Conversations on Broadway: HAMILTON

good afternoon how excited you Hamilton is in the house [Applause] okay lin-manuel Miranda's Pulitzer prize-winning musical masterpiece Hamilton has gone on to win 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical and every other conceivable theater award it is that you know it it is the hottest ticket to get your hands on in New York and on the road in Chicago by next year there will be four major productions running in the United States and London and we are honored to have the stars of the Broadway production here with us today so please welcome Xavier muñoz who plays Alexander Hamilton Mandy Gonzalez who plays Angelica Schuyler James Monroe Engelhard who plays Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson and Bryan Terrell Clark who plays George Washington but stars of Hamilton I have to tell you we have had the best time upstairs in the green room haven't we oh my Guardians are overhanging and doing all the craziest job right yeah playing with our phones listed photos hi there thank you so much welcome thank you for being here today glad to be here what a pleasure to have all of you here Hamilton is a worldwide juggernaut you are all phenomenal in these roles so my first question is what is it like living in the world of Hamilton and the genius of lin-manuel Miranda well okay that's a long adequate yeah big question um the the the genius living in the genius for me every now every night of the show itself is how the I'm after all this time it's almost two and a half years I've been with the show since the public and I'm still making discoveries that there are layer there's layer upon layer upon layer of character information relationship information historical information things that are specifically relevant to us now that that is constantly changing and evolving and becoming and lines become or lines lyrics suddenly have new weight so so I feel like the genius is is how is the depth of it and but living in the in the mind of Lin instead of working with them in the way that I specifically do it's it's like no other working relationship I've ever had in my life and it takes great humility and trust between both of us to be able to share the creation of a role together and and and and not just sort of just sort of gently do that together and make it keep it creative keep it nourishing and keep it productive and so it's it's unlike anything I've ever ever ever experienced before um I agree I think the thing that really sticks out for me is the the connection that the show Hamilton has that Lim has with people and how that continued every night and you see it somebody new falls in love with Lin's lyrics and and the piece and and I think for me that's that's the biggest thing because every night before the show even starts when the lights go down the audience is just waiting and cheering and when javi says Alexander Hamilton I mean it's just it's thunderous and I've never been part of something like that and and to be on this journey with my friends that I've known for so long I think it's really a testament to Tommy Cale to lend to Alex to all the people that we've known throughout our time in the business and the loyalty that they have and for me that's um that's a part of the love that that I'm able to express every night um it's it's wonderful for me because I'm brand-new yeah like I've literally like tonight will be my fourth week imago um but it's been fun for me because I was there at the beginning beginning at the original concert at Lincoln Center so Mandy and I so to watch it go from there to here you can just feel the passion that Lynne had for it and the passion is still there it mean it come every time when the lights come with lights go down lights come up you can feel the audience just feels the passion but also love the intelligence of it like everything is there for a reason every lyric is there for reason every damn step is there for a reason every action is an act of creation babe you know it's amazing to to be a part of it and then when you're watching it it's one thing but when you're in it you just like you're like oh my god cuz you can see the infrastructure you like you're looking around like oh my god this is like one of those perfectly built things I've ever been a part of so yeah it's kind of fun just to be a part of it every night to watch the different levels of the infrastructure that they that the guys put together it's it's honestly like being strapped to a rocket I mean I feel like I'm in a 90's boy band it's like it's like you know what I mean like this is the height of theater right it's it's not just the height of the commercial but it's the height of the work itself right so you know I'm new to the show I joined in January and I'm also new to being introduced to this team I had never worked with these guys before and it is I won't even talk about the commercial success it is an actor's dream um I often compare this work to working with Shakespeare texts it's one of those things where as a performer you have to rise to the occasion in this work and you can allow the work to move through you and at the same time you have to bring yourself to the work it's like being at the front of like a comet in a strange way if you if you're ever to back on your heels the show doesn't allow you to be that way it'll run you over and to be able to come in eight times a week and to be able to have the depth of relationship and the depth of character in a musical which doesn't often happen to have the depth of relationship and the depth of character in a musical is a gift so aside from the commercial success of what we're doing the work itself is beyond rewarding and to do a show after this it's like good luck it'll be talked about who has the longest history James you're the newest any of you going together all the going you know I've been with it yeah right after the concert that you know you guys did I joined the processer 2012 all the way through to now well let's talk about the Public Theater because some of us had the honor of seeing this down at the Public Theater knowing it was special but not really knowing what it was yet and being totally blown away and walking out of a theatre that day saying wow lin-manuel has totally reinvented the musical theater and what did I just see and can I go back again right but I think that's exactly what we were saying yeah totally yeah cast every day was what what are we a part of and what just happened you know because every day was that kind of discovery but it I'm so grateful for that time because it was such like this a very intimate space and so we had you know it's a live conversation obviously every night and you can still feel that even in the Richard Rogers it still feels like everyone's right here but the the public and having the time that we have there to really feel and read and even see because I could even see all the way to the back and not whereas at the Richard Rogers I've got like two rows and then it's darkness so to really have that intimate conversation was so informative about what these moments meant what they needed and all those discoveries and and just you know the breadth of the audience's are specifically feeling to awe because it was it was it was tangible I don't know that that was that was the most exquisite lab to to dig and discover what was there yeah well let's talk about what you eat remember about your first performance on stage and Hamilton and what made it so magical that night I think I remember I guess I remember just seeing javi before we started the before the show started and just feeling like I was on stage as my family I've known hobby since our first time within the heights and right through the height yes and to really he's the first he's the last person I see I guess before I go on stage and so just to connect with him and go wow this is so great and look look where we are it was really fantastic so my first night you know your first night it's always you feel a little bit like a bullet that just kind of goes and then you're like did it happen I don't know that I did I do it um and and especially if you're coming into to a show like this you really just have to kind of hold on and and go with it and know that if you're in the wrong place somebody's going to you know push you to the right one so there was a level of trust but I just remember that seeing hobby that first day and just going yes again on a turntable now yeah let's do it yeah right you can do it this is close another story terrible right exactly everybody else what's remember about that first we absolute excitement and panic and for a couple reasons one because you