Broadway star Javier Muñoz is a member of the Lin-Manuel Miranda company of actors. He played a small role in In the Heights before taking over the role of Usnavi from Miranda. He served as Miranda’s understudy in the title role of Hamilton, before assuming the part when Miranda left. And through it all he become dear friends with Mandy Gonzalez who originated the role of Nina in In the Heights and who took on the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton.
Gonzalez has two shows this weekend (one at The Soraya on Saturday and a second show at Irvine Barclay Theatre on Sunday) and she has invited Muñoz to join as her special guest.
When I spoke yesterday with Muñoz by phone he was effusive in his praise of Gonzalez, looking forward to performing different material and most importantly being truly and unapologetically himself.
You and Mandy were original cast members in In the Heights. How did your friendship develop and what stood out to you about her as both an actor and a person?
Oh my gosh. It’s a dream to know Mandy. We nicknamed her “The Beast” as a cast during In the Heights. Her work ethic, she is invincible, she’s a powerhouse and she puts everything – her heart, her soul, her guts – into everything she does. And she’s really a trustworthy confidant in my life. To have been friends and colleagues all these years is a genuine gift in my life.
How did your joining her for these shows come about?
There was a school opening for a new rehearsal space and theatre and part of the celebration was she and I sang together. I sang The Impossible Dream. For all the years we have known each other, we have know each other in the very specific style of Lin-Manuel Miranda. We rarely get to hear each other sing other types of material. And it really sparked a conversation between us about doing something together.
I jumped at the chance to perform with her and also to learn from her. The concert circuit isn’t something I do very often. She’s mastered this art and what a beautiful way to learn from one of my dearest old friends in the business.
What can people expect from the concerts?
Folks can expect the same powerhouse passionate performance from Mandy and I will bring in some Latin style and some classics that are dear to me. We’ll share our In the Heights and Hamilton journeys that are so special to us. This will show off a different style of what I do. There are other colors to what I do.
You live your life unapologetically on all levels. You are openly gay. You were open about your battle with cancer during the run of Hamilton and you are open about being HIV positive. No doubt there are people who discouraged you to do that. What would the price be to your soul if you weren’t as open as you are?
It would mean no happiness. It would be like a cancer growing in my heart. It’s how I’m built. It’s who I am. I see artists and celebrities do this pseudo-activism where they become a name and face for something, but they don’t get their hands dirty. This is literally how I was born and raised. I have been an activist since high school. This is as vital to me as much as my art is.
I assume you specifically chose the word cancer?
I didn’t use that lightly. It would kill me to not be part of the efforts and energies in the world to change things. To help those who need help. To give food to those who don’t have it. It’s part of my life’s blood. I won’t ever apologize for that. That’s the work I do.
You told GQ that you flew to California to have a face-to-face with the person who transmitted HIV to you a couple years after your diagnosis. When he said nothing, you said you realized, “how much pain he must be in.” How do you think that compassion influences your approach to the characters you play and the songs you sing?
I really am drawn to the imperfection in all of us because I see it in myself and I look at it and I try to love it and own it. I see my friends doing the same – trying to throw away the parts of themselves that are not so accepted in our society according to our rules in society. I can’t help but see that and think it is beautiful. Humanity is beautiful. We are all imperfect.
The theatre I want to do is the theatre that confronts ourselves and our humanity. I hope we walk away with a little more love around our imperfections. That’s where my performances come from. Act 2 in Hamilton is pretty intense. But I’m sitting in the living history of what could have inspired those choices. How can I love that story? How can I sit in that skin and tell that story to the audience? That is the great gift and power of the art form of theatre.
When you returned to Hamilton after cancer treatments you started a garden on the roof of the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Did someone take that over when you left the show?
Unfortunately it is gone. When I left I took what I could from the garden that I could sustain in smaller pots and bring them home. A lot of fans gave me gifts for the garden, but there was no one there to take care of it. It is something I think about often and it was a cherished place. When I got to the final day of removing the soil and the space where it lived, I couldn’t do it. I was sad to let it go.
As a teenager you played a guard in The King and I and knew you’d found your destiny. If you could go back and give that teenager advice about what his life would be and how best to navigate it, what would you tell him?
I would tell him… (and he takes a long pause) I would talk to him about self-worth. I would say to him the hardest journey is going to be saying yes to what life and the universe is going to offer you. You are going to deserve it. I was a hard worker then and I am now. Nothing came as a gift. No one handed anything to me. I would tell myself to make choices that were true to your self-worth because you deserve it. You deserve to be happy.
Photos of Javier Muñoz courtesy of Javier Muñoz