‘It took a long time to write everything that we ended up with, but it’s right the way it is,’ the Hamilton creator and star said of his ambitious My Shot
Lin-Manuel Miranda has said the numerous musical numbers in his new movie weren’t simply for the sake of television audiences.
Speaking at the New York City premiere of his film, A Star Is Born, the Hamilton creator said he aimed to give viewers the “full experience” of a film that uses musical elements.
The movie, which stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper as two American entertainers, follows the real-life stories of actress Esther Blodgett and 1930s rock-and-roll singer Billie Holiday.
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“It takes a long time to write every one of these scenes. It’s not just the line; it’s the music part. It’s not just a solo performance or a trio or a big ensemble, it’s all the little moments and you’re trying to capture that full experience and make it all make sense in the story,” he said.
“So it takes a long time to do that. But it’s right the way it is. I mean, look at all the little musical moments; that’s what it was about. It was about having those moments and trying to imagine it out as best as possible.”
Miranda also shed some light on how he and writers Justin Hurwitz and Mark Ronson came to write many of the movie’s high-energy, reflective arias.
“I knew Justin and Mark were pushing to write songs that had weight and content. I had already done about 200 of them for Hamilton, so I knew the band had already done that,” he said. “It was just waiting for the right music story and at the beginning I got it.”