It must be a strange moment to be an original Hamilton cast member. The biggest musical of the century just became the movie event of the summer, and while the Hamilton musical earned numerous accolades, the vast majority of the public hadn’t seen its stars in their most iconic roles until this week. Now, Broadway’s biggest musical is accessible to over 50 million Disney Plus subscribers, plus anyone else who’s willing to join the service to watch it.
This isn’t a typical big-break moment for the cast, though –– unlike most major movies, the Hamilton film was produced four years before its release, as the last remaining original cast members concluded their runs with the show. In the meantime between Hamilton’s production and its streaming debut, its multi-talented cast members have contributed to a number of excellent films. Here are some of the best movies featuring Hamilton alums.
Blindspotting
Perhaps the strongest film on this list, Blindspotting is an eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and occasionally jaw-dropping dramedy chronicling an Oakland resident’s final days of parole. Written by and starring Daveed Diggs (Lafayette/Jefferson) and his childhood friend Rafael Casal, Blindspotting offers a vibrantly bittersweet depiction of the bright side of the bay, tackling police brutality, gentrification, and implicit biases. Diggs utilizes his rapid-fire rapping ability in the film’s surreal spoken word segments, brilliantly marrying freestyle with soliloquy. Jasmine Cephas Jones (Maria Reynolds/Peggy Schuyler) costars as Casal’s girlfriend.
Blindspotting is available on HBO Max.
Moana
Technically, no Hamilton actors appear as actors in Disney’s animated island adventure Moana. But until In the Heights hits theatres next year, there’s no movie that shares more musical DNA with Hamilton than Moana. Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton, and the show’s creator) wrote original songs for the movie, and even performs one himself: “We Know the Way.” Dwayne Johnson sings the most Hamilton-ian track, “You’re Welcome,” which features fast-paced lyrics from a braggadocious performer, not dissimilar from Miranda’s titular character from his musical. Meanwhile, Christopher Jackson (George Washington) provides the singing voice for Moana’s father, and Philippa Soo (Eliza Hamilton) might be heard as one of the tribeswomen in Moana’s village.
Moana is available on Netflix.
Waves
At once a family drama, a coming-of-age tale, and a dual character study, Waves is a perplexing exercise in emotional and aesthetic maximalism. Everything about this movie is abrasively overdone, but in a way that usually serves the intense, overwhelmingly emotional story. Waves follows a Floridian family in the midst of tragic circumstances, with each member delivering a strong, nuanced performance. Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler) is a key supporting player, as she portrays the struggling matriarch. Waves is undoubtedly the most controversial and polarizing film on this list –– primarily because it revolves around a Black family but was written and directed by a white filmmaker, but also because it’s so heavily stylized and soundtracked.
Waves is available for rental on all digital platforms.
Murder on the Orient Express
Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr) hasn’t made many movies since winning his first Tony for Hamilton. Instead, he’s focused more on his singing career, releasing three albums since he left the show. However, he does make an appearance in Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. LOJ is just one piece of an impressive ensemble that also features Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Daisy Ridley, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, and Branagh himself. Orient Express was met with lukewarm reception three years ago, but it’s definitely worth a watch –– it’s a fun and technically superb murder mystery.
Murder on the Orient Express is available for rental on all digital platforms.
Mary Poppins Returns
The most traditional musical on this list, Mary Poppins Returns picks up 25 years after the 1964 original. Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton) plays right-hand man to Emily Blunt’s Mary Poppins. Returns is remarkably faithful to the beloved original movie — complete with animated sequences, elegant choreography, and a strong family drama at its core — but maintains enough originality to keep from feeling like a tired rehash. And though Marc Shaiman’s new songs can’t quite match the Sherman Brothers’ classics, the musical numbers all maintain a fun, energetic quality that’s enhanced by Miranda’s fast-paced performance.
Mary Poppins Returns is available on Netflix.
Hamilton alums have also had several small roles in big movies. Their limited screen time makes it tougher to justify a full entry for each of them, but they’re worth noting nonetheless. Anthony Ramos (John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton) plays a close friend and hype man for Lady Gaga’s Ally in Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born, the excellent music drama that earned seven Oscar nominations last year. Marriage Story, another awards contender, features Jasmine Cephas Jones (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds) as a member of Adam Driver’s theatre troupe. Daveed Diggs (Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson) portrays a sympathetic teacher in the emotional family drama Wonder, which also stars Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, and Owen Wilson. Diggs also has a small part in Nightcrawler director Dan Gilroy’s Velvet Buzzsaw, an absurd satire of the commercial art world. All of these movies are worth watching at least once, especially if you’re looking for something to scratch that Hamilton itch.
A Star is Born is available on HBO Max, Marriage Story and Velvet Buzzsaw are available on Netflix, and Wonder is available for rental on all digital platforms.
