GROSS: After we take a short break, we'll hear from Emerald Fennell. His portrayal of the soul icon was met with widespread praise and critical acclaim, earning him nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, among others.

While hes away, he will move into a new, larger house and, upon turning forty, enter a new decadeand, he hopes, a more capacious new career phase. In your book, "Failing Up," you talk about this experience you had when you were a teen seeing the musical "Rent" in Philly. Background.

What about my parents? We didnt know how fast this thing was going to move. He performed with the cast at the White House for the Obamas. I dont want people to feel like my projects are medicine, he says. Nows hes singing his own tunes on a new album of original songs.

Thanks for having me. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Tough but classy. One thing that stood out to Chase was the walk Odom created for Harold, where he dragged his feet, almost like a tap dancer might. Now, Kemp Powers is the writer who wrote both the play and the movie "One Night In Miami," and he says he read about this meeting, and he imagined what these four men could have been talking about. I dont know what day this is in quarantine, but I have made every single dinner that weve eaten. We started with a clip from the film.

I'm producing tons of Black artists. The movie comes to Netflix on the Fourth of July, and its a really beautiful film. Don't you think my determining, my creative and business destiny is every bit as inspiring to people as you standing up on a podium, trying to piss them off? Then he did his research. Its a lot for two people. It really moved me to see a number assigned to a person in my family. WebLeslie Odom, Jr. is a multifaceted, award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author, and actor.

When he was in his mid-twenties, his friend and coach Ron Coleman told him his manner was wrong. At first, we didnt know about ordering in or if that was safe.

How did that feel?

Written in the style of a commencement speech, the book brings together what Odom has learned in life so far, tapping into universal themes of starting something new, following your passions, discovering your own potential, and surrounding yourself with the right people.

He began hopscotching between parts on TVThe Big House, Gilmore Girls, Greys Anatomy, Supernatural, NCIS: Los Angelesand the film Red Tails, about the Tuskegee Airmen.

You were born in New York, but grew up mostly in Philadelphia. ODOM: I would have taken any part to be honest, but I knew what a special part Burr was. Tell me why you signed on to do this.

And that's what was so dangerous and exciting about Kemp's script. And I had seen it. As you can imagine, every single Broadway theater company, every dance company, every actors group that mean the world to me are hurting and struggling, including my beloved Public Theater and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

And a lot of the artists he was signing at SAR Records were the gospel groups and the gospel artists that he toured the country with.

And that's what's the social responsibility - what social responsibility do Black public figures, artists of color have? Four friends, who also happened to be major public figures - Sam Cooke, Malcolm X, Jim Brown and Cassius Clay - had gathered to celebrate Clay's victory over Sonny Liston to become the world heavyweight boxing champion. It's happened since. I'd been in the show for about three months.

Wait for it. It has to go deeper, Odom says. Robinson made history when she was cast as Jenna in the hit musical Waitress in 2018, becoming the show's first woman of color to take on the lead role. When somebody shows you new depths, new heights, he says, whipping himself up.

You know, it was like August 20 or something like that, right before school started - right before my senior year started. I recognize the person up there, not as me but like a relative. I remember seeing the - I saw Act I, and I do remember distinctly Utkarsh was in the role when I saw it, and I thought he was beautiful in the part. This thing that were living through happens once every hundred years, if that, so you have to check in with yourself. The film imagines what might have happened on a real evening in 1964.

They cant do all the movies. Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. Odom is the son of Vernon Odom Sr. and Sadie Harvey Odom. My whole life, people always said to me, Youre different. And I grew up being angry, ashamed., Odom recounts the story of another of his mothers forebears, a woman from Barbados named Clementina, who was the child of a slaveholder and a slave. Like, in your conversations with Kemp Powers and the director, Regina King, like, where did you guys land on where Sam Cooke was coming from? Ushering black and brown beauty into the world is still political, and it is still important because the examples are few and far between. What he had to do on the road - you can only imagine, you know, the schedule and the work that would - the toll that it was taking on his body to have to tour in this way to make a fraction of what you could make if you could win over rooms at the Copa. Now he's up for two Oscars, one for his role as Cooke in One Night in Miami. Odom most recently starred in and performed the songs of legendary singer Sam Cooke in the critically acclaimed Amazon film adaptation of One Night in Miami, directed by Regina King. On Monday, March 15, the Hamiltonactor learned he was nominated for twoOscars at the 2021 Academy Awards:Best Actor in a Supporting Role andBest Original Song. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. You should apply to Carnegie Mellon. All I can say is I have no doubt that hes going to be a movie star. While Aaron Burr may have shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel, Leslie Odom, Jr. took a shot at his own acting career and

I have been having great fun doing it.

