-
People are coming to you at their most vulnerable; they're showing you the parts of themselves that they're afraid to show: the parts that they're not so sure about, not so secure in. And so it's a really holy profession I think, teaching. If you do it right, it can change somebody's life.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
That was the bat signal for me - 'Rent' changed my life. It took me years before I got beyond that show.
Leslie Odom, Jr.
-
I haven't had a chance to decorate my dressing room yet, but I have these pictures of myself as a kid that I want to put up because I said, 'I really want to make sure that I take that kid with me on this journey.' I want him to experience this.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
'Hamilton' has restored my faith in theater.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
We don't get to get swept up, because we have to start over every day at 8 o'clock.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
I've been fortunate in my life. It hasn't been easy, but there has been a focus on the positive, and it has reverberated. Eventually, the outlook mirrors itself back to you in the friends you have, in the partner that you choose.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
I'm addicted to growth.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
I know what it's like to be ignored; when I got to L.A., I longed for somebody who looked like me to show me the ropes.
Leslie Odom, Jr.
-
I have to remind myself that it may never be this good again.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
I've been in a long-term relationship, and I'll tell you, it's never boring! People trying to merge their lives together always run into challenges.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
I'm the nap champion.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
Oh, Alexander Hamilton fell short of his best self every now and again, and he still managed to do these wonderful things - well, so do I. So what am I capable of?
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
I think for a lot of us, you know, what 'Hamilton' gave us the opportunity to, what it gave me the opportunity to do, was to go, 'Here's what I've learned in 35 years.'
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
You can't judge the people that you play anyway; you leave that for somebody else to do.
Leslie Odom, Jr.
-
I haven't gotten hundreds of jobs that I've auditioned for.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
You gotta prove yourself. I'm not above that. I will never be above that. Bring it!
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
I have a great foundation, a great training foundation. But it took me a long time to let the training go.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
When I step on the stage and sing 'Wait for It,' I'm singing that for everybody. I don't mean I'm singing it for them; I mean, you are their voice.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
I remember when I was in 'Rent,' Daphne Rubin-Vega threw a party. At the time, she had a loft in TriBeCa, and the elevator opened right into her apartment. I was like, 'I've never seen anything like that.' I didn't know it was possible.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
I remember Ella Fitzgerald sort of coming into my life like a bolt of lightning - like, what is that? It was one of the purest examples of God in art that I'd ever seen.
Leslie Odom, Jr.
-
My dad was always in sales. My mom had a heart for the ages. Worked in recreation, doing rehabilitation in nursing homes. Very nice, practical folks who were very proud of me but had no inclination toward the stage in any way.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
You must be an artist and a citizen of the world. You must speak to this stuff that's happening. You must do what you can to shine a light on it, help people through it.
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
Until you make a name for yourself, they're like, 'Be a little more Denzel,' 'Be a little more Wesley Snipes.'
Leslie Odom, Jr. -
I was a good student; I was a good boy. I got A's, and I did all the papers right.
Leslie Odom, Jr.