491 --> 00:23:31,619 and being honest about systemic racism 439 00:23:31,703 --> 00:23:34,789 and the most violent arm of systemic racism, 440 00:23:34,873 --> 00:23:38,001 which are the police departments around the country. 441 00:23:38,084 --> 00:23:41,171 That is-- That-- That is the most violent arm of it. 442 00:23:41,588 --> 00:23:45,717 So, we gotta talk about that. We are talking about that. 443 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:46,801 Um... 444 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:50,972 Better late than never, I guess. 445 00:23:52,182 --> 00:23:55,977 I'm inspired by empowerment. 446 00:23:56,061 --> 00:23:58,146 I feel that, um... 447 00:23:59,397 --> 00:24:03,943 You know, somebody actually said to me, uh, when I was doing Hamilton, you know, 448 00:24:04,027 --> 00:24:08,782 "You're-- You are incredibly powerful if you know you are." 449 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:11,368 And, like, if you don't know you are, it doesn't matter how much power you have. 450 00:24:11,451 --> 00:24:12,452 You don't have any. 451 00:24:12,535 --> 00:24:15,872 And, um, and this shows... 452 00:24:16,539 --> 00:24:19,876 Um, this shows somebody becoming all powerful 453 00:24:19,959 --> 00:24:24,381 just because he kept asking himself this question, 454 00:24:24,464 --> 00:24:26,549 "Why is there so much suffering around me? 455 00:24:26,633 --> 00:24:28,968 Why is there so much dying, and why am I still here? 456 00:24:29,052 --> 00:24:31,096 What am I supposed to do with this time? 457 00:24:31,179 --> 00:24:33,973 With nothing, what am I supposed to do with this time?" 458 00:24:34,057 --> 00:24:36,434 Like, that kind of-- That continually, 459 00:24:36,518 --> 00:24:40,397 "Me. What can I do with this time that I have for a reason? 460 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:43,566 What can I do? Wh-- I have nothing. I have no f-- I have"-- 461 00:24:43,650 --> 00:24:47,529 You know, and that-- That-- The-- The-- The asking of that question 462 00:24:47,612 --> 00:24:53,326 and the bravery with which you answer it is what I want our young people, 463 00:24:53,410 --> 00:24:57,997 and all of us, to take from this. 464 00:24:58,081 --> 00:25:02,627 If anything, take that, and we need it. We need them. 465 00:25:02,711 --> 00:25:06,506 We desperately need them, so my prayer is that some of those words 466 00:25:06,589 --> 00:25:10,552 and some of that sentiment gets, you know, rooted in their-- in their heart, 467 00:25:10,635 --> 00:25:14,347 in their psyche, in their mouth, and, um, and it becomes-- 468 00:25:14,431 --> 00:25:19,853 Wh-- In-- In their own words, you know. And it leads us in this revolution. 469 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:22,397 What about you, Phillipa? 470 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,358 I have a hope and desire 471 00:25:25,442 --> 00:25:29,446 for people to really feel the necessity 472 00:25:29,529 --> 00:25:33,575 to participate as citizens. 473 00:25:33,825 --> 00:25:39,539 Um, you know, through your work, and for us that's through our art, 474 00:25:39,622 --> 00:25:42,959 but also through just our activism, 475 00:25:43,043 --> 00:25:47,255 and what it means to show up and use your voice, 476 00:25:47,339 --> 00:25:50,050 whether that's trying to run for office, 477 00:25:50,133 --> 00:25:52,510 whether that's trying to change legislation, 478 00:25:52,594 --> 00:25:54,679 whether that's just going out and making sure 479 00:25:54,763 --> 00:25:57,557 that you're registered to vote and going to vote. 480 00:25:57,640 --> 00:25:59,768 Um, I hope it inspires