For those who can’t afford Broadway, the film version of Hamilton was released on Disney+ in July 2020. It was a huge hit, bringing some musical light to an otherwise sad time in everyone’s life. While we have been seeing delays galore since COVID, Hamilton was actually pushed up a full year due to the pandemic and shifted from a theatrical release to a streaming one. While all of us were stuck at home binge watching anything we could get our hands on, this was a huge morale booster. That said, while we may have loved the early content, it was less than ideal for the actors. Leslie Odom Jr., who plays Hamilton foil character Aaron Burr, explained why the early release was a little underwhelming for him.
Leslie Odom Jr. said that for actors like him who considered Hamilton the high point in their career, the release of the film a whole year early right in the middle of a pandemic really put a damper on the hype he expected to have from the film. In an interview with The Washington Post, Odom stated that since everyone was stuck at home, he never really got the star experience he had hoped for. In his own words:
When Hamilton is going to be released, you’re going to try to set up things around that. Maybe I’m going to record a record, or maybe I’m going to get some meetings. This is maybe the biggest moment of my career, and I’m locked in the house — we’re all locked in the house.
Listen, we all know Hamilton is a BIG deal. The play is still on Broadway and has broken records, making it arguably the biggest musical of all time. It’s only natural to expect the same hype from the movie version, and it surely would have received more press than it did if a pandemic wasn’t going on. Even though he may not have gotten as much excitement from the release the way it happened, Leslie Odom Jr. still did go on to win a shared Grammy for his contribution to Hamilton’s soundtrack.
Leslie Odom Jr. doesn’t have to worry much about Hamilton being the biggest point in his career either. Since the short time of Hamilton’s release, Odom has already had more than just one big role. The pandemic brought him a role in Love in the Time of Corona, and he has recently won numerous accolades for his part in One Night in Miami. How’s that for some career-topping hype?
There may be some serious downsides to the world we live in now, but there is still art to be made and we may cherish the beautiful things that come out of this trying time even more.
As always, CinemaBlend will keep you apprised on updates concerning TV, movies and pop culture. If you’ve already rewatched Hamilton five times and need something fresh, check out our movie release schedule for this year.