know you're brand new you're coming on to the show - you're coming in to a show that your friends made it's different if your when you walk into an audition you don't know the people behind the table you just audition they're your boss you keep stepping these brothers are my boss but they're also my friends these are dudes that we like we text on like days that are not Christmas we just take this card like a bro what you doing and so to have have some of those brothers out there you're like oh god please don't mess up and also the way we're on the air fans this is the first I mean I've been in other shows that where the fans know the music I've been other shows with the fans know two big songs they know the two big songs of that other shop but this one the fans know every single lyric everybody here just to write and like right yeah and so like the last thing you well the last thing you want to do is you know figure I'm taking this much but oh oh no what is it I have somebody go rain you know you just so it was fear and panic but as it was happening I was having a good time with a great thing about it was right before I left I before went on stage this man hugged me this man hugged me and this one tells he goes dude you are here you I'm so glad you're here I'm like I'm happy to say things so what I walked onstage you know people like wow you look so calm I'm like thank God cuz you that song hurricane that's how I felt like in the eye of a hurricane so but if once we battled like I did it whoa okay you I echo what everybody else is I'll never replace the person in the show before it is uh terrifying is not even the word I mean you just you just feel like oh oh god I hope I don't mess up but more importantly and we're the greater fear comes the Goliath of fear comes in is I don't want to mess anybody up so they've been doing this thing for years and here I come you know I mean sorry I tripped you on the turntable that's gonna keep moving you know I just I just didn't I just didn't want to die and I didn't want anyone else to die but the you know it's it my first night you know was the night that I'll never forget um it was life-changing it's still emotional to kind of talk about my first night as General George Washington President George Washington was the last night that Barack Obama was giving his speech his one last time speech in Chicago and we all have these amazing kind of like stories in our career where these serendipitous moments happen but I cannot talk about this one enough because it really was a gift from God I was walking down you know saying the words of George Washington's actual final address as Barack Obama was giving his one last time address in Chicago and physically what started to happen was the most moving powerful moment I've ever had but also the most terrifying as a performer I did not have that Audra McDonald pretty cry I don't have that like here falls and my voice is still clear I've got that like Viola Davis Noddy you know and on film you can kind of control it because you can kind of go okay keep going keep going and you know you wipe and then it's like the dens Oprah we're just trying to sing and your hands are shaking and your chest is shaking you know it was terrifying but I don't know how it went um everybody said every you got a standing ovation it was it was terrifying but it was one of the most powerful magical gifts a performer could ever have other than Barack Obama being there in that moment giving his speech with me um which is impossible so it was it was it was vaginal tissue you never know what he'll but um yeah was a life-changing experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life well that was my experience my first show was for President Obama no pressure that's right brush go out and do the thing hobby yep so yeah it was amazing it was absolutely thrilling and amazing but I had no nerves the night before I slept like a baby I got up security didn't believe that I was in the show I brought a playbill matched it with my IDs he would let me through and then I finally get into the theater it's so thrilling and exciting you know you're getting patted down and it's like this is crazy our presidents here to see our show and and it was it was total fire and then that night I got home and could not sleep after the show I just laid in bed with eyes wide open like what just happened so I don't love you try to get to the theater like he'll they men welcomed it literally he was give me a dead look like okay one jenkin playbill yeah I D I'm the guy thank you because I'm sure there were many people would try to get back to whatever feeling that well you know that would have been an awesome story Hamilton was able to go on today because Xavier was not allowed to get into the building security was that tight you all inhabit these roles so beautifully you become them heart and soul what unlocked these roles for each of you what unlocked these roles you know he's still being unlocked uh you know I've been really really a blessed to play real people a few times in my career I played Marvin Gaye in Motown and that was in power 'full experience and I've told the story before to I hope she doesn't kill me because I keep telling you me and javi just talked about this messy long ago but um Sharon Stone came to see Motown he and uh she is a she is a powerful force um as a person and she you know we were all talking and we meet people all the time and it's great and then she goes it's to come over here I need to talk to you huh and she gets like this close to my face I mean it's shared style and she goes you know as you're working it's like I see Marvin's spirit just like hovering around you do you feel that sometimes and I'm like yeah yeah I feel Marvin spirit and she goes and your work is amazing I can tell all the work you've done you're such a you're such a fine actor but I just want you to allow him to possess you and she's like don't worry don't worry your your fear is that he'll leave I mean he won't leave but he'll leave early and I thought to myself oh my god I can't let Marvin Gaye possess my astral body okay and I bring up this story because I think I think you know I'm such an 8 i personality I'm one of those people that like when I work it's like a very specific way of working and like you know me and javi chuckle talk a lot about process in that way but there is something every now and then every now and then too playing real people when you just kind of the work has been done and you get out of your way there is some times when you allow yourself you can feel the presence in a way and I'll just say it this way not to freak anybody out but like you know I can be really really serious and and all that kind of stuff but I'm a pretty goofy guy and there is a weight to Washington that if you know me and you see me in the show it's a different thing it's a different it's a different energy it's a different he lives in his body in a different way than I do and I don't think I thought about any of that stuff I was just like let's get these lyrics and let's do enough history research that the moment that I'm having onstage at least I'm informed about and then let's go out there and rock it but there is something that takes over in this show when you allow it to that is the strength of one of the greatest leaders to ever exist and I feel that in this role playing Washington um because because I'm so new I'm still I'm still finding things I mean every night I'm finding things and because they're two totally different characters you know Lafayette was was like Hamilton he was 19 when he got to you know America the first time and you know Benjamin Franklin is the one that said hey this is the guy you should look at so with him it's always kind of fun to try to find this character who doesn't really speak the language but it's following these guys who speak so well and so it's kind of fun to kind of inhabit that but with Thomas Jefferson there is a swagger to Thomas Jefferson and a southern nobility to Thomas Jefferson that he already knew who he was when he met these guys and it's kind of fun at least an hour narrative to sometimes play the villain now in history there are no heroes there are no villains there are history and people's opinions that in our show Hamilton is our hero and we're going for that but it is fun to play the quote-unquote villain but what's funny is the more I read Jefferson's stuff and the more I play his role the more I agree with him the more I'm like no you're wrong you're wrong Hamels and everything you're saying is that's wrong and it's fun to feel that every night and how he gives it to me every night when I look at it with