Why Daveed Diggs Doesn’t Want To Star In A Hamilton Movie Musical

Daveed Diggs reveals that he doesn’t want to reprise his Hamilton roles in a potential movie adaptation. The celebrated stage show, developed and originally starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, explored the life of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, from his rise in the revolution to his fall from grace and death. In 2020, Disney+ acquired the rights to a professionally shot edit of Hamilton‘s 2016 Broadway run, releasing it on the streaming platform and making it eligible for award nomination, while talks have swirled for years about a proper movie adaptation.

As Diggs sat down with ScreenRant to discuss the release of his upcoming historical drama Nickel Boys, the actor opened up about whether he would be willing to reprise his roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson for a potential Hamilton movie adaptation. Diggs quickly ruled himself out of the roles, outright saying that he hoped that he wasn’t a consideration for the role:

I don’t think so. I hope they don’t ask me. You know what I’m saying?

The actor then elaborated by stating that both Lafayette and Jefferson were respectively 19 and 30 during the events that the stage show depicted, over a decade younger than he currently is. With the change in format, Diggs felt that both castings should be age-appropriate. Check out Diggs’ explanation below:

The thing about a movie is those guys are kids. They’re kids. Lafayette is 19 years old when he’s fighting in the revolution. Jefferson’s the old dude at 30. So, really, if we’re going to do a movie of that, you should cast it age appropriate.

What Diggs’ Response Means For Hamilton’s Potential Movie

Others Have Proven Diggs’ Roles Are Ready To Be Taken Up By Others

With almost a decade having passed since the 2016 Hamilton Broadway run was performed, the roles of Lafayette and Jefferson have been performed by many actors since across the globe. Therefore, while the professionally shot streaming version may make Diggs one of the most recognizable actors to play the character, the characters are no longer solely associated with him. As such, it is likely recasts of his roles would be met with understanding and acceptance by audiences.

However, while Diggs may not reprise his role, that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t make an appearance in a Hamilton movie. As seen with both 2024’s Mean Girls and Wicked adaptations featured stage star cameos as supporting characters throughout the movie, with the latter allowing direct interactions between original Elphaba and Galinda actors Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth with movie leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera to represent a passing of the torch. As such, a similar cameo by Diggs could provide a similar satisfying moment.

Our Thoughts On Diggs’ Potential Hamilton Movie Cameo Refusal

A Recasting Could Be Well-Received

While Diggs’ refusal may be disappointing to some, it is understandable for many others. A stage show can be treated by audiences with a certain suspension of disbelief, but movies are a more immersive medium that has to sell its reality to viewers. With the added layer of Hamilton being a historical tale, a greater emphasis on realism will be felt by viewers, meaning that a recast would be for the best.

With Diggs’ response, it is clear that he is thinking about what would be best for a Hamilton adaptation to be successful. And with the initial professionally shot performance’s success and the box-office performance of Wicked showing a renewed interest in musicals from audiences, a Hamilton movie could be an inevitability.

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Hamilton

Hamilton is a 2015 reimagining of the 2004 book Alexander Hamilton, written by Ron Chernow. This Broadway musical is split into two acts and follows the rise of Alexander Hamilton, including the array of people that influenced his life and political tenure.

Director

THomas Kail

Release Date

July 3, 2020

Studio(s)

Walt Disney Pictures

Distributor(s)

Disney+ , Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Runtime

160 Minutes

Budget

$12.5 Million

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