people 481 00:25:59,851 --> 00:26:04,564 to not only feel the duty that they have to participate, 482 00:26:04,647 --> 00:26:10,737 but also to feel the excitement and the desire to leave a legacy, 483 00:26:10,820 --> 00:26:14,324 um, to be a part of something greater than themselves, 484 00:26:14,407 --> 00:26:20,580 to contribute, that, you know, the reason that we've come to where we are 485 00:26:20,663 --> 00:26:25,251 is because of a lot of amazing things 486 00:26:25,335 --> 00:26:28,254 and a lot of flaws that we have, 487 00:26:28,338 --> 00:26:31,716 and to look our imperfections in the face and say, 488 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:37,180 "I'm going to choose to deal with that and actively participate" 489 00:26:37,263 --> 00:26:39,891 is the mind-set that I think that we need to have. 490 00:26:40,266 --> 00:26:41,935 Honestly, Pips, I-- Like, you-- 491 00:26:42,018 --> 00:26:45,897 The way you're articulating the excitement that people have about getting involved, 492 00:26:45,980 --> 00:26:47,982 um, you've really opened my eyes to that. 493 00:26:48,066 --> 00:26:51,361 I've been very upset with what's happening in the world and very hurt and angry, 494 00:26:51,444 --> 00:26:54,698 as a lot of people are, and some people when they're in that place, 495 00:26:54,781 --> 00:26:57,909 they lose sight of the excitement, um, of change. 496 00:26:58,410 --> 00:27:00,620 There's weight sometimes to change. You feel like there's this, 497 00:27:00,704 --> 00:27:03,415 "Oh, I gotta change. How am I gonna figure it out?" 498 00:27:03,498 --> 00:27:06,167 But the excitement is when it does change, think of it that way. 499 00:27:06,251 --> 00:27:10,046 So I thank you, Pips, for highlighting that for me personally as well. 500 00:27:10,130 --> 00:27:12,298 And that is very exciting to see these young men 501 00:27:12,382 --> 00:27:14,884 who are excited about standing on boxes 502 00:27:14,968 --> 00:27:17,137 and talking about laws that they feel are unjust, 503 00:27:17,220 --> 00:27:19,389 who are excited about going home and figuring out ways 504 00:27:19,472 --> 00:27:22,100 to aid and change their government, what they see wrong. 505 00:27:22,183 --> 00:27:28,398 The excitement that these characters have, I think, is a huge, massive takeaway. 506 00:27:28,481 --> 00:27:32,068 So, he-- Takeaway to the people out in the streets to know 507 00:27:32,152 --> 00:27:35,321 that though you have this hurt, like, you can have the joy 508 00:27:35,405 --> 00:27:38,324 that can also fuel you to create the change that you want as well. 509 00:27:38,408 --> 00:27:40,493 And I know I personally can lose sight of that sometimes, 510 00:27:40,577 --> 00:27:43,079 so thank you, Pips, for those words. 511 00:27:43,913 --> 00:27:45,665 You know, I've been out to a few protests now, 512 00:27:45,749 --> 00:27:49,586 and it's been-- It's been encouraging to see people of all different colors, 513 00:27:49,669 --> 00:27:54,424 you know, men, women, all different-- Trans-- All different colors out there, 514 00:27:54,507 --> 00:27:59,304 with the-- You know, in solidarity, you know, saying with just one message, 515 00:27:59,387 --> 00:28:00,930 Black Lives Matter. 516 00:28:01,014 --> 00:28:05,185 My grandpar-- My grandmother especially, they were civil rights organizers, 517 00:28:05,268 --> 00:28:09,522 and I knew more about my heritage 518 00:28:09,606 --> 00:28:12,233 before the age of five than most college graduates get. 519 00:28:12,317 --> 00:28:17,238 Like, she was just adamant about making sure I knew who I was in this world. 