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Leslie Odom Jr., Original Cast Member of Hamilton

Published on01 JUL 2020
Topic:
COVID-19 Making Progress Towards Racial Equity

In this episode of Talks at GS, Leslie Odom Jr. discusses the role that the arts play in the current conversation around racial equity, the release of Hamilton as a film, and the continuing cultural relevance of the story of the musical since its 2015 Broadway debut.

On releasing Hamilton as a film amid the pandemic: “I always envisioned that we would get to celebrate this thing we made together – that we'd get to be amongst each other… And we won't have that experience, but we'll get something even greater than that, which is that we get to stand in the gap right now for theater… Hamilton means a lot to a lot of people, not just us. We get to give people that at a really trying time.”

On the role of Hamilton in the conversation on racial equity: “We stand in the gap, as people might not have a person that is dear to them that looks like me. And so, sometimes we're those people for them… And that's a powerful thing. It's a powerful thing that those are the images that are coming into their home. And I certainly am very proud of that representation.”

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