Christopher Jackson on Filming the Hamilton Movie and the Legacy of In the Heights

History has its eyes on Christopher Jackson, and that's a good thing. Tony-nominated for his turn as George Washington in the mega-hit Hamilton, Jackson's stage career spans over 20 years and started with being part of The Lion King original Broadway company. Now on break from filming Bull, the CBS TV show he's been a series regular on since 2016, Jackson checked in with Paul Wontorek on #LiveatFive: Home Edition to talk about his upcoming projects and more.

"We were on the last day of shooting the 20th episode when we got a call saying we have to shut down," Jackson said about Bull. "We were three episodes shy of our projected full season, so now we're in this hiatus now. We're usually off April to July anyway, so I'm gearing up to tackle some projects that have been on the backburner."

While Jackson is working on top secret projects ("some new music" he hinted), fans can start gearing up to see him back as General Washington on the big screen in the previously announced Hamilton movie. "We filmed it towards the end of that first year over the course of three days," Jackson said. "We performed it in front of two different audiences and on the day in between we did a lot of close-up stuff. It was a lot of cameras and crew, but when you're doing the show it's still the show. [Director] Tommy [Kail] did a fantastic job of really allowing us to be in our element so he could really capture it from the audience's perspective. It was pretty unique and I have every confidence that there's going to be some things in there that are going to surprise and delight a lot of folks."

Jackson was a member of the original Broadway cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes' In the Heights, which is also getting the big-screen treatment. "I was fortunate to get the first crack at [playing Benny]," he said. "There can only be one first impression, but now they have another pass at telling the story. There's not a single member of that company that isn't as brilliant and wonderful in approaching the material with as much heart as we did. I mean, there's something about that show that just elicits an incredible reaction. No matter if you're in a high school in Iowa or if you're in the Bronx or if you are on Broadway with us, everybody has almost the same kind of experience with it, which is what's so magical about it. I'm in it, maybe. You'll just have to wait and see. I'm telling you, it's going to be magical and worth the wait."

Although theaters are dark for the time being, Jackson is finding hope in the resilience of the community. "I think what's most painful of all this is that as actors and as part of this community, we can't be with each other," he said. "We can't do the thing that fills that hole inside of us. But I love how we're finding ways around it. There's a reason why Broadway exists, and it's because people need to feel a togetherness and communion as we gather around this amazing work that writers and directors and composers put together for us. To be able to touch it in whatever way we can is pretty spectacular."

Watch Jackson talk about the idea of returning to Hamilton and more in the full episode below!