Lin Manuel-Miranda's Role On The Sopranos You Forgot About
Lin-Manuel Miranda became an industry icon after his hit musical, "Hamilton," triumphed on Broadway, on London's West End, and finally on Disney+ in 2020. Miranda's upcoming movie, "In The Heights," is likely to be his next big hit when it's released in June 2021. A story about the power of community that celebrates the Latinx culture of Washington Heights, the film is adapted from his Tony Award-winning musical of the same name, and stars "Hamilton" co-star Anthony Ramos and features Miranda as the "Piragua Guy."
Clearly, this A-list celeb didn't slow down after leaving "Hamilton," starring in "Mary Poppins Returns" on the big screen and in the BBC's "His Dark Materials" series, and becoming involved in other Disney projects, including a reboot of "The Little Mermaid." According to Celebrity Net Worth, for his multiple on-and-offscreen efforts, Miranda is worth an estimated $80 million, largely because he was the "sole creator, author, composer, lyricist, and former star" of "Hamilton."
But before he was a global superstar worth millions, the talented actor/singer/songwriter was a guy just trying to pay his bills — and he definitely paid his dues like the rest of us, landing small gigs in several TV shows, including "House," "Modern Family," and "How I Met Your Mother." The man who went on to play Alexander Hamilton on Broadway even got a small role in the gangster series, "The Sopranos." Keep scrolling to find out who Lin-Manuel Miranda played on the beloved HBO show.
Lin Manuel-Miranda paid his dues on The Sopranos before making it big
In the Season 6 episode of "The Sopranos" called "Remember When," Lin-Manuel Miranda plays a bellman. The 2007 episode follows Tony Soprano (the late James Gandolfini) and Paulie Gualtieri (Tony Sirico) on an FBI-evading road trip from New Jersey to Florida, and Miranda's character only appears for about a minute, but he's absolutely hilarious in the role.
Tony and Paulie run into Miranda's surly bellhop when they stop at one of their favorite shady models, only to discover a new legit hotel in its place. Miranda's character gives the gangsters dry, deadpan, and decidedly unhelpful answers — like, "I think maybe, I don't know." — to their questions about whether the place is indeed new, before Tony and Paulie simply drive away.
Reflecting on the early onscreen gig in a clip shared on HBO's Facebook page, Miranda said, "I was in the final season of 'The Sopranos' — that was my first TV job. It was two lines, saying, 'I don't know,' to Gandolfini and walking off. And I then get the great honor of the great Gandolfini going, 'F**king guy.'" But during a 2018 appearance on "Live! With Kelly and Ryan," Miranda shared further insight on just "how green an actor I am in that scene," explaining, "There's a thing called your mark, which is where you stop [walking] ... you can see me look down for my mark."
Hey, there are worse places to learn the ropes of TV-making than on the set of a hit HBO series.