520 00:28:17,322 --> 00:28:21,951 And I say all of that to say, you know, she gave me so much, 521 00:28:22,035 --> 00:28:24,871 but the thing that I always say is that, you know, 522 00:28:24,954 --> 00:28:30,126 she taught me how to dream, and I'm a living embodiment of that, 523 00:28:30,210 --> 00:28:33,296 but never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined 524 00:28:33,380 --> 00:28:37,092 that I would be in a-- in a place of honor to be standing in front 525 00:28:37,175 --> 00:28:38,968 of the first black president of the United States. 526 00:28:39,052 --> 00:28:41,262 She was literally working toward that moment. 527 00:28:41,971 --> 00:28:45,684 I constantly think about, like, the youth when it comes to, 528 00:28:45,767 --> 00:28:48,812 um, this show and how impactful it is. 529 00:28:48,895 --> 00:28:53,233 Like, even a lot of the followers that I have from the show are, 530 00:28:53,316 --> 00:28:57,028 especially, like, young women, like, young girls. 531 00:28:57,112 --> 00:29:01,199 And so to see the power of a sisterhood, 532 00:29:01,282 --> 00:29:03,743 um, to see the love that women 533 00:29:03,827 --> 00:29:05,995 have for each other and to support each other, 534 00:29:06,079 --> 00:29:09,124 um, to see fighting for a revolution, 535 00:29:09,207 --> 00:29:12,836 to see-- to see all of this strength 536 00:29:12,919 --> 00:29:16,256 with this beautiful and talented and diverse cast onstage, 537 00:29:16,339 --> 00:29:18,967 I just-- I just want the youth to take that 538 00:29:19,050 --> 00:29:22,137 and have it inspire them to do something. 539 00:29:22,220 --> 00:29:24,806 Right, and in the show's format on Broadway, 540 00:29:24,889 --> 00:29:28,268 you could only reach a certain amount and demographic of people, 541 00:29:28,351 --> 00:29:32,188 but with the film release, you can reach a much wider audience. 542 00:29:32,272 --> 00:29:34,524 What kind of impact do you envision that having? 543 00:29:34,607 --> 00:29:38,236 You know, one of the things that we wanted to do in this film 544 00:29:38,319 --> 00:29:39,946 was celebrate our love of theater. 545 00:29:40,030 --> 00:29:44,659 And so to do that, let's capture this story in the envelope 546 00:29:44,743 --> 00:29:46,911 in which it is supposed to exist, which is the theater. 547 00:29:46,995 --> 00:29:48,204 That was the authorial intent. 548 00:29:48,288 --> 00:29:54,044 Lin wrote this show to be performed in front of an audience live, 549 00:29:54,127 --> 00:29:55,420 everybody breathing the same air. 550 00:29:55,503 --> 00:29:57,922 I just think, in a time when it looks like 551 00:29:58,006 --> 00:30:00,383 live theater's not coming back for a long time, 552 00:30:00,467 --> 00:30:05,388 a reminder of how vital live theater can be is... 553 00:30:05,472 --> 00:30:07,724 I'm very grateful that we're in the opportunity, 554 00:30:07,807 --> 00:30:10,018 we have the opportunity to provide that. 555 00:30:10,101 --> 00:30:11,644 When the pandemic hit, 556 00:30:11,728 --> 00:30:13,563 and all of a sudden there was no live performance, 557 00:30:13,646 --> 00:30:16,816 there was no Broadway, there was no touring production of any show, 558 00:30:16,900 --> 00:30:18,360 there were no live concerts, 559 00:30:18,443 --> 00:30:22,364 it felt like there was an opportunity to pull this up 15 months 560 00:30:22,447 --> 00:30:26,743 and let anybody that is missing the experience of what it means to commune, 561 00:30:26,826 --> 00:30:28,953 to sit in the dark with a group of strangers you've never met 562 00:30:29,037 --> 00:30:31,664 and watch a story unfold, which has been happening all the way back 563 00:30:31,748 --> 00:30:33,208 since you used to sit around a campfire. 