Is Lin-Manuel Miranda Gonna Get Through This Interview Alive?

Summary

Lin-Manuel Miranda sits down for a Q&A session in Wired’s Autocomplete Interview. He answers various questions regarding his personal and professional life, including his inspirations, favorite foods and songs, zodiac sign, career, and more.

How Lin-Manuel Miranda Survives Interviews
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Musical Background
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Professional Life
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Personal Life
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Legacy

How Lin-Manuel Miranda Survives Interviews

Lin-Manuel Miranda jokes about surviving interviews and pokes fun at the made-up term EGOT. He talks about his experiences singing in a children’s choir and his days as a first soprano in elementary school before moving on to the topic of his role in the musical Rent. He amusingly remarks that he has not yet secured a position in Rent but is preparing for an audition. When asked if he’s nice, he admits he sometimes comes off as rude when he has to go to the bathroom, but he tries his best to answer fan mail.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Musical Background

Lin-Manuel discusses his favorite foods (chicken pad Thai and penne ala vodka), his changing favorite Hamilton song (currently Wait For It), and his zodiac sign (Capricorn). He also shares that he wrote his first musical when he was in eighth grade, based on the book The Chosen by Chaim Potok, and received an A for his work.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Professional Life

Lin-Manuel Miranda reflects on his biggest inspirations, expressing that everyone has inspired him in one way or another. He mentions his love for the character Sebastian in The Little Mermaid and explains why he has always related to the frustrated music teacher. Lin-Manuel also talks about cutting his hair immediately after his final performance in Hamilton and his family life – he has a four-year-old and a ten-month-old, as well as an older sister named Luz.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Personal Life

Lin-Manuel discusses his upcoming role in Hamilton in Puerto Rico, plans to raise money for the island, and his love for Washington Heights. He reveals he writes music on the piano and wishes he could play the guitar, before jokingly sharing that he was “terrible” at face painting for children at a McDonald’s on 91st and Columbus Avenue. Additionally, Lin-Manuel points out that he is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, and Hunter College High School in Manhattan, New York.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Legacy

Lin-Manuel addresses how his name was inspired by a poem read by his father when he was 12 years old, and how it shows a bridge between his Puerto Rican and Vietnamese heritage. Lastly, he reflects on having won Grammy Awards for both In The Heights and Hamilton, as well as for his work on the Disney movie Moana. He mentions his desire to continue writing more musicals and promises to leave a lasting impact in the industry he loves so much.

Conclusion

Lin-Manuel Miranda offers a humorous yet honest look at his personal and professional life in this interview. He answers questions with wit, charm, and wisdom, proving not only his talent as a writer and performer but also his genuine character.