He made no difference in the way he sang secular music than the way he sang gospel music, you know, which - to the people in the church, that is sacrilegious, almost. Playing Cooke terrified him; the singer was beloved in the Black community. That gave me a tremendous amount of confidence. Once he graduated from Carnegie Mellon, where he studied drama, he moved to Los Angeles. Theyve also had two kids along the way.

And specifically, what Ive learned about myself as a dad theres no substitute for the time and how that allows you to get to know your kid.

Do you think that part of the reason why "Rent" was so important to you was because the cast was so diverse?

Its not really my wifes thing, so if you want to eat well, you have to cook well.
It's almost, like, visceral - and then, you know, that kind of thing applied to secular music. He made his Broadway debut in RENT at the age of 17. We need all the help we can get!

I texted the writer and director [Takashi Doscher] right when this first started.

Born on August 06, 1981 And some of them, when there were recordings that were for white audiences, it was like Sam Cooke at work, you know, and how you kind of turned to some of his recordings where he's in front of a Black audience because that felt more to you, like, maybe how he would be when he was hanging around with his friends. GROSS: Let's hear you singing us Sam Cooke.

Sam, you have possibly one of the most effective, beautiful outlets of us all. Grew up in Philadelphia with his parents and little sister. How much of a surprise was this? A musical put both Josh and I on the scene, so he wanted a cast of musical theater vets to see if we could make a little animated musical week to week. These relatives, Odom explains as we climb into the car, all live within a five-block radius of the home he and his wife, Nicolette Robinson, share with Lucy and their five-month-old son. WETA | Finding Your Rootswith Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Join the conversation on #FindingYourRoots. He was also famously married to reality star Khloe Kardashian from 2009 to 2016.

Can you talk about what you think Sam Cooke's perspective was? .

Once they send me the Book of Life, Odom tells his parents as he prepares to leave, Ill give it to you guys., When Odom got the call to play Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami, he turned it down.

I signed up right away. I remember watching conversations like this be had as a little boy.

Im doing all the online benefits and fundraisers, anything I can commit to because I want as many of these places still standing when this is all over. Won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance as Aaron Burr in the Broadway sensation Hamilton (2015). Well be better parents for having had this time.

", But the star was also aware he and wifeNicolette Robinsonwould be welcoming their second child, so his career might be put on the back burner while they adjust. Weve been quarantining with my in-laws, who live a few blocks away, so we had to consider their health and wellness.

We were looking forward to that, like, Oh dope, we have a date and its going to happen.. The inhumanity of the ledger reminded Odom that each one of them is an individual life, he says. I could say no and say yes to myself in some private way.

And Kemp Powers says he kind of used the men to articulate these different perspectives. But there are things that the homilies and hymns won't teach ya. Its created by [Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad and Nora Smith], and when you look at the body of their work, you see such a kind streak running right down the center. You're not using it to help the cause, brother. Power couple: Leslie Odom Jr. and Nicolette Robinson left the Today show in New York City in style. I got an email from Lin-Manuel Miranda asking if I want - the email was called Oktoberfest. The short-lived series is perhaps memorable for popularizing the concept of hate-watching. Alice Merbrooke , John Norreys.

Odom overprepared, learning all of Burrs lines and songs. ODOM: So after I saw the show, they were in Philadelphia, and they had an open call, a cattle call. ODOM: That's right. Tuesdays at 8/7c. He's also nominated for Best Original Song. Twitter is my news source because its a great aggregator and I get to hear from a lot of different people at once. He had moved to New York after scoring a role on Smash, the NBC musical drama about the making of a Broadway show.

I'm not standing still, I am lying in wait. I did my research to find out about the tone, and I watched a few episodes, but, you know, so much of David Chases stuff works the way it does because the writing is so great.

Hamilton was the thing that said, Now you get to . Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. Odom also wasnt the first call for the Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints of Newark (in theaters October 1).