me I'm no happy for a long time I always want to work with them never thought we'd work as adversaries so when I look at him I'm like that's my boy but you're wrong everything you're saying is just wrong and it's just fun to kind of do that and get it out and yet you just you literally inhabit what this man was talking about it's fun and there's little things there's little things in the show and in his role that cracked me up that in what I miss he mentioned Sally and we have everybody knows Sally was with a black girl oh wait look who's here Brad randon victor dixon ladies and gentlemen hello brother the dices no it's fine because when I look at Sally I have this amazing this amazing history of his relationship with Sally like some people don't catch it that what he says but it's great I love it it's fun I love this man what answer the question what let's catch him up Oh should I'm gonna catch you up should I go for it dolly oh alright alright I'll I think that uh what connected me so much with Angelica and how my life has changed since plane Nina Rosario Elphaba the fighters that just wanted to to get get further I think is that I became a mother I had my daughter about five years ago and that changed everything for me and it changed so many things for me as a person but also in the business and having to fight my way back into the business as a woman as a mother what that's like and I find that Angelica has those those same qualities as a fighter you know in history books women aren't often mentioned but she made sure that she was talked about because she wrote those letters and it's because she she had a voice and she wanted to have a voice and she also wanted to have a family and have duty and to have loyalty to her sisters so I think that the way that I connect with Angelica is is through that and and so I understand the sacrifice that that she has to make for the good of her family for the good of for the good of everything so and I understand the fight of wanting to be heard because I feel like we all kind of have to do that in some way beautiful hobby for you what unlock the role for you I remember specifically because the process with Lynn was such that that it was more about observing what Lynn was doing what Tommy was directing and then putting my two cents on the scene and and I didn't I didn't get a lot of time in the room to have my normal process of like really digging so that a lot of that was homework at home bringing it in and just constantly trying to navigate between what's being asked for by Tommy and Andy and Alex what Lin is executing and how I can add what I'd like to add to what's happening and marry those things right so that was the the bulk of the work but it wasn't until we had a for the Broadway production we had our first run-through for the producers and Lynn was going to watch and I was going to do Hamilton and it was the first time I was exhausted I was absolutely exhausted that particular day and and I and I don't think I had a heads up I think I found out when I got to the studio that I would be doing it so it wasn't like a lot of prep that I could get my mind around her so like okay jump in do the thing so there but because of that there I didn't I didn't get get time to get trapped in my head I didn't have time to think about it and although all the things your mind can sort of do to block you from the experience right so I just have to jump in and it was that was the the run-through that I understood he's just a human being instead of trying to play the history instead of trying to play the the what when I was observing to be so magnificent and enormous I just finally discovered a human being who's so flawed completely flawed and I fell in love with it in that in that run-through was was embracing how ugly he could be as well as powerful and beautiful and and and the power of the ugliness too and and it was it was finally the moment where I just embraced him fully his life his dark and and it just became the truth from the truthful place in which I told the story beautiful Brandon it's sort of a double question it was first of all you're all phenomenal I said in the roles you've inhabited in this show you were phenomenal Aaron Burr what unlocked this role for you and what you remember about your performance on stage that first time oh no what a lot uh the role for me what unlocked the show for me was just the writing that the composition of the hold of the structure of it because when I I mean when if the opportunity first came to me I didn't uh you know I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to do it so my kin of my agents were kind of negotiating the contract and I I wasn't kind of on the fence about it but I started to listen to the material because I was like if you do say yes you're going to be doing it tomorrow so doctor start to learn it and you know the more I the more I started to just hear it and my brain began to go because when you get it's funny like sometimes people think you get something that's fantastic and they're like oh was it intimidating or you scared it's like no you you are desperate for the great material even like that's I'm not this marginal stuff that you get all the time like you have to work hard are you to figure out how to make that thing but this was just like oh my god I can play everywhere because it's that wonderful is that rich and so I mean so the material was little wrote that's what unlocked it for me I just because and then in the middle of negotiate all them know at some point I made a final offer I said no and I was like but imma hear from them in like six eight hours they don't have much time and like that day went by and I think I kind of want to do it and then they called it was all good um but it was the material that unlocked it for me I mean this this just roll in particular and this show flowed through me very easily I learned it in about two weeks and it all just it all just has flowed very easily for me I've connected to it very quickly my first performance the thing that I remember the most was the sweating ha ha ha and the level of awareness because I you know we learned it in a room I mean - Mandy we learn in a room without a friend without a turntable I think it's the rehearsal Chicago cast so I think it started before it so you know you're walking around and you're doing things and you have your put in but suddenly like the life in the sound and you just like don't get kicked in the head okay and the most and so and I butchered I I mean I made my probably my worst mistake to date my first show and so but I but I remember my first thought was after it passed by because you can't do anything about it just happens and it's gone um I was like okay I know the rabid fan base is going to crucify me I'm gonna go put this online immediately so that I went I recorded my mistake and and then it turned out that everybody loves that I make mistakes now so I record whenever I make this thing but I made my largest most obvious mistake that first ship it's called birth corner and we love it all right well let's get into that because I understand that the Hamilton cast is ruthless when it comes to mistakes am i right oh yeah um not rude I have never I've always wanted to work with everybody there's on the stage and I have known Brandon Victor Dixon just in passing four years since Memphis and I have never met anyone who when you mess up he won't smile but he has a side look that lets you know he knows that you and and the look that you mess up the look this you don't know what you do so and the great part is it's like a movie like most stages or most stages are straight for now we have a turntable so I can see him go by like you are you standstill like hey but it's awesome it's so great because he's so great you all just that moment ago you know get in the weeds and hamilton-smith karma is tricky on the show every single time that I burst out laughing backstage at someone who has forgotten a line or messed up a line as soon as I get on stage thought about something up so now when someone messes up I go okay please do it nothing okay great laughs right don't try and fix it Brown just stop today just cabinet meeting I don't that was a good one anybody that was a good one I was like I mess up I don't like I we have a friendship bond in the show right oh I laugh at Javon because his dad is but he picks fair and so he's get so there was a time before I got a saw I was in rehearsal and injure vomit like listen man well he's more native you know listen man it's like I can't do it listen man um so listen um I messed up one night and I just thought of scatting I was like what about and I just lost myself