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Lin-Manuel Miranda on Cancel Culture: ‘All You Can Control Is What Your Intentions Were’

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Lin-Manuel Miranda on Cancel Culture: ‘All You Can Control Is What Your Intentions Were’

By Movieguide® Staff

HAMILTON playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda recently shared his perspective on the idea of cancel culture after he received backlash for alleged colorism in his recent musical, IN THE HEIGHTS.

“For sure. Every time you make a frame, people are going to point out what’s not in the frame. And you go and you make the next thing,” he told The New Yorker. “That’s all that you can do, keep your head down and keep [going].”

“Once something has success, you’re not the underdog trying to make it happen anymore. You have to graduate past the mind-set of, like, ‘It’s a miracle I got something on the stage.’ 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 explained. “It’s not cancellation. That’s having opinions. So I try to take it in that spirit.”

However, Miranda added that he does not want to change his art for the sake of other people who may find it offensive or not entirely accurate.

“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.

“If you get yourself into a place of fear, of ‘What are people going to say about what I write?’ It’s over. And that’s a place I have to really push past now in a different way. At the end of the day, you can’t control how the world receives something. All you can control is what your intentions were.”

Aside from his musicals primarily geared towards adults, Miranda also made the family-friendly, animated movie VIVO.

A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:

VIVO is an animated musical on Netflix. Vivo is a small ring-tailed mammal in Cuba who performs alongside Andres, an elderly musician, and Vivo’s best friend. Vivo is used to his small world, when Andrés receives a letter from Marta, an old singing partner and the love of his life. Andrés shows Vivo a song he wrote for Marta, but never had the courage to show her. Vivo feels his perfect life’s in jeopardy. However, Andrés dies of old age before he’s able to see Marta and tell her his true feelings. Vivo vows to get his friend’s final message to Marta in Miami, Florida. At Andrés’ funeral, he meets a relative of Andrés. Will the unlikely duo make it to Marta before it’s too late?

VIVO is a colorful, delightful adventure, with heartfelt moments and joyful, Cuban music. The movie has a strong moral worldview, with redemptive themes. It champions selflessness and the beauty of music. Vivo sacrifices his comfort for the sake of Andrés. VIVO has some discussions about death and sequences of mild peril. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.