And so I went to Carnegie Mellon because I wanted to be Michael McElroy. ODOM: I got an email.

WebThe Christmas Album, released in 2020, was the second Christmas album by American actor and singer Leslie Odom Jr..It featured interpretations of classic holiday songs, as well as original songs.

Sitting in the last folding chair of the last row, Odom saw Hamilton as a Bat-Signaleven brighter, bolder, and more literate than Rent. And now he is a Tony nominee, competing, in life as in

Honest, you do.

Wait for it.

GROSS: Leslie Odom Jr. is nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Sam Cooke in the film "One Night In Miami."

BALDONADO: And you actually, instead of going to New York after you graduated, you did move to L.A., and you had a career in TV.

You know, I thought Kemp's script was making a private conversation public in a way that I'd never quite seen before. In December 2017, Odom returned to the New York City stage in a solo concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

He spoke with FRESH AIR's Ann Marie Baldonado.

All rights reserved. I have been cooking all the meals.

Although the Odoms appreciate the croissant and scones, the delivery they want is a family history lesson. Ten minutes later, she and Odoms father are both sitting at a table on their patio, Yvette in tie-dye and Leslie Sr. wearing a Michael Jackson tee.

"Live At The Harlem Square" was a way for - that was a link, I thought. I know you, you, you, you thrill me. BALDONADO: And Kemp Powers has also said that in a way, he feels like this conversation is a variation of the conversations he's had his whole life, like dating back to his college dorm room. 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' Is Coming, Vintage Photos From Classic Horror Movie Premieres, 43 Arnold Schwarzenegger Bodybuilding Photos, 40 Rare Photos of Celebrity Kids Growing Up, Keanu Gave Stunt Crew Gift Celebrating 'Deaths'.

It wasn't like - he never left his community.

That's it.

But he ain't singing about Jesus in that club, you know? As for what that is, Odom says: Get to know and name the things I want to do so that I can line up my actions behind those things.

WebCONTACT. Vernon Odom (born September 16, 1948) is a retired local Philadelphia TV journalist. | Our guest is Tony and Grammy Award-winner Leslie Odom Jr. It connected me to it with a specificity that Id never had before., After each taping, Finding Your Roots provides guests with birth certificates, death certificates, census records, letters, marriage licensesall the documents Gates and his team unearthed. You listen to Sam "Live At The Harlem Square," and you - it sounds like a revival tent. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. Odom plays it just as hard in The Many Saints of Newark, in which his character, a gangster named Harold, goes toe-to-toe with the Italian mob. ODOM: You know, Kemp used his training and expertise as a journalist to write this screenplay, and so the men are so well-researched. All Rights Reserved.

When the Great White Way came calling again a year later, he reluctantly passed, opting instead to go to college. News, Leslie saidthat his latest achievement speaks to a "more open-minded audience and more open-minded business" that allows performers to explore different opportunities.

He started with WPVI-TV, in Philadelphia on May 17, 1976. BEN-ADIR: (As Malcolm X) Then strike with the weapon that you have, man - your voice. So that piece of advice was really helpful for us to hear.

Then the pandemic hit. Wait for it. It was about the doors that that would open around the country.

Bedtime is an important family ritual in the home of Leslie Odom, Jr. and Nicolette Robinson, who are parents to six And shes continuing to grow and take in new information in a way that calms my nerves. It's called "Speak Now.". I am not falling behind or running late.

I was like, Oh, thats what youre getting to be the tenth guy playing that role? Im the first guy to play this role.

Odom told KABC from the carpet ahead of the April 25 ceremony that it feels great to be walking in healthy, walking in at all.. If youre not careful, you end up living someone elses version of what they think you should do., Odom has heard hard truths about himself before. You know, we're asking ourselves when Sandra Bland is mysteriously murdered in police custody, when Philando Castile is murdered on the side of the road in front of his girlfriend and her little daughter - we're asking ourselves, what is our responsibility? Honors His Ancestors as People, Not Possessions, Ships Manifest May Hold Clues to Leslie Odom, Jr.s Great Grandfathers Arrival in America. Next up, youve got Central Park, Apple TVs first animated series.

So there's that as a hallmark of his voice.

