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Meet the Cast of the IN THE HEIGHTS Movie with Performance Clips and More!
By: Linnae Medeiros Apr. 11, 2019
Lights up in Washington Heights! As BroadwayWorld previously reported, the movie adaptation of the Tony-winning musical In the Heights has officially found its cast! In honor of the occasion, we've getting to know the film's residents of Washington Heights! Check it all out below!
In the Heights will hit theaters on June 26, 2020, released by Warner Bros., who picked up the movie last month after a heated bidding war following the rights' release from The Weinstein Co. The film's script will be written by Quiara Alegría Hudes. Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) will direct the movie-musical. Anthony Bregman, Mara Jacobs and Scott Sanders are set to produce.
The Tony Award-winning musical IN THE HEIGHTS features music & lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The show opened on Broadway production in March 2008 and was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, winning four: Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations. It won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and was also nominated for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Anthony Ramos - Usnavi
Anthony Ramos first worked with In the Heights creator Lin-Manuel Miranda as part of the original cast of the smash hit musical "Hamilton," originating the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. Ramos was also recently seen on screen in A Star Is Born with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. His upcoming film projects include Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Honest Thief, and Trolls World Tour.
Ramos performing as Usnavi is the Kennedy Center's production of In the Heights:
Ramos performing "Common Ground" and "Freedom:"
Follow Anthony on Twitter at @ARamosofficial and on Instagram at @anthonyramosofficial.
Melissa Barrera - Vanessa
Melissa Barrera is best known for the telenovelas La Mujer de Judas and La Otra Cara Del Alma. She studied at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU where she appeared in musicals such as Sweet Charity.
Barrera performing "I Will Survive:"
Follow Mellisa on Twitter at @MelissaBarreraM and on Instagram at @melissabarreram.
Corey Hawkins - Benny
Corey Hawkins has appeared on both the big and small screen in projects such as The Walking Dead, 24: Legacy, Straight Outta Compton. Hawkins also received a Tony nomination for his work in the recent Broadway revival of Six Degrees of Separation where he played opposite Allison Janney. He has also appeared on stage in Broadway's Romeo and Juliet, as well as on stages for Roundabout Theatre Company and Signature Theatre.
Hawkins in Straight Outta Compton:
Leslie Grace - Nina
Leslie Grace is a singer and songwriter whose mainstream debut hit "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" gave a new bilingual take on the classic Shirelles song of the same name. She has charted on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart, and the Latin Airplay charts. She also has a distribution deal with Sony Music Latin and Sony/ATV.
Grace performing "Will U Still Love Me Tomorrow:"
Grace performing "All About That Bass" in Spanish:
Follow Leslie on Twitter at @lesliegrace and on Instagram at @lesliegrace.
Olga Merediz - Abuela Claudia
Olga Merediz appeared in the original Broadway cast of In The Heights, where she originated the role of Abuela Claudia, and received a Tony nomination and Drama Desk Award. Her other Broadway credits include Reckless, Man of La Mancha, Les Misérables, and Mamma Mia!. She had appeared in many films and television series, including New Amsterdam, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Madam Secretary, Shades of Blue, Saint George, and many more.
Merediz performing "Paciencia y Fe" from In the Heights on Broadway:
Follow Olga on Twitter at @TheOlgaMerediz and on Instagram at @officialolgamerediz.
Jimmy Smits - Kevin Rosario
Jimmy Smits is best known for his roles on 1980s L.A. Law, NYPD Blue and The West Wing. He also appeared as Bail Organa in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and as ADA Miguel Prado in Dexter. From 2012 to 2014, he joined the main cast of Sons of Anarchy as Nero Padilla.
On stage, Smits starred in the 2003 Broadway production of Anna in the Tropics, and in 2009 he starred in the Broadway play God of Carnage, replacing Jeff Daniels.
Smits accepting his Golden Globe Award in 1996:
Gregory Diaz IV - Sonny
Gregory Diaz IV appeared on Broadway in Matilda, and then joined the show's National Tour. Off-Broadway he appeared in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Pedro Pan, Zurich, and Hairspray, Jr.
On television, he can be seen in two episodes of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Diaz rap-battling with Hamilton's Javier Munoz:
Follow Gregory on Twitter @gregorydiaziv and on Instagram @gregdiaz4.
Daphne Rubin-Vega - Daniela
Daphne Rubin-Vega is best known for the roles she originated, including Mimi (RENT) and Conchita (Anna in the Tropics), both of which earned her Tony Award nominations. Other originated roles include Dolores in Empanada Loca, Rahmi in Gum, Sofia in Nilo Cruz' Two Sisters and a Piano, Canary Mary in Suzan-Lori Parks' F-ing A, and Lucy in Jack Goes Boating at The Public. She appeared in the Broadway revivals of A Streetcar Named Desire (Stella), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Magenta) and Les Miserables (Fantine).
Her film credits include detective Gloria Perez in Wild Things, Flawless, opposite Robert De Niro, and reprising the role of Lucy in the film version of Jack Goes Boating.
Rubin-Vega performs RENT's "Light My Candle" with Adam Pascal:
Follow Daphne on Twitter @daphnerubinvega and on Instagram @daphnerubinvega.
Stephanie Beatriz - Carla
Stephanie Beatriz is best known for her role of Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She also appeared in minor roles in the television series The Closer and Southland, as well as a recurring role on Modern Family.
She has had numerous stage appearances at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Theatreworks USA, The Old Globe Theatre, and Yale Repertory Theatre.
The best of Beatriz as Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine:
Follow Stephanie on Twitter @iamstephbeatz and on Instagram @stephaniebeatriz.
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