In the Heights star says film “is not just cracking the door open but busting the door open”
Corey Hawkins says the Lin Manuel Miranda musical adaptation takes vital steps forward in terms of representation on the big screen.
Lin Manuel Miranda's first Broadway musical In The Heights has been adapted into a brand new film – which seems destined to be a huge summertime hit when it arrives in cinemas on 18th June.
The film chronicles a summer in the lives of a group of largely Hispanic residents of the eponymous New York neighbourhood, and one of the show's stars has spoken out about how important the film is in terms of representation.
Straight Outta Compton star Corey Hawkins, who plays African American character Benny in the film has said that the film is "filled with hope" and is vital in terms of people "being seen" on the big screen.
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"Personally, as a person of colour and a member of the ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery) community I know what that is, and we all know what that is, to not be seen and be in spaces where your voice is not only not seen but not celebrated," he told RadioTimes.com and other press at a Q&A prior to the film's release.
"And this opportunity for all of us to come together and not just crack the door open, but busting the door open, in a real way... it just feels tangible, it feels timely, it feels like the time is now. And it’s just magic to sit in a theatre together and that moment when the lights go down and they dim and you can just sit back and be next to somebody who is not from where you’re from, who doesn’t look like how you look, but we all connect through that same line of humanity and space and time.
"So I don’t know if I can come up with other words but I just know the emotions are real and full and I feel it every time I sit with this cast, I feel it every time I speak about this movie, I feel it every time, the honour and the joy to be able to watch this film and to celebrate and lift up the Latino community, the Latinx community.
"I know that when one of us wins we all win, so that’s just the joy, and that’s not just the people of colour that’s all of humanity. So that’s what it means to me, that's the weight of it for me and the honour of it for me."
In the Heights is released in UK cinemas on Friday 18th June 2021 - and the In The Heights soundtrack is already available to listen to in full. Visit our Movies hub for all the latest news. Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