564 00:30:33,291 --> 00:30:34,668 It's just, this is the campfire now. 565 00:30:34,751 --> 00:30:37,295 ♪ Well, the word got around, they said, "This kid is insane, man" ♪ 566 00:30:37,379 --> 00:30:41,257 ♪ Took up a collection just to send him to the mainland ♪ 567 00:30:41,341 --> 00:30:44,594 And we wanted to do that in a way that lowered the barrier to entry. 568 00:30:44,678 --> 00:30:46,763 Theater's too expensive. There aren't enough theaters 569 00:30:46,846 --> 00:30:49,057 and there aren't enough seats for all the people that want to participate. 570 00:30:49,140 --> 00:30:52,769 But if you put something out in this way, you're giving something to the people 571 00:30:52,852 --> 00:30:55,063 that they might have wanted but didn't have access to, 572 00:30:55,146 --> 00:30:57,482 and again, we have to give more access. 573 00:30:57,816 --> 00:31:01,986 The part that I can't even wrap my mind around, to be honest, 574 00:31:02,070 --> 00:31:06,533 is the fact that we serve this like we're a restaurant most of the time. 575 00:31:06,616 --> 00:31:10,537 We serve it 1,300 people at a time on any given night, 576 00:31:10,620 --> 00:31:15,458 and more people will probably see Hamilton on July third, fourth and fifth 577 00:31:15,542 --> 00:31:18,878 than will have seen it in the previous five years combined. 578 00:31:18,962 --> 00:31:21,631 Um, I can't wrap my mind around that. 579 00:31:22,257 --> 00:31:27,220 We're hopeful that it continues to... 580 00:31:28,555 --> 00:31:31,891 you know, take root in new communities. 581 00:31:31,975 --> 00:31:33,810 I mean, as many places as it's been, 582 00:31:33,893 --> 00:31:36,521 there are new communities that have not had access to it, 583 00:31:36,604 --> 00:31:41,568 and we're really excited about the possibility that, 584 00:31:41,651 --> 00:31:44,029 you know, you know, 585 00:31:44,112 --> 00:31:46,740 the, you know, the black community can really embrace this. 586 00:31:46,823 --> 00:31:50,744 Um, you know, people that don't travel to New York to see theater, necessarily. 587 00:31:50,827 --> 00:31:54,414 People... You know, global reach of this thing beyond 588 00:31:54,497 --> 00:31:58,293 where the show happens to be in town and your ability to afford this ticket. 589 00:31:58,376 --> 00:32:02,756 Um, you know, we really, truly believe that there is a blessing 590 00:32:02,839 --> 00:32:06,176 for all people in this-- in all times, 591 00:32:06,259 --> 00:32:11,097 and we're excited about what it could mean, 592 00:32:11,181 --> 00:32:14,934 you know, on your television in your home. 593 00:32:15,018 --> 00:32:19,314 We're really excited about the ability to bring theater to people that way. 594 00:32:19,397 --> 00:32:22,609 And also, as a reminder for people who have, you know, 595 00:32:22,692 --> 00:32:25,195 have been out there for so many years, right? 596 00:32:25,278 --> 00:32:28,823 It can hopefully maybe be something that they can, uh, turn to 597 00:32:28,907 --> 00:32:32,452 or come back to that, kind of, can reinvigorate that fire in them. 598 00:32:32,535 --> 00:32:35,080 You know? Every now and then when the battery gets low. 599 00:32:35,163 --> 00:32:38,792 All right, all right. That's what I'm talking about! 600 00:32:43,088 --> 00:32:46,466 Thank you, Lin, Tommy, Renée, Leslie, 601 00:32:46,549 --> 00:32:51,388 Daveed, Jasmine, Chris, Phillipa, Anthony and Oak. 602 00:32:51,471 --> 00:32:55,642 And don't forget to stream the Tony Award-winning musical, Hamilton, 603 00:32:55,725 --> 00:32:58,228 exclusively on Disney+. 604 00:32:58,311 --> 00:33:01,981 And thank you all for watching the Zoom where it happened.