Hamilton star Okieriete Onaodowan, who portrays spy Hercules Mulligan and future president James Madison, discusses why the musical is more relevant than ever as the filmed version of the Broadway show premieres on television.
Broadway is shutting down until 2021, but its most popular musical, ‘Hamilton,’ is coming to television, premiering on Disney+ on July 3rd. Okieriete Onaodowan portrays both the Revolutionary War spy Hercules Mulligan as well as the future president James Madison. We talked about how the show is more relevant than ever, given the events of the past few months.
They just announced that Broadway won’t open until 2021. What does that mean to actors?
It’s scary, that’s our livelihood. We thrive on people coming together and telling stories. In sports there are sponsorships and other ways to make money, but actors make their money by people coming into the theater. It’s most important to be safe, of course, but I’m curious to see the resilience of artists and how they will respond and put content out.
When you researched the two characters you play in ‘Hamilton,’ what surprised you the most?
With Hercules Mulligan, not too much. With Madison though, just how small and sickly he was factored into the development of the character. And early on in his campaign he realized — he didn’t understand campaigning. He thought, I wrote down everything I need to say, why do I have to knock on doors? There’s something refreshing about that. Look at my policies, not how well I shake hands.
