Daveed Diggs

Daveed Diggs is best known for his Tony Award–winning portrayals of Marquis de Lafayette and President Thomas Jefferson in the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” released last year as a TV film on Disney+ and garnering Daveed a SAG Award nomination. Here, the singer-rapper-songwriter and actor-writer-producer reveals much of his creative philosophy to Backstage—a publication he used to read in the early, blissfully uncertain days of his career. His advice: “Be fully creative and really experiment with things, and then learn what your process is.”

Born in Oakland, California, and studying theater at Brown University, Daveed joined early versions of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” after scraping by with regional stage gigs and Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s choreopoem “Word Becomes Flesh.” He’s collaborated with an eclectic array of musicians, including his experimental hip-hop group Clipping, and writer-performer Rafael Casal, with whom he wrote, produced, and co-starred in the award-winning 2018 film “Blindspotting.” Daveed also leads TNT’s dystopian drama “Snowpiercer” and this year starred as Frederick Douglass on Showtime’s miniseries “The Good Lord Bird” and in Disney’s “Soul.” He’s appeared on ABC’s “Black-ish,” Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” and AppleTV+’s animated “Central Park,” and will next be seen in the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.” Check out Daveed answering our Backstage 5 actor questionniare here: https://bit.ly/3r0oeuC

Also joining Jack on this episode is Elyse Roth, Backstage’s senior editor, to discuss the takeaways from the 2021 Oscar nominations: https://bit.ly/2P26GB5
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Backstage has been the #1 resource for actors and talent-seekers for 60 years. In the Envelope, Backstage’s podcast, features intimate, in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy film, television, and theater actors and creators. This is your guide to every aspect of acting, from voiceover and commercial work to casting directors, agents, and more. Full of both know-how and inspiration, In the Envelope airs weekly to cover everything from practical advice on navigating the industry, to how your favorite projects are made, to personal stories of success and failure alike. Join host Jack Smart, Awards Editor at Backstage, for this guide on how to live the creative life from those who are doing it every day: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ

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Special thanks to...
- Host: Jack Smart
- Producer: Jamie Muffett
- Social media: Katie Minard, Alysa Cirelli
- Design: Mark Stinson, Caitlin Watkins
- Additional support: Kasey Howe, Samantha Sherlock, Benjamin Lindsay, Oriella St. Louis