Lin-Manuel Miranda has broken his silence over the growing criticism over his latest movie musical In The Heights, which features a predominately Latinx cast.
Critics say the film didn’t go far enough and accused it of “colorism” for failing to represent the Afro-Latinx community that is present in the movie’s real-life setting of New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood.
On Monday, the Hamilton star issued a lengthy apology over the film’s shortcomings and vowed to do better.
“I started writing In the Heights because I didn’t feel seen. And over the past 20 years all I wanted was for us — ALL of us — to feel seen,” tweeted Miranda, 41. “It is clear that many in our dark-skinned Afro-Latino community didn’t feel sufficiently represented… particularly among leading roles.”
“I can hear the hurt and frustration over colorism, of feeling still unseen in the feedback. I hear that without sufficient dark-skinned Afro-Latino representation, the work feels extractive of the community we wanted so much to represent with pride and joy,” he continued.
“In trying to paint a mosaic of this community, we fell short,” said Miranda. “I’m truly sorry. I’m learning from the feedback, I thank you for raising it, and I’m listening.”
The Tony Award-winner closed out his apology by vowing to “do better in my future projects” and be mindful of what he can do “to make sure we are honoring our diverse and vibrant community.”
In The Heights, directed by Jon M. Chu, was adapted from the Broadway musical that Miranda is said to have first penned in 1998, when he was a sophomore in college.
The film — starring Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, Corey Hawkins and Olga Merediz — earned a disappointing $11.4 million during its opening weekend.
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