I'm never gonna scare em polina and I heard Chris would just make up words like in rhythm just oh yeah that's not me all right because it's your to a click track there's no stopping and going oh let me just think about you just kind of have to go oh and in my brain for some reason just pops it out so in its rear why I forgot one word oh my god was one word and then it's always like what it's mess up the whole sentence so when I got to the word I just stopped I look at in like he's looking at me and I said Jefferson you have the book give it all you did it so good because the rhyme it just kind of slowed down oh but you kept on beat but it was like when you it's a room where it happens I came in as they sing they're supposed to say Thomas claim Alexander wasn't I came in on Alec Thomas claim was on Alexander's was their queen two three what like Alexander was the ball shootin dope do one day right back on the beginner he was great could be we played during the during the during the Washington washing on your side the one thing the saintly one night is I do freestyle with freestyle Love Supreme I don't know what I said but I said a word that rhymed as it was supposed to and I get out station she was like that was nice it actually made sense dude he's not one with Leandro but that was good Vaughn hobby had you in his hat I have them all the time all the damn time the best most recent one was my dears Angelica tomorrow and tomorrow a generation to today I thought it was the mic no it was it was because I played it off my brain went off oh yes I put my head down and I was like just give it a minute you go do like cross-faded in like if I thought oh my god I don't know a professional screwer upper amongst us actors we call it the white room what happens if you ever seen the matrix is that room that like has no doors yes or what - literally I could be looking at Brandon and all of a sudden I'm in a white room but I'm looking for the handle I'm like where the hell rosado's let me out I mean my dental plan can't freak out you freak out you won't find it but if you go numb if you just divert all energy from your body then like your body might take over and might just do it that's tricky it was different partners if you're acting partners are good yes they can see you at the white room and they would do their best to get you out and javi one day javi I went in white room during a cabinet battle and I turned and I looked at javi um and he knew I was in the white room he saw it happen but he couldn't get me out so he's insane me they look he gave me this look like I can't save you I've no time that's water lily logo other day late I'm sorry man in any other show you can save the person in this so it's too fast oh good is your one of you double admit to messing up the modes for having the most mishaps no one keeps it backstage like what Harvey did hairspray was like to do there was the wall of like missing shows and your head shot went up hey ray we should do that totally dude oh my god oh my god I'm not amazed that we were talking about hairspray Harvey had like the whole wall with like all these people that this shows you walk up when you sign it is all on the wall oh we're absolutely not doing this I'm learning this show is a car karma in this show is tricky so we have a couple we have a couple and you know as Broadway should be you know some of us who've been in it for a little while try to school these youngins yeah so we had you know we have a couple great young I'm a younger don't talk about in general like it for mentorship rights okay so me and Brandon will work you know kind of getting on one of the younger cast members uh because he was he was out a lot and so we started just throwing random things out you cannot call out unless you were over 27 years old got on stage with the flu had a broken ankle ankle had a sing a high C from you know the highest point of the stage then you can call out let's you been alpha by another for a little bit you got to learn how to suffer and again remember you got to build up that and you'll sniffling broken up damn throw on some fabric and go so we were like talking about like these kids missing shows and then like two weeks after that I got like this crazy sinus thing and it took me out and I was like see this is what happened that's why I don't make fun of anybody sick and I don't make fun of anybody missing worries you know people did that to us when we were like we were coming up people get it you know I remember while we all know all that no but Priscilla Lopez she never missed a show and in the heights that first year and this exam you have to be an example for community in that way it's true so young kids watching don't miss shows don't lurk you'll learn to get through it the fun part is when you're in this business long enough you learn to get through and you learn oh yeah okay yes I have a cold I can think through it I again I can tell you can't you can't sometimes you can sometimes the great part is there's a bunch of folks on vacation you're like I like to call oboe ponds let it go okay well I guess we going off yeah you just have to go yeah you know Lynne reinvented the world of musical theater with Hamilton I would assume this was a challenging show to learn for some of you Brandon you said you got it right away you were able to learn the show right away did everybody know actually and that and even being with the process for so long because there were so many tweaks and changes through the through the version diversion diversion and whole songs cut or pieces of songs put into other pieces of those songs and that that I mean even Lynwood would but linen.i that first year would would drop the same lyrics in the same moments because it was like oh man which version is this this is my shot 2.0 right so like alright it's that first you know I mean and so it was it was like too much information um when I saw Hamilton at the public and the soundtrack came out I was like when I thought at the public I was like I want to be in the show I want to do this so I was doing a lot of concerts a lot of traveling a lot of airplane rides got some bonus miles which was amazing but um but I would listen to that soundtracks um every time I would go through turbo turbulence and just go and focus on the lyrics so by the time that I got the call that they wanted me to come into the show I was I felt ready but when I started to work on satisfied I realized that there were certain words that I learned from the soundtrack that I it's kind of like when you were a kid and I would learn I learned guilty feet have got of but I would say like filthy see it is god no rhythm it's like I learned it just how I thought it was so I realized that I was seeing a lot of the wrong lyrics so so I had some sessions that I had to kind of get out of that that fan stage of like I love the song and it's like oh no this doesn't make sense it's like you're saying the wrong words so it did it did take some time working with Alex and really finding finding her voice so to take time that I what's funny is I I have a soundtrack as well and I knew all of laughing and Jefferson stuff I knew it all and I'm so used to being in a show where you just know your songs this show is an ensemble piece everybody sings everything from the moment burr walks out we all sing we all say go man about that - well I was a method on how you singing the background to your own bone whether you should have stopped that along out there I was angry I was a member so I didn't know I didn't know the other song so what took the most was learning on everybody all those other 28 songs within the show like I knew my three like I know what I'm doing it's a muffin but if no I mean it to me I feel like I'm still learning it because it splint though it's one of the things where Brandon told me it's the first week but it's one of the things where I learned the show pretty quickly pretty easy like a material just like it's stuck right but then when you're doing the show the moment you like really feel like you know it and you relaxed is the moment stuff happening so they're so I do i do right-hand man but from the end of my shot I walk offstage and I start my right-hand man and I go all the way under the stage and I'm still doing it and I get changed and then when I'm done I've already performed that song before I get on stage and performance and I do it every performance know exactly what I miss from the time I come down from my dressing room I do what I've missed come down and by the time I'm up on the steps to go down I have performed the song already sign know what I'm saying I mean right before cousin you don't if you don't it just