DIRTY MONEY

‘One Dollar’ banks on shady socialite for suspense

TONY winner Leslie Odom Jr. is not throwing away his shot at a career beyond Broadway. “When I finished with ‘Hamilton,’ what I wanted to do was everything that people wouldn’t let me do before ‘Hamilton,’ ” said Odom, whose resume now includes a movie (2017’s “Murder on the Orient Express”), a jazz Christmas album, a memoir (“Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning,” published in March) and a role in the CBS All Access murder mystery “One Dollar.” Odom plays Randall, a mysterious socialite who moves to a small Pennsylvania steel town where he throws fabulous parties for the well-to-do as residents are rocked by a tanking economy, class divides and a multiple homicide.

Odom, 37, recently spoke by phone with The Post from the Upper West Side, where he lives with his wife, actress Nicolette Robinson (who makes her Broadway debut Sept. 4 in the musical “Waitress”), and their 16-monthold daughter, Lucille.

How does the setting — a Pittsburgh suburb with a steel mill — set the show’s tone?

It sets it in a real way. There’s a real blue collar feel to this town, to the show and a good portion of the characters. This show acknowledges an industry that’s been gutted over the last 10, 15 years, so there’s a lot of pain in that, regret and uncertainty. They set it in that town to explore those themes. Why does the show’s narrative involve a single dollar bill that gets passed around town? We’re tracking this dollar through the wealthiest parts of town and the poorest parts of town. It’s an exploration in the economic realities of a town like Pittsburgh.

How much is Rand hiding?

He protects and holds in a lot. If you want to make great television, it’s all about those secrets.

Is it uncomfortable to watch the contrast between the haves and the have-nots?

It is. A character like Rand does make you question the people who would rather throw a gala [that costs] $5 million to raise $7 million. It’s like, OK, that money could have been better spent. They are uncomfortable conversations, but they are happening and that’s the stuff of great dramas.

Beyond the financial aspect, how else are people in the town connected?

There are romantic connections, business connections, familial connections. It’s all about connections. And Rand is really kind of the only person of note, I think, who doesn’t have those because he’s new in town. He’s kind of a good-time tornado, throwing parties and throwing money around. That makes him attractive — and it also makes people curious about who this guy is and what he does.

Is it tough finding theater projects you love?

It’s just that stuff takes a long time. You know, Lin-Manuel Miranda worked on “Hamilton” for six years. So my next great theater adventure could be a few years away. It has to be an idea that gives you goosebumps and the feeling in your belly very early, because it has to sustain you to look at that thing for five or six years. If it’s a silly idea or it falls apart after six months of looking at it, that ain’t the one. It’s got to be something sturdy and exciting.

Daveed Diggs recently told The Post he would not return to “Hamilton.” Would you?

Oh, that breaks my heart. I would go back in a heartbeat if Daveed was going back. I’d never say never.