A long time coming
Risk pays off for Leslie Odom Jr. in ‘One Night’ role
Leslie Odom Jr. invented his own version of Vice President Aaron Burr in “Hamilton.” With LinManuel Miranda, Odom created a smooth, smoldering, scheming and meditative character that dominated the 2015 Broadway season — and won Odom a 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. But he had to take a different approach to become Sam Cooke for new film “One Night in Miami.”
“This was a great challenge because there was some degree of it that was about verisimilitude,” Odom told the Herald. “When I was playing Burr, everyone (in the audience) had to take a leap of imagination. What Lin-Manuel did was remind us that we don’t have to be literal in the theater, that sometimes symbolism can speak louder than the literal.”
“But playing Sam Cooke was the first time that I knew people would be grading me, at least in part, on how well I became the man, who is a hero to so many including myself,” he added. “That’s why I ran from the project for so long.”
“One Night in Miami” tells the story — inspired by real events — of the Feb. 25, 1964, night Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) won the world heavyweight championship and celebrated with his friends Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and Cooke. Directed with nuance, patience and grace by Regina King and written for the screen from his play of the same name by Kemp Powers, “One Night in Miami” might seem a dream project for countless talents. But it took Odom a few looks to make sure it was right for him.
“I felt Sam’s shoes would be ill-fitting, that the risk was a little too great,” Odom said. Then he added with a laugh: “I’m not proud of the fact that I passed twice on the chance to meet with Regina King before I finally said yes. But my representatives called me and they said they thought I was making a mistake. They had never called me like that before. My agent and manager got me on the phone just to tell me they really thought I should reconsider.”
Odom took another look at Powers’ script and understood what an achievement this film could be. (The actor’s transformation into Cooke could easily earn him an Oscar.) But more than that, the project allowed Odom to be everything he is: master actor, inspired singer and — as displayed in the song “Speak Now” — an insightful songwriter.
The film closes with Cooke debuting civil rights anthem and pop masterpiece “A Change Is Gonna Come” on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” while Malcolm X watches the somber performance on TV. Then, as the credits roll, “Speak Now” plays. Written with Sam Ashworth, Odom’s new tune echoes Cooke’s voice while reflecting on the ongoing struggle for justice.
“I am looking for opportunities where I don’t have to leave anything at the door,” Odom said. “I got to act in this film, sing in this film and I got to use all the wonderful training I’ve gotten. Then to cap it all off, I got to write something that encapsulated my feelings. With Sam, I got to write something about what we feel is our responsibility to the times we live in.”