right before our literally think on standby and the light went off and I ran up how does the bastard orphan a and I dropped your seasoning Donald's like some of the whoredom thank you you forget one word you know roll every burr that desperation gets real I literally at one point right before a same song y'all give me a title but farmer refuted that happens too I don't remember anything I went into stage management like amber was my third lyric once my third layer she opened the book to give me my third lyric I would done yeah yes am i wait I'm the only person who's missed an entrance right you missed an entrance oh yeah yes he did straight up man I pissed my shorts waiting for you wow I'm so it's when you're doing but the after the king so how does the bastard open up short how does a short-tempered Brody and creator of a Coast Guard and the scene right before what is it what do we just finish right hand one last time we just finished one my son so you have like a little break but it's not a real break and I was in stage management stretching my cast and saying something dumb and flirting with Alicia and and then we're all talking and then immediately like it's something we all like the part starts and we all immediately shut up and we're like and ever goes go hey and so I like I walked calmly because I had to figure out where I was in the song I don't just say stuff figure out where you are it's like how does Hamilton the short-tempered protti and creator of a Coast Guard so this is how to stage manager stage management hall backstage backstage welcome folks to the Adams administration I remember I walk on I walked on stage for welcome folks to the Adams administration and we were just in a fierce instrumental for like a bar I'll fear good wide-eyed you get a business that is the one place to miss it because it's not nobody else is doing anything else nothing happening and all time I was I was late for one I was trying to help Oh always trying to help so that all I wanted to do so the time I don't start and we are in the middle of the opening number and Hamilton comes down the stairs and I've you know I run off stage right and the monitors that day we're not on all right now only like me and like one other chance member noticed that we had no conductor mom John Surratt not everybody else was just like join the number so I'm running assays mention we don't have Mother's we don't have monitors we're starting the show we don't have monitors we don't put and all of a sudden I hear me I died for him my next line is me I trusted him I'm at the bottom of the way I read mothers we meet I back and I'm running out with the cries I am int the cross for me and then and I'm watching you have like fast moments in life moving slow motion the light was coming on my spot so I saw it look it look like this and I said I'm literally diving into my life me and Mandy is just across from me [Laughter] [Applause] an American but I made it you made it debate it that is perfect Hamilton has the most loyal and intense fans a lot of them are here today look here for the Hamilton what is each of your favorite fan moments that you've had the fans I know what I have one um it was my literally the Tuesday of my second week there was a young girl she walked her to me she says hi this is my little sister we're both from France my little sister she just flew in today she doesn't speak English but she knows the show phonetically and she saw the show hi and she loved you she goes do you speak French and I was like no I just just do the accent she goes oh because she thought did she did it so well that you know she thinks you speak French but she wants to do something for you and she did all of guns and ships in her little tiny that she's literally no more than like nine years old her little French accent very tiny voice she just speakings to go you know I'm thinking just once but I think I was like and I got it on video I mean so many videotapes of me listening to it they put it on Instagram and it was if you check my Instagram I literally was like so shocked that she number one learned the show phonetically and watched the show only knowing it from what she had heard on the CD and then wanted to meet me and then did that so I think that just totally blew me away I was like okay these friends are this is a whole different thing and it was just so much fun it was so cool I'm going to take a cheat on this answer and say instead of like a moment I'm going to say sort of an umbrella category of things is is that the the amount of times that we've had fans come who are facing a terminal illness who are facing depression or facing some major thing in their life and this show has inspired them to keep going to face whatever the day is bringing for them and they'll send a tweet they'll send a post so they'll come at the theater and send a letter or note or something and it's those moments that that it's besides all the excitement that audiences have to come see the show it's those moments that it's so much bigger than us and so much more important than we even realize and so I know it's not quite what you ask but no it's perfect yes so I know a lot of people who were just like I really want to see Hamilton I've listened to the cast album I know this whole thing's going to changed my life and just helped me get through my life so that's a perfect answer yeah just to piggyback on that I had a young man hit me up who who had taken out a loan they were going through a little bit of a financial crisis pleasure and he took out a loan for his his wife and his daughter to come to the show because his daughter had been bullied for the last two years in the school that she was in before and it was so bad that she's on medication because of it now and meeting meeting them reminded me about why we do the work and that there's purpose beyond the actual arm just activity of the work I used to think that my purpose was connected to acting and singing and writing but I realized that's just the vehicle so that the real work can begin and meeting meeting her that was the first time I experienced what ha be talking about who this show we have tons of stories like this but that was my first and that's when I realized how special this show really is because that happens with this show the letters that I received the way that people want to connect and how they feel connected it's so important and it's completely changed my life and how I when I reach out and I'm just completely moved by people that that write in letters that make me pictures that I put up in the hallway and they'll write and they'll say I know it's not that good or they'll post it on Instagram it's not that good but I thought like it's amazing thank you for we're doing this in the appreciation and it's all from this connection that people feel for the work and it's it's so beautiful because it's all from love and I don't know changed my life thank you for you you know like like Brian said I mean we all have a lot of these stories I could the one in particular took out for me is there was just there was a young lady and it was the first couple weeks I think I did the show but she said that her father had passed in the last month or two and that when when we started to sing dia Theodosia it was the first moment that she felt connected to to him again and so she was very that was this one that stuck out in my brain but I mean I think it's like it's what Manny said you know the end Brian to the what we do is a vehicle for connection you know that's across the world not just us just us what we do is a vehicle for connection and if you are not connecting and what are you doing but that's why we're here and so what's what's what wonderfully special about the shows whatever you think of the specific parts the some of them creates an extraordinary vehicle for connection and that is that's crucial it's beautiful beautifully put thank you for that we have many actors in the house today I know a lot of them say you know I have talent but I don't audition well hey neither okay so that's what how many of you audition well not at all depends on what it is okay actually like going in to sing a couple songs it's like here yeah here's my muse almost for you we could do the thing yeah but um it's terrifying still even at this point it's still terrifying it still involves as much work as a your first day of rehearsal and it yeah it I don't know for me it still can be intimidating and it can still be very scary and then those great auditions can be like you know I just flew to the moon so I don't think that's changed at all my entire journey and it never stops I have friends that one Toni's in the 70s and in the 60s and they're still auditioning it never it never stops and they get nervous and you know so I think it's all a part of it I think when you stop getting nervous in some ways I feel like maybe it's time to try something else because I feel like the nerves help you in some way because it means that you just care so much I remember Kobe Bryant he had said one time they asked him do you get nervous before you go out and play a game and he's like I always get nervous because if you're not nervous that means you don't you don't care so I feel the same way I feel the same way about audition I feel the same way about performance I just let it be there and I don't try to get rid of it and that's really helped me too it serves me instead of hinders me because I don't look at fear as a bad thing I just look at it as another just another way to live well I'll say this it's evolved for me a great deal um and I I there was there was a time when there was like the fear and the fear manifested itself in different ways for different situations and I said well it's here so we just go on accept this as opposed to trying to or I would logic my website well that's not going to help you so let that go uh-huh but actually I mean I care a lot less now I care a lot less now thought of when I go to auditions so I don't tend to get nervous necessarily because it's just I've I've done it enough times when I when it's been the most important thing in the world and when it's not been the most when I didn't have any time I just got off the plane I did the thing and say and I've so far seen real no real rhyme or reason to when I do get a thing or when I don't get a thing short of I think there's some correlation maybe because it feels easier but there might be some correlation between when I don't care and invest too much in it that it just like I mean I did one yesterday and I was like I mean look at these things on the train real quick before I get it and I did it and it was then the next day they were like oh my god it was another okay because at this point I know I know what I'm capable of you do like if you get enough fluke so I know what I'm doing now whether or not I'm going to give you enough in this artificial short period of time to convince you then I can do it on I don't know whether or not I'll be able to do that but I'm gonna try on imma give it to you but I'm not I'm not fretting over it anymore because I know what I'm doing which doesn't mean that I don't still work hard and there's not still room to grow and I'm not still employing skills but it's just that that other elements of judging myself based on what happens in these next 10 minutes I let that stuff go because that's like why my dwama doing it I've experienced like I guess what both of you guys have and I still experience both of them but I think what's helped me in the last few years is that I have such a fixed vision of what I want my life and career to look like I have completely let go of the house and I've completely let go of one specific job needing to be the one and I think once you let that go there's no finish line yeah and once you let that go it changes what the experience in the room is I my investment and I and I grew mandiant in the caring that I shifted where I care I don't it's not about getting the job anymore and that's where my fear would come in am I good enough for this am i talented enough for this are the are the last couple jobs just loose but now I care about the work so it's harder if I care a lot about the material because the way I feel about it now is I go in to show you my version of who this guy is today yeah now whether you want me for that or not is up to you but I'm not judging myself on whether I'm good or not and I'm not needing this job to make the vision I have in my head happen that can happen a million different ways so if this is the vehicle in which it's supposed to have been great if it's not on to the next and so for me you know my agents will call in and say how did it go and I say what they want to me then I got it what about going in the room and maintaining your you know and I gotta say this about every performing it's great that we're talking about it in Hamilton because there's the Chris Jackson and we're so different you know what I mean and a beat is so different it's about you showing up with everything that is unique about you and some I had a great act teacher that said it I just I just live by this we play these ideas of what we think one yeah so all these actors out here you know when you go in to play the cop you go in to play the mother you're going to play the doctor you're playing your idea of what you think they want don't play the idea just be just be there's a million different mothers there's a million different cop so you know just be your version of that don't play what you think a cop is it locks you in this way and going back to a brand and said when you don't care it's like there's something that leaves the veil that's in front of between you and the auditioner it moves so they can see you and that's what they're not caring is about because when you go in the room you don't care now I just see you when you care you tend to play this idea right you're not carrying the mist oh I don't care about what you think right that's what I'm saying not here for you right he cares about the work it's about where you place where you where you place the can also to be honest I've had great great great time and I'm a ton of evidence I thought about the phone I much the job that I really really wanted and did all this crazy work on didn't get the jobs I felt like well I bombed that audition that was horrible booked it so close like to a Brennan Center there's no rhyme or reason to this thing just go in and be you and what's meant for you is gonna be yours beautiful I'll carry out to all that the one thing that you have heard from all of these veterans up here is these are veterans some of you guys out there may be rookies and you guys you're going to be afraid it's going to happen but it is doing it over and over and over and over again that you build that thick skin to say you know what this is my job this is who I am take it or leave it if you don't want to find someone else will and keep stepping these brothers ELISA this lady can say that because we have gone through it we have gone through it you are going to bomb an audition you are going to bomb in front of someone and just accept it and move on you am almost a little more innovative you'll get it there overview there is nothing nothing like trying to be funny and just crickets are gone but I know I'll go over that my goal for the airline is making air no you go for that no but with the great thing is you are about to audition the note is there in the hallway it is there in the bathroom and it is there on the train when everybody's listening and you get in front of the person who wrote the song and the son that note decides to go on vacation and then you leave the room and the note comes back you know where were you five minutes ago but the worst is the anxiety like the note some time to note there's some time haha but I'm going to this particular Elmo I'm ELISA no doubt wait so I mean these are things that you just the bad part is you have to go through it you got you won't know any of this if you don't walk in the door and somebody broke this down for me real clean one time they will I look even as a successful actor that means you're booking what 40 percent of your job is place as a really successful actor like you're using you get TV so you don't think but you're booking like 40 percent just don't sheer volume so you need to just become okay with knows because even if it's a sensible answer you're gonna get rejected 60 70 percent of the time so like that's just something you just have to accept and I go and if you know your type I mean there is nothing like walking into an auditioning room and seeing them every single time let aquafers movie damn y'all here too and you and what please you know what they're gonna do and they know what you're gonna do so do they want the fat guy who jumps up and down do they want to smooth brother do they want to talk a look at what who's gonna not care it all depends on laughter that's like my special skills description Allison Toby what'd you just do broken jaw yeah just don't focus on the nose yeah you know I mean like learn how to invest your energy it's a lot of stuff that you should be stressed over don't focus on the no the no just sometimes I had somebody else a rejection is Direction now so when you get a yes that just means not this way it doesn't mean it's not going to happen it