Javier Muñoz on Scrappy Tweets, Hamilton in the Rearview, His New Role and More on Show People

Javier Muñoz may not spit rhymes on stage as the 10-dollar Founding Father at the Richard Rodgers Theatre these days, but the former Hamilton and In the Heights star has shown no signs of faltering from his go-getter attitude. The performer is playing Raoul in Jeff Augustin’s The New Englanders at Manhattan Theatre Club off-Broadway through October 20. “It’s so incredible just to get into the detail of the text, just to be in the moment," he says of appearing in the play. "It’s just the language, and I love that.” Muñoz certainly has a lot to say. He's working on a book (or several books!) about his story of growing up in one of New York City's most dangerous neighborhoods, putting himself through college, beating cancer, serving as a role model for those living with HIV, filling Lin-Manuel Miranda's shoes on stage and paving his own path as a performer and activist. Muñoz discussed his life post-Hamilton, why he isn't afraid to get scrappy on Twitter and more on Show People with Paul Wontorek.

Here are some of the highlights:

ON RETURNING TO THE RICHARD RODGERS THEATRE
“The closest experience I can compare it to is when you’ve left elementary school or you’ve graduated high school, and you go back to visit those environments, and suddenly, the desks really feel so small. You feel so much larger than the space. I think that’s growth. I think that’s evolution. I hadn’t been back at the Richard Rodgers since I left in January of last year. It was a beautiful feeling. When I was in Hamilton, it all felt larger than life. I don’t even know how to describe it. You couldn’t contain it all in that building. That moment was a gift, to be able to revisit the stage. It was really quiet and still. That was a gift.”

THE MAN IS NON-STOP
“I went to Brooklyn College. I’m the first in my family to go to college. No one discouraged it, but there certainly wasn’t any money put aside for me to go to school. It was up to me. I got sold on applying to NYU Tisch [School of the Arts]. I got accepted, and I couldn’t afford it. I deferred my acceptance for one year. I worked four jobs that entire year. I saved my money. When it came time to applying for loans, my mentor co-signed on my loan so I could afford that last bit of money. I was able to work my way through NYU. I was taking 18 credits a semester I was working three to four jobs on top of that, and I was always in a show. Literally, day to day, I would have to pencil in when I would sleep. I had to work my way through, and I did.”

MEETING LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA
“In the same year I tested positive for HIV, both my parents tested positive for cancer. I quit the business because I wasn’t working enough to help financially support them. One thing lead to another: there I am in the room auditioning for In the Heights. That’s when I met Lin. I don’t know how to describe it. It was like a kindred spirit. For two weeks, we were at the Eugene O’Neill theater conference in Connecticut. We were developing In the Heights. Lin was going to sit out and just be the composer. It was Quiara's [Alegria Hudes, the bookwriter] idea to have me come in, so I came in and auditioned for [the role of Usnavi]. That’s where it begins. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. Where would I be without his vision? He’s opened so many doors for us: for Latin artists, for women, for diversity. It’s a very, very lucky thing that my path crossed with his.”

THIS IS ME
“In 2002 when I tested positive, I spent three years not knowing a damn thing. The only thing I could focus on was my treatment, my conversations with my doctor and my wellness. In 2005, I hit a place where I was like, ‘I can’t hide this.’ This is who I am. When I walk into a room, this is what you get. It was terrifying but it was also the most liberating, freeing, empowering thing to just say, ‘This is me.’ To watch more and more people live openly with their status is tremendous.”

TWITTER TRAILBLAZER
"I am a fighter. That’s who I am. It’s really all about how someone comes to me, and then I pick and choose if I want to engage or not. Sometimes I’ll ignore it. Other times? It’s like, ‘No. You know what? Come here. Let’s have it out.’ It’s how I grew up. At some point, you’ve got to stop getting beat up. Given the administration we’re living under and the election and everything that’s happened up until this time: if you’re fortunate enough to not have a target on your back, that’s really lovely. I have multiple targets on my back as a minority, as part of the LGBTQ community, as someone living openly with HIV. There’s only so much I am going to witness happening without getting in the fight. We’ve come so far in the LGBTQ community. We’ve come so far with HIV and AIDS. We’ve come so far in all these ways. How dare anyone try and push us back. No. And so I will stand up, and I will be that guy who’s going to get scrappy.”

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