The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From ‘Hamilton’ to his debut book, Leslie Odom Jr. gets his message out
Starring in “Hamilton,” one of Broadway’s most epic productions, changed Leslie Odom Jr.’s life. Since originating the role of one-time Vice President Aaron Burr in the hip-hop musical about the life and times of Alexander Hamilton, one of this nation’s most unlikely Founding Fathers, Odom is going places he never imagined growing up in Philadelphia.
In 2016, just before leaving the show, he won both a Tony and a Grammy. To date, the married father of one has released three albums, can be seen in a national Nationwide commercial and just became a first-time author with “Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning.”
Promoting “Failing Up” is bringing him to Atlanta Thursday evening, just two days after its official release. In an event at Agnes Scott College facilitated by the Decatur bookstore Little Shop of Stories, Odom will stand before another crowd, only this time as just himself.
It was not Odom’s idea to write a book. “I thought, ‘What am I going to write about? I’m too young for a memoir,’” Odom, who is in his late 30s, confessed via telephone. Fortunately his publisher, Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, knew of his rapport with college students and structured the book in the vein of a commencement address.
That worked well for Odom. “I had such an awakening during
college. I learned so much about myself,” he shared of his days at Carnegie Mellon. But he also remembered the anxiety of stepping out into the unknown, where only he was responsible for his well-being.
“I didn’t have a trust fund or anything like that as a young man, and so I knew that I needed to make my own way in this world. I needed to be able to pay my own rent and pay my own way. It’s a daunting prospect for many of us coming out of university, especially these days,” he said. “College kids are finding that the working world isn’t as welcoming as maybe it once was, especially as an artist. As an actor, I mean it’s like nearly impossible.”
“Failing Up” begins before those particular pressures, though, tracing the impact of an influential middle school teacher as well as his parents. Odom recalls his first big Broadway break playing Paul in “Rent” the summer leading into his senior year of high school before delving into his college years and beyond. Each chapter ends with a lesson learned and an invitation for the reader to apply it to his or her own life.
Back on the phone, Odom shares how harsh reality forced him to master the art of what he calls “translation.”
“You know I had to get good at things that were not really written with me in mind, things that may not have been written for a young black man,” he explained. “I had to really get good at, ‘How can I make this sound natural coming out of my mouth? How can I make this feel like it’s a role that I would play, something that’s appropriate for me?’”
“Hamilton” was a risk for Odom, but he didn’t see how he could not do it. To keep himself available, he turned down far more lucrative career opportunities. He had no idea “Hamilton” would change his life. No one did. He just knew “Hamilton” was special and he had to be a part of it.
“’Hamilton’ was one of the first times in my life I was given material, especially something that’s that powerful and resonant in such a major way, that was a role that was written for a person of color,” Odom shared.
“Lin(-Manuel Miranda) saw a lack of opportunity, a lack of parts for him to play. As a Puerto Rican dude from Uptown in New York City, there’s no parts for Lin. Less parts for Lin than maybe even for me,” he explained. “So he created roles for himself and roles for other people.”
The show is “written in our tongue. It’s written in our language,” he continued. “So we stand on stage and we get to deliver this message without translation. And when you’re not translating, you can tap into deeper emotions and things that are more universal.”
Odom may no longer be a part of the Broadway production of “Hamilton,” but it forever remains a part of him. Today he is freer to deliver his own messages without translation. “Failing Up” is written in Odom’s tongue with him as the star and teacher.