just means not that way so don't worry about the know we're looking for the yes that's it just look for the yes yep that is some incredible advice that's the best advice listen at on and a masterclass we have a few questions from the audience this from Tanya Mojave and and some of you others it's a very demanding schedule I saw you twice the second time um you're on the first act and Michael was on the second act yeah so how do you maintain vocal health with so many shows all of you that so many things play into that diet plays into that exercise plays into that the amount of sleep you got plays into that allergies plays into that you know everything you know is an element when it comes to your voice and honestly like whatever works for each individual is is what works for each individual and I've got my tricks and I've got my voodoo that I do you know all the things that I like mixed together and that's my potion for the day and but um I think I think for me at the end of the day is I'm human that's a muscle muscles get tired and they need rest sometimes and I'm not going to beat myself up if I've gotta say I'm out that's it for the rest of you like how do eight shows a week some people in the company don't go to doctors like oh I'll let this burn through and then you know a coal runs through a company I mean you know everybody think nobody thinks their machines like you go to the field like oh my god they do what the magic they make eight times a week they're just as human like you are but they they take it to another level how do you deal with your voice is number Andreea burns used to say it's dr. Broadway like you would feel terrible and then you get to the theater and right before gonna start your life okay and sometimes you feel like that and sometimes you don't but I think the way that I maintain the way that's helped me the most aside from you know drinking water and exercising all of those things is not to get into my head about my voice that's been the hardest thing for me and I think a lot of singers that happens to and I think that it's just focusing more on the lyric and focusing on what I'm singing about and not worry so much if the note doesn't happen for me that's been very freeing as a singer and I didn't really get that knowledge for myself until I played Elphaba and and I did that eight shows a week and for a year and two I was so terrified when I first started that process and I was like howling it how am I going to do this and and you start to think about how am I going to sing this the score how I'm going to do this and then you're like oh and then I have to like run up and down like steps and go through trap doors and I'm on a rake stage what am I going to do and I just really had to learn how to get out of my head and just just do it so for me that's been a lot of it is just the mindfulness of the voice wonderful gentleman for you um your body is your instrument this is what you're selling so you have to take care of it I mean a lot of us we sometimes I want eleven sometimes we hang out a lot of times we go home you go home and you cannot leave you drink a lot of water you have that one moment they want some of you go hey okay we all go to the movies together good rest of times I pre see you tomorrow you know you have to take care of this this my particular body needs seven to eight hours of sleep I need that or I cannot do what I do I have to make sure that I am stretched out because I don't know if you see the other shows I do I just have to be that round guy who seems to always kick jump cartwheel into a bunch crap this one I don't get to thank know you know um but you really just have to take care of yourself and you have to be you have to be an adult about it you have to just go you you have to be the one to say no no I can't go out no I won't be doing that no I yes I'd love to go no do your auditions do your show come home take care of you that's what you have to do it is it is in your head you're worried about what the audience is going to say and sometimes you think you sound horrible and the audience will come up to you at the end oh my god you were wonderful you're like what are you hearing but because it's what you're hearing in your own head yes you really have to take care of yourself and whatever that is it's different for other people it's you know some people have acid reflux some people do vitamins you need to figure out what is it works for you and do that and be diligent about it all the time because this is what we're selling and if you can't do it trust me there's someone else who want to do it but you need to take care of yourself echo what everybody what everybody said I think um did you think I'm a maid add to that is that you know what kinda LaBelle was real sick one day in Philadelphia and she said I'm gonna give you all what God gave me today and I you know I feel like once you once you rested and once you've done the work on your body and you and you know you try to get out of your head you gotta let go like this isn't about you isn't for you you are here for a reason if you get up there and tell the story there is a way that your instrument will allow it to come through you and it doesn't have to be perfect it just has to be honest and I think that there are a lot of us I know everyone yeah everybody up here we could be really weird we're we're snobby about our arts like I mean we would snobby to ourselves we're highly critical of ourselves and other people and we want it to be good we do that's just honest but you got to have grace with yourself you got to have grace with yourself in other people and so you got to give I give you what God gave me today the second thing is I'm going through a little bit of that now I'm a little bit of like my body you gotta know your body my I come from a gospel background and my body can handle a lot when it comes to the voice like okay look I can I can head I was like would you do that he does this in uh and wait for t-bag - slo-mo anyway um it don't I um so I can handle a lot what's tricky about this show for me is not the vocal demands of the show it's allergies I've never experienced allergies the way I'm experiencing them right now and and the things that I've used to do like a claritin would like clear it up and I'd be good it's not working right now so now I'm having to navigate sometimes in front of 1500 people um allergies and you just have to trust your body and trust your skill that if you feel that coming sometimes you go and you just plop up into that placement so so you know just take care of yourself and do the work and then sometimes to be honest you might not know what to do you have to experiment so now I'm experimenting with music eggs and mucinex and seagulls okay yeah mucinex has been great and Allegra delassalle Allegra Allegra mucinex but it's a tricky thing because Heidi drinking one of those I would say a lot of hydration like if you're gonna do that kind of stuff so basically you got it you got to figure it out for yourself and know that you just don't have to be perfect y'all yeah you don't have to perfect you have to be honest present for you I mean I don't really have anything to have but I will say the thing that is the finger I I appreciate this is dumb but the thing is when you know people are doing like I'm working through stuff yeah and then you hear the technique and the foresight they apply to work themselves through it you'd be like all she did that she did cause I did it so that way you went around that back lard you doubled up so I think what you literally have to call out yeah sometimes there's a moment I don't want to call out either because I have that thing where I know I talked about it the fans are there you want you want disappoint anybody because y'all understand we're the ones that get the tweets I bought the thing at a year ago and I'll wait to see a yellow mama I'm okay with it Andrew I do like I'm let you to feel bad I got featured by Tom Coburn but sometimes something hits you and you cannot physically know it as a moment where you literally have to realize this is my child and if I want to continue doing my job I need to take care of myself now I take a day office because you might Jack yourself up and that's the last thing you want yeah this is a great question too from the struggle is real for all of you what was the longest amount of time you've all had without between gigs and what do you do to stay positive during that time and what advice do you have for those of us who are going through a dry spell dry spell I'm in the longest period of time for me oh yeah this is hard to say right um okay so I'm gonna be specific the longest period of time