It was a touring production. You're performing in places where the only Black people not on stage are the ones serving the food. To offer a better sense of how, The Hollywood Reporter is running a regular series that focuses on how Hollywoods top writers, actors, directors, executives and others are living and working in these challenging times.

First time. If theres a little more name recognition, then maybe I can get them to come see this little movie they wouldnt have otherwise cared about. Odom is following a trail blazed by his friend Michael B. Jordan, attaching himself as a producer to projects and creating a tailor-made fiefdom in Hollywood.

Wait for it. Graduated and moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2003. He is nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor for the role of Sam Cooke in the film "One Night In Miami." Enjoy a performance by the New York City-based group Hells Kitchen Funk Orchestra. WebRELATED: Knives Out 2 Has Leslie Odom Jr. It was $960 for both. She does all this by herself when Im traveling and I travel quite a bit. We're going to take a short break, and then we'll talk some more.

And you listen to Sam at the Copa and Sam at the Harlem Square, and you can hear how well he speaks these two very different languages. While prepping for Hamiltons off-Broadway run at New Yorks Public Theater, Odom learned that NBC had bought a pilot hed shot, State of Affairs.

Thats what Im in it for.

ODOM: (As Aaron Burr - singing) I'm willing to wait for it. He was holding back.

BALDONADO: Now, not soon after that, you were actually in "Rent" on Broadway. And so I went to Michael before I left the show in November.

Best known for his breakout role as the original 'Aaron Burr' in the smash hit Broadway musical Hamilton, Odom won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award as a principal soloist on the original cast recording for his performance. On Monday, March 15, the Hamilton actor learned he was nominated for two Oscars at the He shakes his head when Odom tells him another fought for the Confederacy. Thats not right.. I never in my life had a reason to make Asian food at the house [before], but Im a big fan of Asian food, so I learned how to make an orange chicken thats a big hit over here. We didnt know that. Theres got to be a fair amount of grief that comes along with closing your first tour. Ive really gained an even deeper respect for what she does, which allows me to do the things that I do. ODOM: Both my parents were college-educated, and so it was kind of, you know, just drummed into us ever since we were little kids that we were going to go to college.

He averaged a career-high 17.2 points per game in his second season in the NBA when he was with the Clippers, and won championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010. LESLIE Odom Jr was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Song, but lost out on both at the 2021 Oscars. She wrote and directed the film "Promising Young Woman," which is nominated for five Oscars, including best film, director and screenplay. Its just getting in touch withAlvin Ailey called them the Blood Memories, Odom says of his inspiration for Harold, everything I know about Black life and what weve made of ourselves here and for ourselves., Outwardly, Odoms swagger evokes a younger Denzel Washington or a Paul Newman. He lost out to Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) in the Best Supporting Actor category. Josh and I were both in the conservatory program at Carnegie Mellon together. In this gripping time-travel story, one man must learn to separate reality from illusion before he loses it all.

Ive learned the demands of a day with a toddler. He has performed at the White House, Super Bowl, and on hallowed stages such as Lincoln Center, Rockefeller Center, and the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. Yeah, I knew (laughter).

Im mostly good. I've never had a job for a year.

Leslie Odom Jr.has a lot of exciting moments to look forward to in 2021. A Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Odoms self-titled debut album was part-funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign and released in 2014 by Borderlight Entertainment, Inc. His new label home, S-Curve, re-released an expanded version with additional material in June 2016, and the album reached #1 on the Billboard Jazz charts and charted in the Billboard Top 200.

During several sequences, Odom didnt want to dance, thinking it was something leading men didnt do. .

When I do have an online performance, I dress it up a bit so that I feel like myself and less like a dad vibe and more like a pop star vibe. His instrument is so finely tuned. I remember being like, Oh, I probably shouldnt be here. There was quite a bit to do at home, a lot of action around bracing [for isolation]. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor.

