Lin-Manuel Miranda Explains Why ‘In the Heights’ Colorism Criticism Won’t Stifle His Creativity

Lin-Manuel Miranda won’t allow criticism to stifle his creativity, instead, the creator of the Broadway musical "Hamilton" plans to embrace the fact that people are allowed to share their opinions.

Over the summer, Miranda faced a wave of backlash following the premiere of the film adaptation of the Broadway play “In the Heights.” At the time, Miranda was accused of colorism by failing to include enough Afro-Latinx representation.

Following the negative feedback, Miranda apologized for “the hurt and frustration over colorism.”

In a new interview with the New Yorker, Miranda admitted he has learned to accept criticism, which he doesn’t see as a bad thing.

“Once something has success, you’re not the underdog trying to make it happen anymore. You have to graduate past the mindset of, like, It’s a miracle I got something on the stage,” he said.

“Because now that is expected of me. And people go, ‘Yeah, but what about this? And what about this?’ And that’s fair! I do that with art I find lacking.”

Miranda revealed his perspective on the criticism has allowed him to continue on his creative journey while acknowledging feedback from others. “It’s not cancellation. That’s having opinions,” he explained. “So I try to take it in that spirit.”

However, accepting the criticism doesn’t mean he will allow it to affect his creative process.

“The challenge I find myself in is, how do I stay hungry? How do I still feel like I have something to say and not worry about what is not in the frame? I’m just trying to build the frame in the first place,” he said.

“Certainly, I have learned lessons from the reception of my work, good, bad, and indifferent. You try to take all of it, and whatever sticks to your gut is what you bring with you to your next project.”

Speaking of the future, Miranda’s project ​​“Tick, Tick… Boom” is scheduled to begin streaming Friday on Netflix. This comes after the film premiered at the AFI Fest on Nov. 10 and began limited theatrical release two days later.

“Tick, Tick… Boom” stars Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Vanessa Hudgens, and more, with music composed by Jonathan Larson.