between gigs that I could just do the gig and live off of that paycheck and not need for other jobs with the gig because that's real right that that's a span of five years and I did work but it wasn't it didn't pay enough for me to just do my acting so I had to have the other job so that's I'm sort of counting those dry spells dry spells like sort of think of in terms of not booking the audition it's that same idea of of okay so so what is this teaching me what it's telling me what do I have to clarify what do I have to work on and and and you as I ask myself those because I know I don't want to quit like that's not the option and so it's like more than what keep searching Javier what's what what haven't you fulfilled yet what are you neglecting what are you what's lacking what would you have to strengthen or do you have to back off and just sort of maybe have a life for a minute maybe it's your life that needs healing because you've been doing your work so much or whatever it is but it's so it's always felt like a personal question that's only I have the answer to it doesn't compare to anyone else's journey it's mine and and it's going to teach me what it needs to teach me and I just need to be open to whatever the lessons are and trust that that's my path um and and even though you know everyone around me might be like winning Tony's or like going from shore to shore to show it's like but that's a dare path and I'm thrilled for them because that's exactly what we all want right so it has to be for me it always has to be something that's like a meditation drop down what where what do I need in this moment and how am I going to continue moving forward what's going to feed me not anybody else like so and that's hard it's hard not to compare yourself to what's around you when it all looks really glossy and pretty so yeah that's it you know they're always going through their own their own trouble I think for me again when I had a child the first year I just didn't want to leave her ever and so it really had to be worth it anything that I was going to do I really didn't want to do eight shows a week because I would be gone every night and I decided that first year that I'm going to be with her and and it was amazing because I had that time to just to be home and be a mom but it was also hard because I still had that fire within me that wanted to create and and sing and so I had to find and you know when when you do go through it when you make a life choice and you take yourself out of the what does I call like the hamster wheel for a minute people think oh well that's what that's what you are now and I was like oh maybe that's what I am now I'm just I'm this mother and you know I have to make I can only be this person in this category and I realized taking that year that it was so wonderful for me because I realized that I'm not just a category but I can be a mother that I can be an actress that I can be an entrepreneur that I can be a writer and I learned all of these different things about myself because I made a choice that was true to my heart and I think that that's what you I encourage for anybody to find is your joy and take risks maybe you know maybe you're not perform for those three months but you know maybe you want to write something maybe you want to write a song or maybe you want to write something and put it on YouTube and you know tape yourself in the closet like something legal but you know what I mean like there was I never would have known that had I not followed had I not followed my heart but that year taught me so much and how hard I had to fight and work to get where I needed to go where I had that vision of what I wanted and that vision included my family so I had to make sure that that was never a sacrifice where because it just can't be so I have to include all of it so that's mine oh thank you I was going to say I love Mandy because I love her oh three three quick thing things right because the in-between time it depends on where you are in your life right so if you've done work and you just haven't been working for a while but you don't need to go get a job because you are independently wealthy or you got a boo that's taking care of you or do you not I mean and so it just depends when we talk about this in-between thing it depends on where you are in your life so I'm going to say three things that I think just from I've had experiences like like hobby where it's been long times of in-between I think that piggybacking on Mandy that is a time to create I believe that no one is going to ask you to do something that you have not already been doing the work that I'm doing onstage is not any harder than the work I was doing in regional theater then the work that I was doing in church if you if you are a singer out there don't wait for somebody to give you an opportunity go sing sing at that open mic sing at any opportunity that you can stop waiting for someone to give you an opportunity to be because when the opportunity comes you have been you already been doing it in that in-between time that you've been waiting for somebody to give you an opportunity so so do it now create if you're a writer write if you're an active find projects that's one thing I love about New York City there's always a reading it's always a workshop if you feel like you need to be connected to people hit people up hit the writers and the friends you know there's always work to be done so don't just sit back and wait for somebody to give you an opportunity to be an artist be the artist now right first thing second thing is enjoy those moments I'm one of those people is always thinking about what's next what's next what's next and and one thing I love about what Mandy said is that you got to enjoy your present even if it's a even if it's an in-between time because sometimes those faces and those places you won't see again or for a long time when the moment you've been asking for and waiting for happens I was living in LA and LA was a big in-between time for me and it's hard to get back there there are friends and people that I love that because of work here I just can't get back to and and so enjoy your present enjoy those places enjoy those relationships enjoy that moment okay we're real quick those people who need to work in the in-between time I my experience is this we always get a job that does not serve us when it comes to the in between job please take this device you need in my experience you need one of two kinds of day job you need the day job that is either mindless and does not stress you out and take up all your time what's the point in getting a day job that pays your bills but you are you don't have the emotional or mental space to prepare for your audition find something that does not cost you in that way find something that I have friends who've gotten day jobs but the day job does not allow them the time to audition well then that that that's not helpful so find the job that does not cost you emotionally and all your time find the easy job or find a job that is connected to something else you care about because if you find another day job that's connected to another purpose or another passion in your life it'll feed the other thing so you know all those people out there that are like I just need a job to pay these bills try to try to be wise about what kind of job you take because you'll look up in seven years and your career will be that day job as opposed to you know it's serving you so that you can do what you really want to do you just fall no I'm all of actors love to talk but there are moments when people say things and you realize what has been said me to have been said so good we have two minutes I have one quick question from somebody this is really great favorite moment of the experience if you could sum up in an emotion or a word what the experience of being in Hamilton is meant to each of you the word or transformative freedom unforeseen flourish acceptance 25 years I have had more fun today hilarious insightful you're all generous you are so wonderful with what you gave everybody here today and once you'll send out into the world of a SAG after foundation to Broadway world I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sitting here on a Friday afternoon as you into your big weekend thank you

Channel: SAG-AFTRA Foundation

Views: 13,774

Rating: 4.8757763 out of 5

Keywords: SAG Foundation, SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Acting, Actors, Javier Munoz, Brandon Victor Dixon, Mandy Gonzalez, Bryan Terrell Clark, James Monroe Iglehart, Hamilton, Musical, Richard Ridge

Id: ICG8DF4OC6A

Length: 77min 13sec (4633 seconds)

Published: Thu May 18 2017