In the Heights debuted on Broadway in 2008, but the film adaptation of the musical didn’t use the original cast. Directed by Jon M. Chu, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ musical gets the big screen treatment, but there are a host of new actors playing the characters in place of the initial cast members who originated the roles on stage.
Miranda wrote the music and lyrics to the songs of In the Heights, but he also played the role of Usnavi de la Vega during the Broadway run of the musical. While he appears in the film adaptation as the Piragua Guy, selling the shaved ice dessert to the neighborhood’s kids, the multi-talented actor opted to pass on reprising the role of Usnavi for the film version of the musical because he felt he’d aged out of the role. Usnavi is a 20-something-year-old guy and Miranda no longer fits the bill. The same can be said of the other characters, most of whom range from being in their teens to their 20s. After all, it’s been over a decade since In the Heights debuted on Broadway and the main cast have not only grown up, but have moved on to various other projects. The new actors more closely align with the age groups of the characters they're playing.
Chu was also adamant about hiring a plethora of unknown actors, probably because they would be able to breathe new life into the musical. With a host of rising stars, In the Heights introduces the characters to a new generation of audience members who may not be familiar with the original play or its cast. The only member of the In the Heights movie cast who reprises her exact role from the original musical is Olga Merediz, who plays Abuela Claudia. Considering her character is older than everyone else in the musical, it makes sense that Merediz is also the only original cast member to return to her role. Christopher Jackson, who originated the role of Benny on stage, makes a cameo appearance during In the Heights opposite Miranda’s character. In a way, Miranda, Jackson, and Merediz keep the spirit of the original cast and theatrical run alive in the movie adaptation.
With regards to age, it’s much easier for the audience to suspend their disbelief when it comes to watching older actors playing younger ones on stage. Theater is a different medium and most people aren’t sitting close enough to the stage to be able to tell the difference, while also understanding the unspoken acceptance that comes with watching actors perform on a set they know is not real. It’s why Anthony Ramos could play a young Philip Hamilton in Miranda’s Hamilton while Ben Platt playing the titular role in Dear Evan Hansen’s movie adaptation came under scrutiny despite having portrayed the character on stage.
The Hamilton film may be one of the only musicals to retain the original cast of the Broadway show, but that’s only because it wasn’t a true movie adaptation in the same way In the Heights was. Ultimately, the movie version of In the Heights ushers in a new wave of actors who will get their chance to shine. Miranda and Chu essentially pass the baton down to them to make their mark on in these roles in the same way that the OG actors did all those years ago.
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