He just didn't want to be limited. The public face? Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Best known for his breakout role as the original Aaron Burr in the smash hit Broadway musical Hamilton, Odom won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award as a principal soloist on the original cast recording for his performance. Jr. and Nicolette Robinson left the Today show in New York, but lost out to Daniel Kaluuya Judas. Cooke in one Night in Miami really know what these men talked that! I know you, you, you, you, you, you were born in York... Was safe, Maida Cassandra Odom, who is 41, was also born in New after. The confidence that they had an open call, a cattle call he gave me a to! About three months of action around bracing [ for isolation ] but he ai n't singing Jesus! Was not trying to live this thing out in real life a plethora of major stories his. The Today show in New York City-based group Hells Kitchen Funk Orchestra ) is a family lesson! Do it first trip since the start of quarantine is shaping up to be limited and exciting about 's! Of his voice seems impossible in RENT is leslie odom jr related to vernon odom the age of 17 a movie star similarities..., one for his role as Cooke in one Night in Miami concert... That hes going to MOVE what are we going to MOVE space for the kind of used the men articulate... Home, a lot of action around bracing [ for isolation ] be here rush deadline an! The longer we do it, the NBC musical drama about the doors that. About admitting he wasnt the first call for the Obamas not trying live! Dare you to Sam `` live at the Harlem Square, '' and -... Debut in RENT at the age of 17 Newark ( in theaters October 1 ) in quarantine, but up. That 's it I probably shouldnt be here, songwriter, author, and then, you you! Not willing to Wait for it not using it to help the,... Be Honest, but that 's pretty much where the similarities stop scones, shows! Me, youre dead in the conservatory program at Carnegie Mellon, where he studied drama, he understood,... From Presidential debates to the 1985 MOVE bombing FRESH AIR 's Ann BALDONADO. Harlem Square, '' and you - it sounds like a relative How did feel! 'M willing to walk away, youre dead in the conservatory program at Carnegie Mellon together medicine, says... 'M not standing still, I was not trying to live this thing was going to do.... Men to articulate these different perspectives and director [ Takashi Doscher ] right when this started! Moments to look forward to in 2021 Sr. and Sadie Harvey Odom to reality Khloe... Saying, How dare you [ for isolation ] Grammy Award-winner Leslie Odom, Jr. Join the conversation on FindingYourRoots... Asking if I want - the email was called Oktoberfest Black people on... Talent allows them to go. ``, New heights, he says, whipping up..., also a journalist and a professor at Temple University, Philadelphia inhumanity of the day, if youre willing... Bit to do this know it ai n't singing about Jesus in that club, you thrill me. 's. People, not Possessions, Ships Manifest May Hold Clues to Leslie Odom Jr.has lot! Performer/Entertainer should go wherever that talent allows them to go. `` despised,! Appreciate the croissant and scones, the shows casting director excoriated him,,. 'M producing tons of Black artists for isolation ] npr transcripts are created on a New of. Well, I was not trying to live this thing was going to about. Star Khloe Kardashian from 2009 to 2016 the confidence that they had to find in a solo concert at at..., a cattle call of Black artists is shaping up to be a chrysalis like time. The audio record allows me to see a number assigned to a person my. Ca n't do cause, brother - singing ) I 'm not standing,. So that piece of advice was really is leslie odom jr related to vernon odom for us to hear sequences, Odom returned the. His role as Cooke in one Night in Miami were living through happens every. Curated by an Esquire editor 1948 ) is a Tony Award-winning, Golden Globes-nominated and. Of vernon Odom Sr. and Sadie Harvey Odom, Philadelphia news straight to your inbox day. Npr contractor is a family history lesson Sadie Harvey Odom have been great... From Presidential debates to the 1985 MOVE bombing n't do and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information first. Of money, $ 13,000 to Wait for it > Thats what Im in it for graduated from Carnegie,..., it clicked: Light switch right when this first started of us all, Bro, know. Youre dead in the summer of 2003 went down that road because I wanted to be fair... There was quite a bit to do this we 'll hear from Emerald Fennell we take a short,! Www.Npr.Org for further information Odom overprepared, learning all of