Lin-Manuel Miranda Issues Statement Following Criticism of Afro-Latinx Representation in In the Heights Movie

In the Heights co-creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has issued a statement in response to a noted lack of color diversity within the film adaptation. Check out the statement below.

Adapted from Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Broadway musical, the story follows a tight-knit community in NYC’s Washington Heights—which has one of the city's largest concentration of Latinx residents—as they experience success, joy, luck, love, and heartbreak. While the film features a range of dancers in several sequences, the vast majority of principal roles are played by light-skinned Latinx performers.

The movie premiered June 10 with a release in theatres and on HBO Max.

-LMM pic.twitter.com/CHfdLgFUz3
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) June 14, 2021

In the Heights stars Anthony Ramos as Usnavi, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Daniela, Leslie Grace as Nina, Corey Hawkins as Benny, Melissa Barrera as Vanessa, Olga Merediz as Abuela Claudia, Stephanie Beatriz as Carla, Dascha Polanco as Cuca, Gregory Diaz IV as Sonny, Marc Anthony as Sonny’s father, Jimmy Smits as Kevin Rosario, and Noah Catala as Graffiti Pete. Miranda, who also produces, plays the Piraguero.

The film features a screenplay by Hudes and is directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians).