In The Heights featured several actors from Brooklyn Nine-Nine; here's who. Before Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda first made his name on Broadway with the critically-acclaimed In The Heights musical from the mid-2000s. Starting while he was still in college, the musical took years for the creator and lyricist to finish. Due to its massive success on Broadway, Universal Pictures expressed its intent to adapt it on the big screen as early as 2008, but it didn't work out at that time. Warner Bros. eventually picked it up, and despite being further delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, In The Heights is now playing in theaters and is available to stream on HBO Max.
The story is set in the real-life New York neighborhood of Washington Heights and the tight-knit community that inhabits it as they cope with the rapid changes they're experiencing. Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), the bodega-owner and the main narrator of the story, recalled a series of days in the area with the blackout being its anchor point. Like In The Heights the Broadway musical, the Jon M. Chu-directed movie has been praised for its great performances, as well as its heartfelt and timely narrative. That being said, it has also been recently criticized for its colorism; for a film that celebrates diversity and representation, the movie lacks visibility from dark-skinned Latinos and Latinas. To his credit, Miranda addressed the issue, sincerely apologized, and vowed to be more sensitive to this matter in his future endeavors.
Speaking of casting, In The Heights' ensemble is a mix of up-and-coming stars and Hollywood veterans. Meanwhile, fans of Brooklyn Nine-Nine may find several familiar faces in the movie as it features some stars from the hit Fox-turned-NBC series. From a 99th Precinct detective to Amy's dad and brother, here are all the Brooklyn Nine-Nine actors in In The Heights.
Appearing in Modern Family and Short Term 12, Stephanie Beatriz has made a name for herself in the industry through her work both on the big and small screen. She is arguably best known for her role in Brooklyn Nine-Nine playing Rosa Diaz. A member of the sitcom's ensemble cast, the actress has played the no-nonsense detective since the show kicked off in 2013. With her signature leather jacket, motorcycle, curly hair, and strong demeanor, she's been a fan-favorite for viewers of the sitcom. She plays Carla in In The Heights, a stylist at the neighborhood salon, which is the hotspot for community gossip. Suffice to say, Rosa and Carla could not be any more different.
Despite being one of the most recognizable faces in the movie's cast, Beatriz had a relatively small role in In The Heights but that is fitting for her character. While the narrative is about the community in Washington Heights, it's focused on four main characters: Usnavi, Nina (Leslie Grace), Benny (Corey Hawkins), and Vanessa (Melissa Barrera). Carla was really just a supporting player. Nevertheless, Beatriz was excited to still be part of the project, even missing most of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 7 premiere as filming overlapped with In The Heights.
In The Heights was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and in the original Broadway musical, he played Usnavi, the lead character. He passed on the opportunity to keep his part in the movie adaptation because he felt that he's now too old for the role. For quite some time, he was adamant that wouldn't play a part in the Chu-helmed project. However, when the tiny role of the Piragua guy was threatened with being cut because of time constraints, Miranda agreed to play the part to keep the character in the theatrical cut.
Known as a multi-hyphenated artist, Miranda's Brooklyn Nine-Nine character was also presented that way, playing Amy Santiago's high-achieving brother, David Santiago. Introduced in season 6 episode 9, "The Golden Boy," he got competitive with his sister as they joined their mother for a family dinner. Miranda's cameo in the show came on the heels of his vocal support of the show when it was prematurely canceled by Fox. He was among the celebrities who voiced their love for the sitcom that led to NBC eventually picking it up.
The heart of the In The Heights original Broadway musical and movie adaptation is Abuela Claudia, the surrogate grandmother of Usnavi and the whole community, played by Olga Merediz, who also played the role in the Broadway version. While the movie adaptation of the musical primarily recast the main ensemble of the show, the Warner Bros. production brought Merediz back to reprise the role. Looking at her performance, it's easy to understand why this decision was made; the actress was prolific in the Broadway production. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her work and, as expected, she brought that same intense and poignant portrayal of the character in the film.
However, Merediz plays a less understanding mother in Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Julia Diaz, the mother of Rosa. She appeared on the show for the first time in season 5 episode 10, "Game Night," wherein the 99th precinct detective came out to her parents. While both were surprised, the Diaz matriarch obviously had a more difficult time understanding the situation. Julia appeared again in season 6 episode 6, "The Crime Scene," as she tried to re-establish her relationship with Rosa.
One of the more explicit depictions of the changes in Washington Heights was told through Jimmy Smits' character, Kevin Rosario, the owner of the taxi company in In The Heights. The father of Nina, he's been trying to keep his business going in order to pay for his daughter's college tuition at Stanford University. Despite the high cost of education, Kevin was adamant that Nina continued to study at the prestigious school, even being forced to ultimately sell his whole business to finance it.
Like in In The Heights, Smits plays a devoted father in Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Amy's dad, Victor Santiago. The Santiago patriarch first appeared in season 4 episode 7, "Mr. Santiago," where Amy brought in Jake Peralta to meet her father for the first time. Smits' next appearance was in season 5 episode 7, "Two Turkeys," as Amy and Jake prepare for their wedding. Despite also being David's dad, Miranda and Smits never shared the screen in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
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June 21, 2021 at 12:44AM
