While talking to Dax Shephard on his Armchair Expert podcast, Leslie Odom Jr opened up about why he hesitated in saying yes to star in the Hamilton movie on Disney+. The reason? Pay equity. He demanded “as much money that white boy got to do Grease Live!’

HA!

“They came to me with an offer and you know, ‘Leslie, we’re shooting tomorrow.’ I’m like, here’s the thing: This is it. This is my area of expertise. This is all I have. This is my life’s work on the stage, too. And so I just can’t sell it away for magic beans. I can’t give it away.”

Leslie continued, “So I can ask CAA (Creative Artists Agency), ‘What does my white counterpart, what does Aaron Tveit make to do Grease Live! on TV? What does he make to do Grease? This is Hamilton live, right?”

“When I found out what he made, I didn’t ask for a penny more. I didn’t ask for one penny more, but I said, ‘You must pay me exactly what that white boy got to do Grease Live!’ That’s the bottom line.”

Love that! And he got it! NEVER sell yourself short!

(via JustJared; Photo: Avalon)