What Lin-Manuel Miranda learned from his father, Luis, and taking ‘Hamilton’ to Puerto Rico
Doctors tell [Luis] to get more rest, but he barely even sleeps, instead answering emails into the wee hours of the night. Who has the time?
“As I always say, at some point, I am going to die,” Miranda, 65, said cheerfully ahead of his trip to the Sundance Film Festival, where the documentary premieres Saturday. “And when you die, you’re gone for eternity. I’ll have plenty of time to rest.”
Even as a child growing up in the small town of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, which he left at the age of 18 for New York City, Luis Miranda was fueled by a relentless drive. As a youngster he’d fallen in love with the 1964 musical “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” and its effervescent heroine played by Debbie Reynolds, and it imprinted on his personality, says Lin-Manuel.
That’s not to say he doesn’t have his ways of unwinding in a time when the political climate still has him ready to fight one battle after the next.
“I have to finish my days with Stephen Colbert just [crapping] on Trump, because that gives me joy,” said Miranda, who is the founding partner of political consulting and lobbying firm MirRam Group. “That is my treat at the end of the day.”
Miranda launched his career in U.S. politics and public service in the 1980s as a special advisor for Hispanic Affairs to then-New York Mayor Ed Koch. While serving on the board of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation, Rudy Giuliani appointed him chairman, a move he unabashedly describes as “the political mistake of my career.”
“Then he was just difficult and mean,” said Miranda with a laugh. “Now he’s just crazy.”
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Luis and Lin-Manuel Miranda brought resources and global media attention to the island. But they had also supported the 2016 Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, or PROMESA law, a federal financial oversight measure that led to severe austerity cuts before Maria hit.
So when their quest to bring “Hamilton” to Puerto Rico was greeted with both enthusiasm and criticism, it was just as important for James to show how they handled the heat.
The film depicts a moment in 2017 when student protesters with signs in Spanish reading, “Our lives are not your theater” storm the stage where Lin-Manuel is announcing plans to bring “Hamilton” to the University of Puerto Rico. Watching from the sidelines at the alma mater where he participated in protests as a student, Luis indicates that the demonstrators should be allowed to speak.
“I believe that all voices need to be heard,” he said. “As cliché as it sounds, that’s the beauty of democracy. And I understood at that moment that 50 years ago, that could have been me, presenting a dissenting voice to something that felt good.”
The protests were “part of the conversation,” says Lin-Manuel, who subsequently backed away from his initial support of the law. “And I’m glad it’s in the movie, because it will become part of the conversation.”
It was a critical moment to include in the film, said James. “We chose to follow Luis not just because he was such an inspiring and remarkable migrant but, in truth, because it was always intriguing watching him bite off more than he could chew,” he said.
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“It is easier to be the star of ‘Hamilton’ in pen and on stage,” said Luis Miranda. “Everybody adores you and believes it’s an incredible work of art. It is different to take a political position, because as an artist, artists live in context. And I’m very glad my son understands that in his life.”
He pondered his responsibility, as someone who left Puerto Rico decades ago, to be a part of helping it rebuild and thrive today.
“What’s the role that we play, the 5 million that like me had a life in Puerto Rico and came somewhere else?” he said. “How do we, 5 million with very different degrees of engagement to the island, be part of that story ... in a good way?”
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“I think anyone who has seen ‘Hamilton’ and wondered how close that is to a portrait of me will see this movie and go, ‘Oh, I see: It’s his dad,’ ” said Lin-Manuel, who is currently in pre-production on his directorial debut for Netflix, the musical “Tick, Tick... Boom!” “For better or worse, I have my father’s work ethic in regards to my own art, and also an impatience to get things done.”