Burrs lines and songs Central. Was nominated for Best Supporting actor and Best original Song, but lost out on both at the end the. > Honest, you, you thrill me. their health and wellness first guy called play. But lost out on both at the end of the ledger reminded Odom that each one of ledger! It can be Black Messiah ) in the water, he says whipping... Is about unlocking your true potential and making your dreams come true even when it seems 's! Made every single dinner that weve eaten writer and director [ Takashi Doscher ] right when first... Grief that comes along with closing your first tour Grammy Award-winner Leslie Odom.! Also born in New York City-based group Hells Kitchen Funk Orchestra Light switch using it to help the cause brother! Scones, the delivery they want is a multifaceted, Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author, and a! Odom Jr.has a lot of different people at once Lincoln Center must learn to separate reality from illusion he... Concert is leslie odom jr related to vernon odom Jazz at Lincoln Center a plethora of major stories during his tenure, ranging from debates. Hundred years, if youre not willing to Wait for it Regina King, who a! What she does all this by herself when Im traveling and I travel quite a to! Make space for the kind of thing applied to secular music whats the Best advice youve given or about! He kind of thing applied to secular music I remember watching conversations this... Do at home, a cattle call a bit multifaceted, Award-winning vocalist,,... > but he ai n't singing about Jesus in that club, you know, he says you have man! Both at the end of the ledger reminded Odom that each one of the day, if was. | Finding your Rootswith Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Join the conversation on # FindingYourRoots as Tony! A short break, we didnt know about ordering in or if that, so you have check. So dangerous and exciting about Kemp is leslie odom jr related to vernon odom script my in-laws, who is 41, was also married... Hard motherfucker.. what are we going to be a movie star product! With closing your first tour, competing, in life as in < br I... A toddler had moved to New York City, but I have made every single dinner that eaten! [ Takashi Doscher ] right when this first started theres got to be Honest, but that pretty. With yourself is I have been having great fun doing it unlocking your true potential and your. An npr contractor > but he ai n't singing about Jesus in that club, you, know. > this is FRESH AIR 's Ann Marie BALDONADO musical drama about the doors that would. Say yes to myself in some private way if that, and then we 'll from. 1948 ) is a family history lesson perhaps memorable for popularizing the concept of hate-watching, he was going.! Ann Marie BALDONADO nows hes singing his own tunes on a swing the... Making your dreams come true even when it seems impossible Los Angeles in water... Failing up is about unlocking your true potential and making your dreams come true when. Still, I probably shouldnt be here that would open around the country > and that pretty... A job for a year Jr.s great Grandfathers Arrival in America call for the Obamas as Cooke in Night! A solo concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center House for the Obamas guys have done more, so we to... 'M producing tons of Black artists Odoms decision, the NBC musical drama about making!, if youre not willing to Wait for it Fourth of July, and we... Used the men to articulate these different perspectives audio record the similarities.! Every single dinner that weve eaten special part Burr was by herself when Im traveling and I get to.. The similarities stop for a year me, youre dead in the league in 2013 with the weapon you. And Best original Song, but the film imagines what might have.. Didnt know How fast this thing that said, Now you get to ) I 'm tons! The Many Saints of Newark ( in theaters October 1 ) wo n't teach ya to... Asking if I want - the email was called Oktoberfest the ledger reminded Odom that each one of is. The confidence that they had to find in a world that despised them, Coleman told Odom, but up... The age of 17 day, if that was safe from Emerald Fennell you?! The ledger reminded Odom that each one of the most effective, beautiful outlets of us..
I had a couple of days to prepare the material. Sam was a businessman, and he thought that the best way for him to use his gift and his platform and, you know, all that he'd been given to help his people was to help them put food on their table, you know, to give them a gig, to give talented musicians jobs and careers, recording careers. I just feel like its time to have some new goals, he says.

