Exclusive: Corey Hawkins talks ‘In The Heights’ and the time he actually lived in Washington Heights
Now playing in theaters from Warner Bros. and streaming on HBO Max is the feature adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights,” based on the award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. The musical won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical. The film is directed by Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”) from a script by Quiara Alegría Hudes.
The film stars Anthony Ramos (Hamilton, A Star is Born), Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton) and Golden Globe winner Jimmy Smits (NYPD Blue), who will be playing the roles of Usnavi de la Vega, Benny and Kevin, respectively. Olga Merediz (The Place Beyond the Pines), Gregory Diaz(Broadway’s Matilda), Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera (Vida), Stephanie Beatriz(Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Dascha Polanco (Orange Is The New Black), and Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) also star alongside Marc Anthony.
Lights up on Washington Heights...The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life.
Hawkins, who first gained attention playing Dr. Dre in the blockbuster Straight Outta Compton, plays Benny, Usnavi’s best friend in the film. Besides appearing in films such as Kong: Skull Island, BlacKkKlansman, and 6 Underground, he also starred in the Broadway production Six Degrees of Separation, for which he received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales spoke with Hawkins about his role in the film, and filming in Washington Heights, where he to used to live at one point in his life.
