‘Hamilton’ Doesn’t Define Anthony Ramos, King Of The Side Hustle (HuffPost):
People tend to assume that the original stars of “Hamilton” walked away from the groundbreaking musical with a hefty paycheck. After all, the average ticket price for their acclaimed show eventually hit well above $1,000. And everyone from President Barack Obama to Beyoncé and Meryl Streep attended performances, beginning all the way back in 2015. It was, and still is, a phenomenon of a theater production.
In actuality, actor Anthony Ramos ― who originated the roles of statesman John Laurens and Hamilton’s eldest son, Philip, in the Tony Award–winning show ― said he and his co-stars made just enough money to cover their rent, bills and daily expenses.
“On Broadway, we had to negotiate with our producers to share some [earnings]. That was an ongoing process, but everybody came to an agreement,” he told HuffPost. “But we didn’t … the show didn’t financially make any of us rich. It provided for us and helped open doors to create other opportunities that helped us make money. But the show itself didn’t necessarily change my life or most people’s lives in the cast [financially]. The checks we get after that long negotiation for profit share have helped us after.”
Ramos didn’t divulge exact salaries. The typical minimum salary for a Broadway star, he said, is around $1,800 a week, though people can reportedly negotiate up to $10,000 or even $20,000. Off-Broadway rates are anywhere between $300 and $1,000 a week, depending on the number of seats in a theater. Like in any other industry, Ramos believes success in the theater world hinges on an ability to fight for what you feel you deserve.
“People don’t take into consideration that you won’t be in the show forever. You’re doing it eight times a week. You don’t get paid when you get hurt. You have to earn every single dollar,” he said. “Plus, when you leave the show, you don’t get any of that money. That’s it. You pay out your agent, your manager ― 10 percent, depending on what you’re doing. After paying taxes, and after it all adds up, you’re making good money, but you’re making just enough to live in New York City.”
At the end of the day, Ramos said he can only hope that the projects he takes on now create “an opportunity to do something better that will hopefully pay you more and also be just as creatively fulfilling or more creatively fulfilling than the last thing. A lot of the times that doesn’t happen. It can take people years to get another great job. This entertainment game is a gamble.”
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“I went to audition at [talent agency] Telsey for a show that was at a signature theater,” Ramos explained. “In an email, after I finish that open call, the casting director’s like, ‘We’re about to call you in for this thing called “Hamilton’s Mixtape.”’ And I was like, ‘“Hamilton’s Mixtape”? OK, cool, yeah, sure.’”
Ramos auditioned for musical supervisor Alex Lacamoire and director Tommy Kail. Clearly, it turned out well.
“They gave me the part that I eventually originated on Broadway,” Ramos said. “We did the four-week lab and then we had six months off. I worked at a bakery and a preschool. I shot my first super low-budget indie film in that time, too. Then, we were off-Broadway for six months, had a month off, and then we went on Broadway.”
All in all, Ramos played his dual roles at the Richard Rodgers Theatre for 17 months before taking his final bow on Nov. 20, 2016.
Ramos was still acting in “Hamilton” when Spike Lee ― who apparently saw the Lin-Manuel Miranda creation seven times ― approached him about “She’s Gotta Have It.”
“Spike came to the Public Theater [where the production ran off-Broadway] and after the show, he stands up, in the second row, and is just clapping really aggressively and pointing and clapping and pointing,” Ramos described. “And my boy Chris Jackson, next to me, whispered through the side of his mouth, ‘He ain’t pointing at me!’”
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Ramos himself is attempting to say something in his own art. He’s gearing up to release an EP of songs he wrote directly following the 2016 election. The “vibe” he was sensing from people around him inspired tracks including “Freedom” and “Common Ground,” which touch on graver topics like immigration. Sitting with me in the cafe, Ramos spoke his lyrics: “I was told that a life has no price, you see / but the hate in your eyes put a price on me.”
He’ll drop the record on the one-year anniversary of President Trump’s inauguration later this month.
“You can’t just think that things will get better — it takes work,” he said. “Hard things bring great humility and we need humility in this country. I’m grateful that we’re having hard conversations and dealing with each other. Even if it doesn’t seem like we’re dealing with each other well, we’re dealing with each other. We’re actually hitting things head-on.”
This kind of faith has helped the actor progress in both his life and career, and has allowed Ramos to envision himself as something more than just a “Hamilton” star.
“It’s tough to get out of that box,” he said, explaining that he must “take the chains off” in his own mind before anyone else can see him in a new light.
“My identity doesn’t lie in ‘Hamilton.’ My identity is not in Mars. It doesn’t lie in ‘Godzilla’ or whatever else I’ve been blessed to be a part of. People can label me however they want, but I know who I am at the end of the day and anyone who cares to come on the journey or get to know me will get to know me as an individual, and that’s all I really care about.”
Thankfully, Ramos has a great support system, which includes a partner who understands exactly what he’s going through. Jasmine Cephas Jones also starred in the original cast of “Hamilton” as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds, and Ramos says she’s there for him every step of his post-show journey.
“She keeps it real,” he told me. “You have someone who you can bounce off of who’s there constantly or someone who understands your point of view or where you’re coming from or can rebut your point of view. Having someone who is supportive is number one.”
As our nearly two-hour conversation came to an end and we got up to leave, Ramos informed me that he’d be heading to Puerto Rico to help out in any way he could after Hurricane Maria devastated his family’s homeland. He’s since returned from that visit, calling the experience “the most overwhelming, inspiring and beautiful thing I think I’ve ever seen.” Alongside Miranda, who’s reprising his role in “Hamilton” for a three-week run on the island, Ramos also took part in the all-star single “Almost Like Praying,” which raised money for relief. He said he’ll “do anything” he can to let Puerto Rico residents know they’re not alone.
“The only thing you leave in this world is a legacy,” Ramos said. “Eventually, your money gets spent. Eventually, your house gets sold. So what is your legacy going to be?”
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