Exclusive: Sydney James Harcourt On Playing Multiple Roles On Hamilton

Now that the world has had a chance to see Hamilton on Disney+, let starting catching up with some of its cast members. One of them is Sydney James Harcourt, an Original Cast Member of Hamilton.. Sydney originated the role of James Reynolds, Phillip Schuyler and the Doctor but made history during his tenure as he went on as an understudy for almost every major male role in the show including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, King George, Marquis De Lafayette and Aaron Burr. Upon Leslie Odom JR’s departure in 2016, Sydney took over the role of Aaron Burr. He played 700+ performances.

He most recently appeared in the original American cast of Bob Dylan’s The Girl From The North Country at the Public Theater. He received a Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance.

BlackFilmandTV.com spoke with Harcourt on life during and after Hamilton.

Now that Hamilton is on Disney+ for the world to see, did you think it was going to happen sooner than later? 

Sydney James Harcourt: I thought it was later than sooner. When we filmed it, there was no there was no talk whatsoever of when it might be released. Some day down the road. I thought that maybe meant 15 years at least, because of how protective Broadway can be, or has been in the past, at least of any footage of show getting out. So it was a big surprise to me to hear it was coming out early, I think earlier this year, there was rumors of it coming out in October of 2021. And then suddenly, it was just getting three months. And so yeah, I thought it was later than sooner. 

With Broadway productions shut down for the year, people need a reason to know why Broadway exists.

Sydney James Harcourt: Yeah. Theater can bring us together and show us ourselves and give us a sense of community and dare I say patriotism. Besides all the other things it does, it just entertains you and makes you laugh. We do need to cherish that tradition. One of the problems that Broadway faces is that it's just not really accessible for all of America, in the stories that are told and how much it costs to come to New York. Let alone get tickets to a hit show. There's some work to do.

Going back, when did you know this will be something special?

Sydney James Harcourt: As soon as I heard the first songs and material. It's rare that as an actor of color, you get chances at material that really like speaks to your skill set that you had growing up. Listening to r&b and hip hop and, and pop and rap and suddenly, you're going to be seen in this amazing showcase. All of us realized from the leads to the ensembles to the swings that this opportunity was going to be what we made of it. There's no way we could have predicted that it was going to become this cultural phenomenon. But any chance to be seen and that this Broadway show is the one to be seen that season, you got to use them in this business if you don't already have connections. It's real. It's been amazing to see so many of the members of the ensemble that I worked with and loved be doing the things that they had dreamed about doing in all their different ways, whether that's in the business and moving on to TV and films, or if it's in music, or if it's in dance instruction. Just seeing them come to a high profile of their work brought to life is fantastic.

What was it like playing multiple roles on the show?

Sydney James Harcourt: It's fun. It’s a break from what can feel like Groundhog Day when you're doing eight shows a week. It's yet another opportunity to shine and show your versatility. It's a little crazy, especially in a show like Hamilton where there are so many words in rapid fire, and you're doing a scene where if the scene is three characters, you play all three of those characters. There can be this emphasis to want to say other people's lines, or to be listening to theirs and maybe forget yours because you're thinking about something about that character.. It can be a mind twister. But it is fun, and it sure is an edge of your seat kind of work. My first time on for Aaron Burr. I had never rehearsed with any other cast member. I had some music rehearsals but I had never had a staging rehearsal beyond you enter in this wing and you accident that wing. There’s some choreography stuff but a lot of that you got to pick up on your own. So it's an exercise in self awareness and and motivation.

Not only where you playing three roles, but you had to play the roles from other members at various times. Can you talk about that?

Sydney James Harcourt: They would call me 12:30 and say, "You're on today." I knew that in an hour, whatever was going to happen, I was walking out there on that stage is Aaron Burr, so I better get into it. I didn't have costumes. They had some costumes in stock. That were Leslie's costumes from the Off Broadway production. While I was getting dressed and walking around the stage by myself, and saying the things where they needed to be said, they were making my costume for me. That's insane. I wouldn't wish having no put in on other actors. It's so nice to like have like a lengthy rehearsal period and everything. But it is really an amazing experience to just be that scared and to overcome your fears of failing. It makes you so much stronger. I'll never do anything in entertainment that was so scary so that it was really, truly terrifying. At any moment, Chris (Jackson) can go out in the middle of a show, and then you're on for George Washington. I've had a week where I played in four shows of my ensemble character, three shows of Aaron Burr and one show of George Washington, and we're filming the movie during the off days. You just get some sleep and you keep going.

What’s happened since you have left the show?

Sydney James Harcourt: Well, the pandemic has been in some ways a more artistically fulfilling time. After I left Hamilton, I starred in The Girl from the North Country, the Bob Dylan musical, and got a Drama Desk nomination. That was something new. I'd never originated a role before. The award season I'd never experienced, with different things to go to, and that was really fun. I've been doing a lot more writing and recording. I'm working on an album with Warner Brothers in conjunction with the New York Times investigative journalist who is setting these stories of piracy on the sea, and human trafficking and slavery, and all of these crimes that happened on the sea. He released a book and it went bestseller and then he got Warner interested in hearing these peoples' tales told through rap because he thinks it is the best narrative function, and they've got animations to go with them and it's being released on Netflix. So that's been really amazing and I actually working with another Hamilton cast member of Thanye Jasperson on it, because they said I could get to bring some of your friends along on some of these good projects when you get these opportunities.

Before the pandemic, I do guest stars on television shows and that can feel like a revolving door at times in New York City. They are fun, but you're always auditioning and looking for your home in your big project. And then the pandemic hit, everything shut down. It was such a relief, not to be like trapped in this loop that you sometimes get as an actor. Reading all of these scripts every day and doing additional things and everything slowed down. Then all of this collaboration and submission became digital. And I've been thriving with projects that I'm doing with other artists that I know. Hamilton cast members and students that I teach at Interlochen Arts Academy, where I went to school. Now, I’m a guest artist in residence there. I've just been thriving on making those things. And now the TV show auditions are starting to come in, after the industry is figuring out what they're gonna do.

The characters are completely different. I'm not trying to shoehorn myself into a box. I'm being asked to audition for a gay dad in quarantine on a new NBC show. Three years ago, I would have been shocked if a role like that was coming down the pipe for a minority on major networks. I'm looking forward to seeing what all this social unrest and pausing the industry does to the fabric of in the landscape.