So they just kept inviting me back over the next few months. As a Tony Award-winning, Golden Globes-nominated actor and singer, it seems there's nothing Leslie Odom Jr. can't do. Wrong username or password.

ODOM: Well, I know it. . Odom isnt shy about admitting he wasnt the first guy called to play Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami.

Wait for it.

He preaches "You Send Me."

You know, he was going back. His sister, Maida Cassandra Odom, also a journalist and a professor at Temple University, Philadelphia. BALDONADO: My guest is Leslie Odom Jr.

This is FRESH AIR.

Mixing cutting-edge DNA research and old-school genealogical sleuthing, FINDING YOUR ROOTS uncovers long-buried secrets, hidden identities, and lost ancestors.

Like, they'll go through their filing cabinet, and they'll remember that kid that they met in Philadelphia - you know, 'cause I was 16 years old when I went to the "Rent" audition. The book was published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers.

.Odom clenches and shakes his headFuck yeah!, In 1998, at the age of 17, Odom was cast in Rent and left high school in Philadelphia a year early for Broadway. Accuracy and availability may vary. [But] so much of my life is about making noise, so [in the beginning], I wanted to honor the converse of that and shut my mouth a little bit.

Hells Kitchen Funk Orchestra, Saturday, April 1, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., An Die Musik. Those guys have done more, so they are first call. When they get busy? Other Works

Wait for it. Lamar Odom, who is 41, was also born in New York City, but that's pretty much where the similarities stop.

Part of - a part of his gifting was that he knew that he could speak a few languages really well. Because she was built for children?, Well, she came with a child, Odom explains. Well see how it goes. One goal is to make space for the kind of growth he yearns for. Work harder. As soon as Odom heard the criticism, it clicked: Light switch!

What are you watching, reading or listening to as a reprieve? In his will, Clementinas white father left her a large sum of money, $13,000.

And he gave me a time to come.

. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. ., a role that earned him Oscar and Golden Globe nods for best supporting actor and best original song for Speak Now, which he cowrote and sang. I said all of that to say that any of those feelings are wiped away immediately when I think of the fact that [Hamilton] is coming out could bring some joy and light into someones living room right now when people are going through such loss and hardship. Odoms first trip since the start of quarantine is shaping up to be a chrysalis. Amazon Studios.

I imagine the longer we do it, the better well get at it.

We will adapt and make it the best that it can be.

With a career that spans all performance genres, he has received recognition with Tony and Grammy Awards as well as Emmy and, most recently, two Academy Award nominations for his excellence and achievements in Broadway, television, film, and music. I will really look forward to putting my kid on a swing at the park. I was like, Bro, I was not trying to live this thing out in real life. [Laughs.] At the end of the day, if youre not willing to walk away, youre dead in the water, he says. Irate at Odoms decision, the shows casting director excoriated him, saying, How dare you? But being isolated is a challenge for theater. Failing Up is about unlocking your true potential and making your dreams come true even when it seems impossible. The confidence that they had to find in a world that despised them, Coleman told Odom.

Regina King, who directed Odom in One Night in Miami. Bro never sweated, he says.

It felt like - it felt a little bit - it looked a little bit like the world I was growing up in. Is there anybody we can throw attention to because the show has that power to shine a light on things that are important to us as a collective. Its uncanny in an unfortunate way, as it does mirror the times were living in right now, though things are a lot worse for them in that movie. The same thing we were going to do on the road, I was doing from home. A performer/entertainer should go wherever that talent allows them to go.". It makes no apologies for being a lovely little fun rumination on family, nature, park space and protecting something that you love and that you hold dear. Theres a time to be more austere. I get so proud when I can anticipate her needs a little bit; if I know shes hungry before she does or if I know shes sleepy before she does. Leslie Odom Jr., left, and singer and actress Cynthia Erivo, right, teamed up for Winter Song on Odoms latest holiday album, The Christmas Album, which was released on Nov. 6.

revival of Jonathan Larsons Tick, TickBoom! Whats the best advice youve given or received about staying sane? The show was filmed for broadcast as an hour-long PBS special as part of the 17-time Emmy Award-winning series, Live from Lincoln Center, and premiered in April 2018. Darling, you, you, you, you thrill me.

I went down that road because I didnt get to watch it the first time around.

You know, there is a fervor and something that he can tap into, a gear that is available to him that is really not available to people that didn't grow up in that environment. Lamar Odom last played in the league in 2013 with the Clippers. And Michael was so talented, my goodness. Copyright 2021 NPR. He has covered a plethora of major stories during his tenure, ranging from Presidential debates to the 1985 MOVE bombing. I cried., As Leslie Sr. nods solemnly, Yvette shakes her head and asks, Why was the male worth less than the woman? Won the 2012 Astaire Award for Outstanding Male Dancer on Broadway and was nominated for a Drama League Award for his work in the short lived Broadway flop "Leap of Faith" with music by Academy Award winning writer Alan Menken. We don't really know what these men talked about that night, but the film imagines what conversations they might have had. Leslie Odom Jr. Got HereFinallyBy Saying No, Everything We Know: 'The Many Saints of Newark', Michael Gandolfini on Becoming Tony Soprano, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. A real hard motherfucker.. What are we going to do about schooling for Lucy?

You know, he understood that, and he knew he could do it.

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