Leslie Odom Jr Leaving Hamilton — Page 4

ukmusicalfanatic said: "But yet the producers will be able to find a talented young actor to replace him who would absolutely leap at the chance to probably be paid half of that."

And while I understand the capitalistic reasoning behind this, I find the mindset deplorable. The show is a beast and requires performers with a very specific skill set. It's going to be very difficult to replace someone like LOJ or Diggs, even if the producers want to focus on the "brand" rather than the star. Will they do this every single year, replacing actors before they get too big for their britches?

LOJ said that the profit-sharing negotiations nearly "broke the company" and he's the one who led the charge - I wouldn't discount the producers holding it against him. If he's serious about being left out of the OBC recording, then signs point to something more serious than an actor simply wanting to leave to pursue new opportunities.

At the end of the day, the producers have the right to do whatever they want, and Hamilton will continue to be a monster hit. But it would have been smart to stagger the departures - both for publicity and for planning for understudies/new actors to take over the role. Even an extension by few months would have been nice. And I can't imagine LOJ's demands being SO outrageous that the producers couldn't possibly accept them.

Hellob said: "ukmusicalfanatic said: "Hellob said: "gypsy101 said: "since when was he paid "next to nothing"? no matter what the specific salary, if you are starring in a Broadway show you aren't making next to nothing.

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Next to nothing relative to the bounty.

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But yet the producers will be able to find a talented young actor to replace him who would absolutely leap at the chance to probably be paid half of that.

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But what kind of person does that? It's ok because it's entertainment? I'm guessing you don't feel the same about the people who say that about regular people's jobs. Is it ok if you ask for a raise and your boss says I don't need you, I can get someone for 1/2 your salary. Acting is their career and to hold the fact that someone else would die for their job so they can eat it is not cool.
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I'm not saying I agree with it at all because I really don't. I think Leslie and all the original cast are extremely talented and really have elevated the material to its current level. Unfortunately the acting industry is a brutal place and our feeling bad for the actors will never change that.

We don't know what's gone on behind the scenes at all and I definitely don't agree that someone should be replaced by the cheaper option.

Updated On: 6/19/16 at 07:38 PM

The producers just don't want to spend money and keep it for themselves. I understand it from a capitalist perspective but why not reward the actors who have been with the show for so long? The fact that he's threatening to not be in the recording of the original cast makes me think it's definitely more than him just moving on to something else.



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I haven't seen the video yet, does he say it as though he's threatening not to do it then? Or that things aren't working out to do it? Or could it be that he has pre-booked holidays and things can't be moved around? I guess we will find out soon enough.

ukmusicalfanatic said: "




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I haven't seen the video yet, does he say it as though he's threatening not to do it then? Or that things aren't working out to do it? Or could it be that he has pre-booked holidays and things can't be moved around? I guess we will find out soon enough.



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I haven't seen the video either but why else would he say that? I mean I assume they were planning of filming it on a day when the whole cast was there since Lin called it a film of the original cast. It seems like a threat or at least something is going on behind the scenes.. Maybe I'm completely wrong.

Broadway Forever2 said: "ukmusicalfanatic said: "




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I haven't seen the video yet, does he say it as though he's threatening not to do it then? Or that things aren't working out to do it? Or could it be that he has pre-booked holidays and things can't be moved around? I guess we will find out soon enough.



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I haven't seen the video either but why else would he say that? I mean I assume they were planning of filming it on a day when the whole cast was there since Lin called it a film of the original cast. It seems like a threat or at least something is going on behind the scenes.. Maybe I'm completely wrong.



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I guess we will find out, but it certainly does sound like something else is in the mix.

clearly the producers are heartless capitalists.

also, Lin makes much more than $100,000 a week. he's making 10% of the gross plus his salary as star. he is making bank.

Seems like most of the FB comments are along the lines of "what a jerk, gets his Tony and bounces"

"Ok maybe i'm an idealist but you would think they would at least pay their Tony winners at least until the end of the summer."

Union contracts aren't based on seasons or awards, they are negotiated with finite terms, including start and end dates. It's not as if a producer simply adds on weeks or additional salary on a whim, good will, or to reward. I sometimes think people forget this is an industry, with union members and hard-won terms that give bargaining power to both sides of the table. It's not about feelings or capricious decisions after someone is awarded or not.

No way Lin is making $100k/wk as an actor. Maybe after everything else is factored in, but def not as an actor. That would just be awful business as a producer.

Hellob said: "Seems like most of the FB comments are along the lines of "what a jerk, gets his Tony and bounces"



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Really? Majority of the comments I've seen actully mention the producers and contract negotiations or are mad that they are leaving after they bought tickets.

Hellob said: "blaxx said: "You obviously know nothing about business. There is no 'rewarding' actors. They don't have an emotional attachment to them; either it makes sense business wise or not. If the whole cast leaves tomorrow, the seats are still sold.



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That is not true. Tv and movie actors are regularly rewarded with cars, back end deals,etc for exceeding expectations. The second contract is where the real money comes.

Hamilton is like The Avengers of Broadway. We aren't talking about some indie film.



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That is when the performer is bringing in the moola, love. This is not the cast of Friends, that would make the whole operation fall apart if they left. There is zero need to reward these performers any further because their presence or their absence has no impact on the show's revenue.

There are indeed union mandated pay "bumps" for an after actor they have won a Tony award for that performance.

What is of course worth considering is that all contracts for the principles are presumably up July 9: about a month after the Tony's. The producers opened on Broadway knowing this would be the case. They also knew they were opening on Broadway with Hamilton already a sensational hit.

As has been described already in great detail, there are many reasons why it makes good business sense to replace the cast now at the height of its pop-culture zenith. To keep the leads around-- to renew their contracts -- is not only expensive, it makes the show about its "stars," which is a strategy they surely want to avoid.



I think you could also make the argument that keeping Tony winner Leslie Odom around but having him play opposite a non-star Alexander Hamilton could tip the balance of the story in a way the authors don't want.

I think it's the reason why you usually see a new Glinda and Elphaba start at the same time in Wicked. It would also certainly unbalance that story if they tried to star cast one of those roles, which of course they wisely have not.

Updated On: 6/19/16 at 08:48 PM

MinervaMoon said: "Unless this article is out of date, he makes 7% of the gross, plus his salary, maybe a little more if the show has recouped a certain amount, and obviously more in the future once it starts spreading. But for now, I said "over $100K" because that's what was reported he gets in royalties alone; granted I don't know his salary, but I'm just guessing it's less than $45K/wk, which is the difference between 7% and 10%. So I guess it depends on what you mean by "much more than $100,000 a week"."

I hadn't seen that article from 10 days ago, the last one I had seen about the topic said he would be making 10% of the weekly gross after the show recouped (which it certainly has by this point). Either way, he is making bank.

What I don't like about Seller as a producer in general is he seems to view actors as expendable.