The Hamilton fever swept over the U.S. in 2015, as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s stage play finally hit Broadway, and with that, got the recognition it deserves. Hamilton: An American Musical completely revolutionized people’s perceptions of musical theater, making U.S. history it appealing to younger audiences with its use of hip-hop and R&B.
When Miranda performed an early version of “My Shot” at the White House in 2009, he was likely far from imagining the impact that this project would have on the world. Nevertheless, a few years later, everyone and their mothers were singing and rapping to the cast recording of Hamilton. The album features the voices of the original Broadway cast, whose performances have also been immortalized in Disney Plus’ stage recording of the play.
Since then, Hamilton has had many changes to its cast, as happens with all stage musicals. Despite that, the original Broadway cast remains in the hearts of fans, who would give anything to see the performers reprise their roles. While that may not be possible, it’s always fun to see how each member of the cast moved on from the play, and what they’re up to now.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
The creator of this musical also starred in it, playing Alexander Hamilton during its 2015 Broadway run. After putting his name on the map, Lin-Manuel Miranda went on to make his directorial debut with Tick, Tick… Boom!, and to create music for some of Walt Disney’s most beloved animated projects, such as Moana and Encanto. He has even lent his voice to the extremely popular children’s show, Bluey. According to New York Post, he is currently working to get back on Broadway with a stage adaptation of Sol Yurick’s The Warriors.
While it’s clear that music is Miranda’s passion, he is continuing to spread his acting wings, having been cast as Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, in Disney Plus’ adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Miranda is also set to appear in the romantic comedy The Making Of, but at the time, there’s no information regarding what his role will be or when it will be released. It is known, however, that Blake Lively, Diane Keaton, and Richard Gere will be joining him.
Leslie Odom Jr.
Leslie Odom Jr. has many acting credits under his name, but there’s no denying that Hamilton is his more notable one. In the stage show, he played Aaron Burr, Alexander’s friend-turned-rival and, eventually, vice president of the U.S. (Apologies for the spoilers, but well, it’s history.) Following his departure from the role, Odom worked on other very well-known projects, such as Murder on the Orient Express and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, continuing to grace audiences with his talent for performance.
Most recently, Odom has been working on the sixth installment of The Exorcist franchise, starring as Victor Fielding in the film, which was released in October 2023. The actor can’t seem to stay away from the stage for too long, though, as he is set to debut as Purlie Victorious Judson in Ossie Davis’ comedy Purlie Victorious. He has also hinted to E News that he may reprise his role in the Emmy-award-winning show, Abbott Elementary.
Phillipa Soo
In Hamilton, Phillipa Soo delighted audiences with her portrayal of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, daughter of Philip Schuyler and wife to Alexander Hamilton. Soo played this role for two years, on and off-Broadway, before moving on to other projects, such as the stage play Amélie, in which she landed the titular role, Into the Wood, playing Cinderella, and the film The Broken Hearts Galley, as Nadine.
Most recently, Phillipa Soo portrayed Guinevere in this year’s Broadway revival of Camelot. Sadly, the production came to a close in July, but there’s a U.S. tour planned so, who knows? We may see Soo take up the role once more. She has also recently ventured into the world of voice work, participating in Audible’s The Takedown.
Renée Elise Goldsberry
Renée Elise Goldsberry gave life to the oldest Schuyler sister, Angelica, in 2015 and 2016, during the original Broadway run of Hamilton. Of course, this was far from her first rodeo, as Goldsberry has plenty of stage credits under her belt. Most notably, she also portrayed Mimi Márquez in Rent, and Nala in The Lion King, both Broadway productions.
In recent years, Goldsberry has been mostly doing TV, having played Mallory Book in the Disney Plus series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and lent her voice to Roxy in the animated show Eureka! If fans wish to see more of the actress, they can tune in to Girls5eva, an ongoing Peacock comedy that has been moved to Netflix for its third season.
Daveed Diggs
In Act I of Hamilton, Daveed Diggs played Marquis de Lafayette, one of Alexander’s loyal friends. In Act II, the performer portrayed Thomas Jefferson, a humorous foe to Alexander who just returned home from France. Daveed was electric in both roles, which made his eventual departure from the show extra disappointing. Fortunately, though, that wouldn’t be the last fans saw of the artist, as he went on to make appearances in numerous successful TV shows and movies.
