Hamilton's Jasmine Cephas Jones Interview

[Jasmine Cephas Jones] Can we just talk about this shirt though? This is amazing! [Michael Korte] You guys [Jasmine Cephas Jones] This makes me so happy! [Intro] (The Don by Nas plays) [Michael Korte] Hamilton in the house! This is the city of Michael in the city of New York. Interviewing one of your favorite girls from Hamilton the Musical! This is Jasmine Cephas Jones!' [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Hi! [Michael Korte] Peggy and Maria aka Paria. Does anyone call you Paria? [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Oh my god. Lin and I made that up like, when we were-or no, it was Tommy Kail, Tommy Kail who's the director. We were walking and I was like in Peggy's costume but I had my like Maria red lip on and he was like "Paria!" and it was like a thing. [Michael Korte] Can you in one word tell me about the last year of your life? [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Insane. Jut absolutely insane. It's like more than a dream come true. It's an amazing opportunity and I'm just so bless to be apart of it [Michael Korte] Did you anticipate it? Did you feel it when you first got you're hands on the script or first heard the music? [Jasmine Cephas Jones] When I first heard the music my jaw like dropped to the floor and I was like "What the hell is this?" And I like knew it was something special right from the beginning but I had no idea it was gonna be like this like what it is now [Michael Korte] I don't know, I guess we should say if you don't know Hamilton the musical, our apologies for your life and your ears, and your soul, like Google "Hamilton The Musical" [Jasmine Cephas Jones] There's so much information about it just like put Hamilton the musical on the [Michael Korte] It's basically the musical of the millennium. Take me through the highs and lows of the audition process. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Okay so...I wasn't in the workshop but I was in the set for the public downtown. I was like one of the last people to come on to the project. My first audition I actually like stumbled on my words because I was so nervous. [Michael Korte] You were human! [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yes I was human! And I messed up twice! Um, and in front of the casting director but she was like "You are so right for this role and I want you to come back and I want you to do it again." So I did it for Tommy Kail, our director, and our musical director, Alex Lacamoire and I was in the room for like fourty minutes. Just like, Tommy was directing me. Lac, we call him Lac, he was actually teaching me the Peggy part cause there was no music for that, so he was writing down the lyrics and teaching me like the melody. I guess they were seeing if I could play like completely two different characters. Like a young, innocent, Peggy, and a very not innocent Maria Reynolds. [Michael Korte] I think you figured it out. I think the team kinda figured it all out. If Whitney Houston had a baby with Barbra Streisand that's what I see in you! [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Ahh!! Oh my god, that's amazing! [Michael Korte] You know what I mean? [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yeah, I mean sure, I mean yes. That's awesome. [Michael Korte] Because there's like soul, there's jazz, there's like training- [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yes [Michael Korte] There's obviously like this god gi- [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yeah. No, I've grown up listening to like everybody under the sun. I mean my first concert, my first big, big concert when I was fourteen was Prince. [Michael Korte] Mm. And I saw you were just-Full circle! [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yeah, full circle Prince came to the show. He gave an after party and we went, and he like performed and I was like living my purple life. Just so hard. Barbra Streisand was another one. Yeah. Yeah. She was like "Where did you come from!" It was amazing. [Michael Korte] Are you like writing everything down? Are you like keeping track of everything? [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Oh man! I should. It's all in my head though. [Michael Korte] You need to remember that Barbra Streisand took a moment to say "Welcome to our universe of greatness, young child" [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yes. She-She also said to me, which I will-I will never forget is she said, "Your tone and your phrasing," she was like, "is beautiful." And like to me, as a singer, the tone and the phrasing like that's what it's all about. I told my mom and I told my mom in the kitchen and she like fell on the floor. So it's just been amazing [Michael Korte] Can you take me through like a ten second Jasmine vocal warm up? [Jasmine Cephas Jones] (Does vocal warm-ups) Something like that. [Michael Korte] I wanna be like you someday! I wanna do that. And Peggy. You are under the wing of Lin-Manuel. What is that like working with Lin, every day? [Jasmine Cephas Jones] What I love about Lin the most even though he's like being superman and like taking over the world. When we perform with him that's when he can let go of everything and is just Lin. He's just the other actor. He's not the writer, he's just the actor with you on stage. And, um, that's what I love about Lin and we like freestyle, like before we're about to go on like in the wings. Like just do like stupid stuff backstage and be silly. He's so funny and he's so down to earth. And he's just a regular guy who has like an amazing brain. [Michael Korte] Yes. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yeah. [Michael Korte] He's just a walking Einstein. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yeah. Seriously, yes. [Michael Korte] So we know you as Peggy Schuyler. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yes. [Michael Korte] We know you as Maria. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yeah. [Michael Korte] Is that hard for you as an actress? Like what happens at intermission for you? [Jasmine Cephas Jones] So like for Peggy, what I love about it is I'm so close with Pippa and Renee, who play my two other Schuyler Sisters. And like we're literally having so much fun for the first act, it's like acting but we're not really acting. Everytime we look at each other we're just like "We love you so much!", you know like. Even before "Schuyler Sisters" backstage we like do a little dance, you know like get ready to go on something like this. And then for Maria like, the costume, Paul Tazewell designed. He did all the costumes. I have this amazing bright red dress So I'm literally like on fire! Which just like helps the character so much. And then like right before I go on I take like a minute to myself and kinda like breathe in deep and close my eyes and then go on. [Michael Korte] Do you think the Schuyler Sisters could to adopt a brother, Michael. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Michael. Sure. Yes. Of course. Why not. [Michael Korte] Because I hear like "And Peggy" and I kinda do like a- [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Michael! [Michael Korte] And Michael! [Jasmine Cephas Jones] We could-We could do that. We could work that part in. [Michael Korte] Maybe for like the tour or something down the line. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Down the line. *Game Time transition* [Michael Korte] This game is going to be bonkers. This game is called h?mm?! for ham. If you wanna spell that out it's h, question mark, m, m, question mark, exclamation point, for ham. AKA It's just like password [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Okay. [Michael Korte] Oh my god! And if you win, which I know you're gonna win. Hey! [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yay! Oh my god! I got one! It's if I win [Michael Korte] Oh my god. Give that back to me! You already have a Grammy and other things. Okay here we go, h?mm?! for ham, because it's like fill-in-the-blank ham. It's not a oyster, it's not a lobster, it's in the ocean. It's in a shell. It starts with- [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Clam! Clam for ham! [Michael Korte] Yes! Clam for ham. Yes okay, next one. You eat this on Thanksgiving and their orange. And their not sweet potatoes but their kinda are sweet potatoes [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yam for ham! [Michael Korte] Yes! Okay, next one. This is a movie that Michael Jordan was in with the Looney Tunes- [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Jam for Ham! [Michael Korte] Yes! Space Jam for Ham! Okay next one. This is not a sheep but it's an animal- [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Lamb for Ham! [Michael Korte] Bam! Okay, I'm with you, I'm with you. A women puts her booby in a thing and it's for breast history month and it's a test you get on your booby. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Mammogram? [Michael Korte] Mammogram for Ham. Bam! You win! [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Yay! Oh my god, I'm so happy right now. [Michael Korte] Twinsies! [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Twinsies! [Michael Korte] Thank you so much for being here. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Thank you! This has been awesome. [Michael Korte] In the most genuine soulful ways you have impacted my life. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Aw! Thank you! [Michael Korte] As you have millions of other people. [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure to be here. [Michael Korte] Hit the subscribe button! Bring Hamilton into your life. And bring Jasmine Cephas Jones into your city. Bye guys! [Jasmine Cephas Jones] Bye! *Enzinma's cover of "My Shot" plays*