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[woman] Favorite number and why.
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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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Oh, man. That changes every time I see it.
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I loved the ones where I don't do much.
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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-I liked, uh...
-[laughs]
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That's what I was waiting on.
Knew he was gonna say that.
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Anything without Lin
is really my favorite.
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Hello and welcome to "The Undefeated
Presents Hamilton In-Depth."
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I'm your host Kelley Carter.
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We're going to be joined today
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by nine of the stars
of the record-breaking musical Hamilton
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as well as director Thomas Kail.
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Very few Broadway shows have had
the massive cultural impact of Hamilton,
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which delves into the life
of one of America's Founding Fathers,
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Alexander Hamilton,
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all set to a hip-hop soundtrack.
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♪ Two Virginians and an immigrant
Walk into a room ♪
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[with company]
♪ Diametrically opposed, foes ♪
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[Kelley] Despite its massive success,
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the show's origins
still had humble beginnings,
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especially when it was presented
to the original cast.
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You know, we really wanted to, sort of,
lay claim to this story
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and provide-- and just really get
on the board in terms of musical theater,
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in terms of representation,
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in terms of what it means for us
to tell the story of these flawed people
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who created a flawed country
with ideals worth chasing
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to which we have fallen short
for 200-some-odd years.
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[man] Lin said, "Hey, I have this idea."
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And I said, "Okay, great. How can I help?"
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You know, and then we just made the thing.
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So we were gonna do this this way
no matter what.
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And if somebody didn't wanna
get on board with that,
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then they weren't gonna participate.
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But it was never a question
from anyone involved with the production,
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our producers on down,
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that it would be anything else but this.
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My particular story with the show
is unique,
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because I had seen it.
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I had seen the very first reading
of The Hamilton Mixtape in Poughkeepsie.
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And so I scored the very last
folding chair in the very last row
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to see what was then The Hamilton--
the first act of Hamilton,
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then called The Hamilton Mixtape.
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So I knew what I was being invited into
when he sent me that e-mail,
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and I just made it my business
to hold on for dear life.
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I just-- I never wanted him to replace me.
Because I knew--
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I didn't know that America would feel
the way it did,
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but I knew what I felt about it.
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It was just the boldest, freshest, most
literate, exciting thing I'd ever seen.
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It's funny, 'cause when we were watching
the film on our computer the other day,
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my husband said, "Remember when
you didn't wanna go to this audition?"
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[all laughing]
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I mean, it's just one of those things,
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like, where could I hide in the world
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if I had not ended up going
and at least trying my hand at it?
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But I went to the audition,
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which is where I met Lin and Tommy
and Alex Lacamoire and the creative team,
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and, um, fortunately
they called me before I made it home
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to tell me
that I was gonna get to do the workshop.
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And, like Leslie, I held on for dear life.
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And I'm still holding on.
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I was onstage doing a performance
of In the Heights when Lin--
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Look, there was a moment
in the show where--
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where our characters go upstage
and we're in Usnavi's bodega,
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and he said, "So I got my next thing."
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And I was like, "Great."
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And then my next thought was,
"What am I gonna do in it?"
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-But-- But before I could get to it...
-[laughing]
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...the time had come for us,
in the middle of the show,
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to go out and perform the number "96,000."
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So the conversation was pretty--
it was abbreviated.
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Um, we hadn't, you know,
just because we'd just had--
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we hadn't had an opportunity
to continue the conversation.
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But Tommy walked up to me a few days later
at another show before the performance,
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he's like, "So, what's up, G-dubbs?"
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-And I was like, "What-- Huh? What?"
-[laughs]
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And he's like, "George Washington.
Lin told you about the thing."
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And I was like, "Sort of. What do I do?
What do you-- Uh, what?"
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I had no idea what was going on.
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I was also sort of onstage.
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We were-- A band that we're both in
called "Freestyle Love Supreme"
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was, uh, performing down in New Orleans
when the Super Bowl was there.
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So we're, like, rapping live on ESPN
about sports celebrities,
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and, uh, Tommy Kail comes up to me
and says,
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"Hey, uh, Lin's working on this new show.
It's a rap show about Alexander Hamilton."
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And I said, "That's a terrible idea."
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Uh... and he said, "Do you wanna come do
this reading of it?"
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And I said, "Are you gonna pay me?"
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-And he said, "Yes." And so I did.
-[Christopher laughing]
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I had just come back off
from being a singer on a cruise ship,
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doing Saturday Night Fever, the musical,
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and, uh, I went and auditioned
for a show that I wasn't right for.
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And the same casting director
was casting Hamilton.
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And they were like,
"You ain't right for this,
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but you should come in for this thing
called Hamilton's Mixtape."
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And I, um, did four auditions
for the show.
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Um, and-- And, uh, yeah.
And then it was great.
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And I-- Then they cast me.
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It was kinda crazy.
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I wasn't in the musical theater world
at all.
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So it was all, um, very new to me.
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And I did about three or four auditions,
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and Alex Lacamoire, he wrote
just Peggy's lines on a napkin,
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and, um, taught it to me
in my second callback.
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Tommy had, uh, invited me to join them
in a reading of Act 2 of Hamilton--
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Hamilton Mixtape, at the moment--
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um, and that was the first time
I had heard the music
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and worked with those guys,
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and I was blown away.
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♪ But just you wait ♪
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♪ Just you wait ♪
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♪ When he was ten his father split
Full of it, debt-ridden ♪
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♪ Two years later
See Alex and his mother bedridden ♪
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♪ Half dead... ♪
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My first instinct for Hamilton
was as an immigrant narrative.
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The thing that hooked me
into the story was
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this was a kid
who grew up in the Caribbean
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and wrote his way to an education
at a very young age,
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which my father did from Puerto Rico
at 18.
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And if there is one thing I know
that is true,
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it's that if you come to this country
from somewhere else,
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you have to work four times as hard
to get half as far.
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And Hamilton certainly meets
that threshold.
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Um, and so that was the way in which--
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That was my way
into this story that had never--
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I don't remember anything
from history class in high school.
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Like, it-- it just had never
grabbed me before.
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But because Hamilton was
the protoimmigrant among the founders,
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that's how I found my way in.
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What were your reactions
to the concept of Hamilton?
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Because it was unlike something
that we'd ever seen before on Broadway.
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For me, it was always just music.
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It was literally
just listening to the music.
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That's how I understood the show.
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And I was so moved by that
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that there was a point where, actually,
I was not gonna be Hercules Mulligan,
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and I reached out to Tommy and Lin,
and I said,
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"I've never read or done
anything like this before,
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so just so y'all know,
I'm down when y'all get it together.
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I'm ready. I wanna do this."
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Um, that was-- I'd never been so moved by,
just, something-- listening--
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I didn't know anyone. Just off
the strength of, literally, the material.
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When I came to the show,
or, like, when I was auditioning,
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I was listening to-- to Phillipa's voice.
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And I got to listen to her sing the songs
and Leslie sing "Wait For It."
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And, you know, it was incredible
to be able to, you know, to be cast,
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and then, um,
and then hear it in real time.
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It's the music, the music.
That's the pulse of the show.
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There's no dialogue in the whole show.
It's just music.
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I think what's, I think, so mind-blowing
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is that something that's genius
could get better.
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It's still surprising.
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Like, even before I got to see this movie,
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I was, you know-- I've said to them,
"I'm bringing my hopes down.
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We can't assume just because
everything else has been so great
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that this is going to be great.
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That's just-- That's crazy, right?
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I'm just gonna bring my hopes down
and see what happens, you know?"
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And, um, that really started from,
like, this kind of-- the first--
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My first encounter with it
was Lin's demo of "Satisfied."
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[company]
♪ To the Union, to the revolution ♪
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-♪ And the hope that you provide ♪
-[company] ♪ You provide ♪
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-♪ And may you always ♪
-♪ Always ♪
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♪ Be satisfied ♪
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♪ Rewind ♪
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♪ Rewind, rewind ♪
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[Renée]
I'm like, "Yes! This is music theater.
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This is music theater.
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It is it right now.
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This music is what
should be telling our story."
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And I just-- You know--
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I-If it never got any better than that,
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I would've stayed for five years,
ten years, whatever.
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And the crazy thing
is that it kept getting better.
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I think for me
it goes all the way back to...
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um, you know, we're talking about
the developmental days,
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where we were in these workshops.
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And, um, I remember
we put the first act on its feet.
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And because of time,
we just couldn't get to the second act,
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so we decided to just do it
behind music stands,
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and even then,
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not doing anything except sitting there
and saying the words, singing the words,
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the air in the room changed.
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And I think
we were all aware at that point,
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especially because we were, kind of,
hearing it as a whole,
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um, at least for me, at that-- I was like,
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"Ooh, this is, um, this is magical.
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And I think it'll...
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Something will happen, and I won't be able
to process it until after it's over."
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00:09:47,295 --> 00:09:52,258
You know, sitting there
when Lin couldn't find, like, an ending,
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the ending that he wanted...
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Oh, yeah. I forgot.
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...and he writes, like, that whole rap,
and it's a cappella.
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Right.
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00:10:00,684 --> 00:10:04,688
And it's all those moments,
where you're thinking--
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just like you said, Renée,
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00:10:05,980 --> 00:10:09,567
"It can't get better. It can't get better.
It can't possibly get better."
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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"
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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"--
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00:10:49,065 --> 00:10:54,237
I had never in my life seen
four men of color onstage
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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.
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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.