I remember when I was in 'Rent,' Daphne Rubin-Vega threw a party. At the time, she had a loft in TriBeCa, and the elevator opened right into her apartment. I was like, 'I've never seen anything like that.' I didn't know it was possible.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

None of us wants to be judged by our worst act on our worst day, and we consistently judge Burr for that. He was not a perfect man, but he's not a villain. He's a dude, just a guy.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Worst Wants Want

My dad was always in sales. My mom had a heart for the ages. Worked in recreation, doing rehabilitation in nursing homes. Very nice, practical folks who were very proud of me but had no inclination toward the stage in any way.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Work War Mom

Josh Gad was in my class. Katy Mixon. Griffin Matthews. Josh Groban - he ended up leaving to become a huge star, but he was in our class in freshman year. I remember Josh was this nerdy kid in a turtleneck with a voice from heaven.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Year Wit Voice

I've been fortunate in my life. It hasn't been easy, but there has been a focus on the positive, and it has reverberated. Eventually, the outlook mirrors itself back to you in the friends you have, in the partner that you choose.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Positive Life Art

It is said an artist spends their whole life trying to get to the place where their heart was first opened up. 'Rent' was that place for me.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Life Art Yin

I'm the nap champion.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

T Nap He

I'm glad things worked out the way they worked out.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Work Worked Way

You need to put your head down and... try not to lose hope.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Hope Your You

I remember when I was in 'Rent,' Daphne Rubin-Vega threw a party. At the time, she had a loft in TriBeCa, and the elevator opened right into her apartment. I was like, 'I've never seen anything like that.' I didn't know it was possible.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Time Men Art

For most of your career, what you're trying to do is to step into other people's shoes.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Car Your You

People are coming to you at their most vulnerable; they're showing you the parts of themselves that they're afraid to show: the parts that they're not so sure about, not so secure in. And so it's a really holy profession I think, teaching. If you do it right, it can change somebody's life.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Life Change Art

Sometimes I think of creativity or art as this well that we all draw from.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Time Art Well

Donny Hathaway's 'For All We Know' is the song that I've sung the longest. It is a beautiful song about living in the moment and appreciating this very second. That is the song I did for my 'Rent' audition.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Mom Men Way

Making $1,260 a week at 17 years old? That was a million dollars a week to me!

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Years Year Week

You gotta prove yourself. I'm not above that. I will never be above that. Bring it!

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Yourself Yours Your

We're reminded yet again: we are stronger, we are smarter, we have more fun when we include each other - when we include as many perspectives as possible.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Art UN T

You must be an artist and a citizen of the world. You must speak to this stuff that's happening. You must do what you can to shine a light on it, help people through it.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Art Zen You

I don't want to leave anything offstage.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Age Want Thing

There are certainly people who have committed horrific, evil acts in the history of humanity. I don't think Aaron Burr's one of them.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

History Who Tory

None of us get to divorce ourselves from the world. We walk into the theater and bring all of our grief and our pain and our joy with us.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

World Wit Walk

I haven't gotten hundreds of jobs that I've auditioned for.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I grew up in Philadelphia in a time where we took it for granted that we were supposed to be young and gifted and black. It was a culture of excellence - and all my friends were more talented than I was.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I know what not being able to pay your bills feels like real well... I know that way better than a room full of beautiful people and Tony awards and Grammy awards.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

There's this Frank Wildhorn tune 'Sarah' - it's not a widely known tune, but it's my favorite song to sing.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I grew up in the Canaan Baptist Church.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I studied at Carnegie Mellon. I went there with a bunch of really, really talented kids.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

'Rent' opened up my heart, my senses. I was never the same. I hadn't been back in that place in the same way since. 'Hamilton' put me back in that place.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

When we go and cheer Cynthia Erivo on in 'The Color Purple,' it's because we've elected her to be our voice. She sings 'I'm Here' for all of us.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I'm an artist, and I like art that gets people talking, good or bad. Criticism is good, too.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

The only reason to keep talking about history is if you are juxtaposing it with the world that we live in today, if you are learning something about our world by looking at the way they shaped their world.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I think it was, my parents got me a karaoke machine when I was about 9 years old. Even before that, they got me a tape recorder that I used to walk around my life with. And there was something about recording and then hearing myself back.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I've been involved with 'Hamilton' for about two and a half years. I've learned so much. I came into it a young man. Now I've dropped the 'young.'

Leslie Odom, Jr.

When I see the black experience - there's not one, but it is specific, and you can't ignore it.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I feel like every night, when you see a really good production of 'Romeo and Juliet' or something, you should hope that it ends differently. That's why we watch our favorite movies again and again.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

The bad guys have way more fun, in my opinion. 'Bad guys' in quotes.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I don't have any control over the offers that are going to come to me or not come to me. But I can't go backward, and so that's what's tricky.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I think I spent most of my childhood, and my early years as a performer, in student mode. And I think that's OK - I mean, it led me to where I am.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Until you make a name for yourself, they're like, 'Be a little more Denzel,' 'Be a little more Wesley Snipes.'

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I wanted to make an album that was hopeful and encouraging and inspiring. That was the goal.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I know what it's like to be ignored; when I got to L.A., I longed for somebody who looked like me to show me the ropes.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

What a casting director does is they're a connector.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

As an artist, I'm very used to waking up and sort of not knowing what my day's going to be and not knowing where my next paycheck is going to come from.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

What goes up must come down; I'm not going to be in 'Hamilton' forever. Everything I work on won't have this kind of success.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Nothing lasts forever in my profession.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

When I step on the stage and sing 'Wait for It,' I'm singing that for everybody. I don't mean I'm singing it for them; I mean, you are their voice.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I know what feeling broke feels like real well. I know that real well.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

That was the bat signal for me - 'Rent' changed my life. It took me years before I got beyond that show.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I got my Equity Card with my Broadway debut when I did 'Rent.' I was in high school, and I came to New York to do that show.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I kind of think we sort of subconsciously draw things into our lives, whatever we're trying to work through.

Leslie Odom, Jr.

I think art, at its best, happens on a conscious and a subconscious level.

Leslie Odom, Jr.