‘Hamilton’ Cast Celebrates Disney Plus Launch and Reveals Inside Secrets of Film
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“Hamilton” fans rejoiced as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical was finally released on Disney Plus on Friday, giving people the long holiday weekend to watch the groundbreaking performance.
Originally released in 2015 on Broadway, the hip-hop infused musical about founding father Alexander Hamilton became an instant smash hit. Most people had to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to get seats at the frequently sold-out shows, but now anybody with a Disney Plus subscription can enjoy it from their own home.
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Director Thomas Kail put together the Disney Plus version after filming several live performances during the show’s original run. “Hamilton” was originally going to hit theaters on Oct. 15, 2021, but Disney moved up the release date in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and the drought of films as theaters were shuttered.
Creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda live tweeted his thoughts during a watch-along with fans on Twitter, and other cast members and celebrities poured in their love for “Hamilton” on Friday.
Miranda shared some inside secrets about the filmed version, like the fireworks appearing over the Disney logo as the movie starts. He also revealed a “Macbeth” quote that was scrapped from the final version and an improvised line that Daveed Diggs came up with as Thomas Jefferson in the second act.
The fireworks over the Disney logo? Kail's idea. #Hamilfilm
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 3, 2020
Originally, the M**beth quote was "they have tied me to a stake I cannot fly, but bearlike I must fight the course." rhyming with "cite the source." Act 5, scene 1. Was deemed too obscure by errybody. I changed it. #HamiltonFilm
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 4, 2020
Madison: Where have you been?
Daveed improvised “France?” It stayed in. #HamiltonFilm— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 4, 2020
Vanessa Nadal, Miranda’s wife, also joined in on the live tweeting, saying she’d always boo in the audience when her husband kissed someone else on stage.
I always boo when Lin kisses someone else on stage, and people sitting around me look at me like I'm a crazy person. #HamiltonFilm
— Vanessa A M Nadal (@VAMNit) July 3, 2020
She also revealed that Miranda was overjoyed after seeing Renée Elise Goldsberry audition, saying he “finally found a woman to tell the story in the rap instead of getting eaten by the rap.” Goldsberry, who plays Angelica Schuyler and showcases her speedy rap skills in the song “Satisfied,” showed her appreciation for the kind note.
OMG! I did not know that! 🥰 https://t.co/dpVQIAhcaR
— RenéeEliseGoldsberry (@ReneeGoldsberry) July 4, 2020
See what other cast members and celebrities, like Jimmy Fallon, Kerry Washington and Ben Schwartz, had to say about the exciting premiere of “Hamilton.”
Watching @leslieodomjr 8X a week was one of the greatest acting lessons of my life.
— Phillipa Soo (@Phillipasoo) July 4, 2020
I got to work and play and create amongst those giants for over two years.
Through this glorious work, I met all of YOU. If God never did another thing for a dude like me…I’d be satisfied. #HamiltonFilm #Hamilfilm
— Leslie Odom, Jr. (@leslieodomjr) July 4, 2020
Thank you @HamiltonMusical for giving us a microcosm of what the world could both look; and be like. All people coming together to create change in the world and make history.
Thank you @leslieodomjr for this gift to the cast on opening night. Peace ☮️ and Love ❤️.— Anthony Ramos (@ARamosofficial) July 3, 2020
Happy Hamilton Day!!! I wish I could see it AGAIN for the first time. What an amazing experience? Congrats to @Lin_Manuel, Tommy Kail, @LacketyLac and the cast of @HamiltonMusical. The world is watching!! You changed the game. #Hamilfilm #HamiltonFilm
— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) July 3, 2020
Me today. #Hamilfilm 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/6uv4d0qUky
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) July 3, 2020
You want your mind blown even further? After you have watched Hamilton once, take some time to gather your emotions which will be all over the room, then turn on the captions and watch it again. So. Many. Incredible. Words. Packed. Into. Milliseconds. #Hamilfilm
— Ben Schwartz (@rejectedjokes) July 4, 2020
The beauty of a @Lin_Manuel @LacketyLac @DavidKorins production is that EVERYBODY gets to shine. And with that talented cast & ensemble, ANYWHERE you choose to look, there is someone killing their piece of that stage, lit or in the shadows. #HamiltonFilm @HamiltonMusical ❤️ https://t.co/JfvacVFgkk
— yvette nicole brown (@YNB) July 4, 2020
It’s finally here!! Who else is watching #Hamifilm on @disneyplus today?! 🙋♀️
Thank you to @Twitter, #DisneyPlus, @HamiltonMusical, and @Lin_Manuel for this amazing watch kit! 🌟🍿💙 #HamiltonFilm pic.twitter.com/e6QuwL6P1M— Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) July 3, 2020
I am watching #HamiltonFilm and trying to get my head around a human being having this kind of vision. Obviously the songs are in our lexicon (and brains) now, but this all originally came from one person’s mind and imagination and it’s fucking unreal.
That’s all. Damn.
— Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) July 4, 2020
Two and a half hours of lyrics and have ever single one of the words not only land to utter perfection but transcend the cultural zeitgeist to become more than a Broadway musical but a part of our everyday vernacular is something I’ve frankly never really witnessed or imagined
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) July 4, 2020
I’ll never forget @ReneeGoldsberry telling me about this amazing @Lin_Manuel show she was working on. I’ll never forget watching her sing #Satisfied for the first time🤯 I’ll never forget meeting Lin in the basement of the Public Theatre. Happy #Hamilton Day! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ojx2wX6eSx
— Melissa Fumero (@melissafumero) July 3, 2020
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