While Miranda originated In the Heights’ lead role of Usnavi on Broadway, Ramos takes over the part of the bodega owner in the highly anticipated movie. “It’s amazing that he handed over this role that meant so much for him to play, and basically was like, ‘I’ma trust you with this,’” Ramos previously told the New York Post about Miranda’s decision to give Ramos the reins of the movie’s main protagonist. The performer saw similarities between him and the character, who saves his pennies while singing of a better life. Back in May, Ramos admitted in an interview with TIME, “I relate to Usnavi in so many ways: growing up Latino in New York, with so many dreams but also the reality of living paycheck-to-paycheck.” Ironically, the musical In the Heights came into Ramos’ life at a time when he was contemplating quitting acting altogether. “This show was the show I saw when I wanted to quit,” he recalled at a 2019 event for the movie (via PEOPLE). “I remember my college was giving away tickets to this show, and it was closing and I hadn’t seen it yet. I went by myself and I sat in that seat, and it was the first time I saw a show where it was like, ‘Oh, I don’t only relate to these characters, I know them.’” Ramos continued, “I saw Usnavi and he’s a guy that has big dreams, but it feels like he’s in this box. His dreams are so big that he’s so scared of them, and I related to that. There’s so many people that told me no, so many reasons I shouldn’t be up here. But we’re here. And I don’t only feel that way about Usnavi, I feel that way about all these characters. I’m so grateful that we got to bring life to these people.” Before he lights up the screen in In the Heights, get to know more about Ramos and why he just might be Hollywood’s next huge star.
Where is Anthony Ramos from?
The singer, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was born and raised in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. “It was survival, really,” he told TIME of being raised there by a single mother in a housing project. “We had days where we didn’t have hot water, when we were about to be evicted. I had to be resourceful: ‘I asked Jean for a quarter yesterday, so maybe I can ask Miss Helen next door for one.’”
Who did Anthony Ramos play in Hamilton?
Ramos had the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton (son of AlexanderHamilton) in the Broadway production, which opened in 2015 at New York’s Richard Rodgers Theatre. Ramos exited the show in November of 2016. At the time his departure was revealed, Hamilton creator Miranda tweeted: “I told y’all @Anthony_Ramos1 would be a star. Now he goes to conquer the next world.” Ramos explained in a 2016 interview with Billboard that he was ready to move on from the popular musical. “I don’t regret anything. You know when you leave things and sometimes you say to yourself, ‘Man, I wish I could have done more?’ I don’t feel that way,” he admitted. “I feel like I’ve done everything I could, and it feels great. There’s no better time for me to leave than now. I left it all out on stage at the Rogers theater and I’m ready to move on. It feels really good. Bittersweet, honestly.”
Is Anthony Ramos single?
If you were hoping to shoot your shot with Ramos, we’ve got some bad news! The actor is off the market. In 2018, he got engaged to fellow Hamilton alum Jasmine Cephas Jones after popping the question on Christmas Eve 2018 at Arundel Castle in England.
Aside from Hamilton, what else has Anthony Ramos been in?
Moviegoers might recognize Ramos from 2018’s A Star is Born, playing Lady Gaga’s friend Ramon in the Oscar-nominated film. Ramos’ credits also include Godzilla: King of Monsters, HBO’s In Treatment, Spike Lee’s Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It and Honest Thief. Per Collider, Ramos confirmed in 2021 that he will star in a new Transformers film. “It’s easy for people to be like, ‘Oh, he’s the guy that sings and dances,’ or ‘He’s the guy that does this, that does action movies,’ or ‘Whatever, he makes music.’ I think I have to challenge myself, right? In Treatment was very different from In the Heights, which will be very different from Transformers,” he said. Ramos added, “Now to be able to do a movie like this, and to lead a franchise, that’s a blessing. It’s funny, I kept saying to my agents, I said, ‘Yo, I want to be the first Latino superhero.’ I kept saying this to them. I kept telling them, I kept telling them, like, ‘Yo, I want to be the first Puerto Rican superhero.’ And for years I’ve been saying it. And it’s just a blessing that now I get to be in a film where I’ll be able to do that.”
Has Anthony Ramos released music?
The Hamilton star released his first album, The Good & The Bad, in 2019. His next LP, Love and Lies, arrives soon—June 25, 2021, to be exact. Earlier this year, he dropped a single off the project called “Blessings,” telling fans on Twitter that it’s “one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written.”
Did Anthony Ramos always want to be a singer?
Although singing was something Ramos used to do at “family functions,” he confessed to Teen Vogue in 2016 that he “never took it seriously.” In fact, before sharing the stage with Miranda, the triple threat saw a future on the baseball field. “In high school, baseball was life,” he said in a 2015 interview with TheaterMania.com. “My senior year I had the highest batting average on the team. I was one of the starting pitchers. I wanted to play Division III ball and eventually coach. I knew that I was good enough to play college ball, but not professionally. My plan was to compete in college, get some money for school, and then coach after graduation — maybe at my old high school. I was planning my life around that vision.” In school, Ramos wound up auditioning for what he thought was a talent show, but instead got the lead role in a musical. “I was like, ‘Wait, hold on… A musical? That’s not what I auditioned for. I can’t memorize lines,’” he told Teen Vogue. “They broke down what it’d entail and convinced me to take the part. I totally didn’t want to do it, but I grew to love the show and auditioned for the next one and the next one.” A teacher at Ramos’ high school ended up encouraging him to apply for the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He said, “I’m convinced she was an angel sent from above to show me the path I was supposed to take in my life.”
How to see In the Heights
In the Heights hits theaters and HBO Max on Friday, June 11. Next, find out why our movie critic calls In the Heights “a technicolor extravaganza of dazzling sights.”
