Why isn’t Lin-Manuel Miranda playing his original In the Heights character in the movie?
According to Variety, Miranda opted against reprising the role of Usnavi in the film because he felt he had aged out of the part. “I was going to be Usnavi in the first go-round because I had been playing it on Broadway. And then when that whole situation ended, I closed the book on it. I was like ‘OK, I’m working on this other thing [Hamilton], I’ll just keep writing.’ I saw Anthony in a production of In the Heights, and I can’t tell you how surreal it was,” Miranda confessed to Variety. The actor described Ramos’ connection to the lead character as “molecular.” He added, “It was just like, I was playing Usnavi and Anthony is Usnavi. That’s genuinely how I felt when I watched him do it. That was a good six months before we were even talking casting, but I knew he had the chops to do it.” Miranda told The Seattle Times that “in a lot of ways,” the role fits Ramos “much better than it fits” him and declared to The New York Times that Ramos was “born to play that role.”
Who does Lin-Manuel Miranda play in the In the Heights movie?
While Miranda is not returning to Washington Heights as Usnavi, he does have a small role in the film as Piragüero a.k.a. the Piragua Guy. (Piragua is a Puerto Rican shaved ice treat, often sold by sidewalk vendors in Upper Manhattan.) “It almost didn’t happen,” Miranda told the San Francisco Chronicle of his onscreen character. “I really was very like, ‘I don’t need to be in this movie.’ But Jon [M. Chu, the director] would joke, ‘Well, I still haven’t cast Piragua Guy.’” In the end, Miranda took the part and “really made it a love letter” to his late grandfather. “I’m wearing his glasses around my neck,” he shared. “I’ve got the dime store Estefanía cowboy novels that he would carry around f—ing everywhere. I’ve got my socks rolled way too high.”
Does Lin-Manuel Miranda sing in the In the Heights movie?
His character even has his own song in the movie, aptly titled “Piragua,” which finds him belting out a big number about the refreshing dessert. Miranda was talked into the role because he was concerned that the song could be cut from the film. “[Screenwriter Quiara Alegría Hudes] talked me into it,” he told CBS News. “‘If you’re in it, it’s the surest way the song doesn’t get cut.’” “There’s no plot in ‘Piragua,’” he added. “It’s a metaphor for the entire neighborhood. Like, life is hard. Prices are going up, but we keep scraping by.”
Bonus Lin-Manuel Miranda in the In the Heights movie
Miranda’s appearances as the Piragua Guy don’t end with the movie. Stick around for a post-credits scene featuring the Broadway star!
When is In the Heights coming out?
In the Heights is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max through July 11 Next, find out why our movie critic calls In the Heights “a technicolor extravaganza of dazzling sights.”