Some of Diggs’ most notable and recent roles include Sebastion in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, Andre Layton in the TV adaptation of Snowpiercer, and Helen in the animated sitcom Central Park. The last two are still ongoing but if fans are curious about what’s next on Diggs’ schedule, they can look forward to the upcoming threequel of the Trolls franchise, Trolls Band Together. Further down the line, we’ll also get to see the actor in the sci-fi film In the Blink of an Eye, which he is currently working on.
Anthony Ramos
In the first act, Anthony Ramos played John Laurens, Alexander’s closest friend, before swapping the role of Alexander and Eliza’s son, Philip Hamilton, in the second act. After departing from the musical, Ramos’ most prominent achievement was landing the role of Usnavi De La Vega in the film adaptation of another one of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s stage plays, In the Heights. It seemed like an obvious choice, considering that Ramos had already played the same character on stage in 2018.
Recently, the actor was in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts as Noah Diaz, but if you’ve already seen it, don’t worry — Ramos has a few more projects cooking. The artist is set to return to the stage in the role of Mozart in the Broadway revival of Amadeus, and to the small screen as The Hood in Disney Plus’ Ironheart. He recently was in the 2023 film Dumb Money, which explored the GameStop short squeeze. He is also working on Twisters and Distant, which means that fans have a lot to look forward to.
Christopher Jackson
Christopher Jackson had arguably one of the most important roles in the musical — that of George Washington, leader of the Continental Army and the first American president. Much like some of his fellow cast members, Jackson already had a fair share of Broadway credits before Hamilton came about, but this stage musical greatly increased his popularity.
Following the success that was his portrayal of Washington, the singer/actor has been part of some exciting projects; some of which have already been mentioned in this article, such as Moana, Tick, Tick… Boom!, and In the Heights. Most recently, though, Jackson has been kept busy with his appearances as Corey in the musical comedy film World’s Best and as Herbert Wexley in the Max comedy drama And Just Like That…
Okieriete Onaodowan
Okieriete Onaodowan played Hercules Mulligan — a tailor and spy — in Act I of Hamilton and James Madison — Thomas Jefferson’s close friend — in Act II. The two characters couldn’t be more different from each other, and like any great actor, Onaodowan pulled them both off impressively. Following his departure from the play, he invested his efforts mostly in TV projects, like Station 19, The Get Down, and Grey’s Anatomy.
In 2023, Onaodowan returned to Broadway as Nills Krogstead in the revival of Henrik Ibsen‘s play, A Doll’s House. This has been a long time coming for the actor, he’s been up to more recently, having made appearances as Adebayo “Ade” Osoji in the fourth season of Jack Ryan, and played Moebias in the sci-fi rom-com Molli and Max in the Future.
Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Groff played King George III, one of the funniest characters in Hamilton. This may sound weird to anyone who hasn’t seen the play, but trust me, King George incites laughs anytime he’s on stage. As for the actor who brought him back to life on Broadway, he had already made quite a name for himself before the musical, with a career that shows no signs of slowing down. Since retiring his heavy crown, Groff has been part of huge projects such as The Matrix Resurrections, Knock at the Cabin, Mindhunter, and of course, the Frozen franchise.
In case you’re wondering, the future is looking promising for Groff. He is set to reprise his role as Kristoff in Frozen 3, portray Brian in Molly and the Moon, and play Jay in A Nice Indian Boy. Last but definitely not least, Doctor Who fans should get excited, because Groff will have a key role in the revival’s 14th season.
Jasmine Cephas Jones
Who could possibly forget Jasmine Cephas Jones’ voice saying “And Peggy!” in Hamilton? Not me, that’s for sure. As you’ve likely guessed, the actress portrayed Peggy Schuyler in the play’s first act, and Maria Reynolds in the second. Ever since, the actress has been mostly taking up roles on TV and film, having appeared in works like Marriage Story, Mrs. Fletcher, Monsters and Men, and Blindspotting (both the 2018 movie and the 2021 TV series). Those who want to see more of Jones will be able to do so by heading to theaters when Origin releases, a historical drama that the actress is part of.
As you can see, some members of this cast have popped up on our screens more frequently than others, but they’re all successful in their own ways. But no matter where life takes them next, they’ll always be remembered for bringing our favorite characters of Hamilton to life.
