In The Heights star Olga Merediz as Abuela Claudia / Picture Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
In The Heights star Olga Merediz as Abuela Claudia / Picture Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

This month, In The Heights has hit the big screen (set for release June 18th, 2021 in the UK) and been entertaining audiences with its incredible upbeat numbers, emotional story and relatable cast of stunningly-realistic characters.

A major musical feels like something everybody needs right now after the past 18 months, so we caught up with the cast at their virtual press conference to chat all about the experience.

Asking about the joy of being a part of the film - especially with the world in such a strange place right now - Olga Merediz told Female First: “For me it was a miracle and a dream come true, since I had done it with Lin [Manuel Miranda] on and off Broadway to bring this character [Abuela Claudia] to the screen. It was a dream come true for me and it was joy every single day… It was a joy working with these amazing talented people… To work again with Lin who I absolutely love and to work with Jon Chu [director] with his miraculous visuals; he just lifted this story up and opened it up and just created movie magic.

“For me, it was a joy coming to work every day and bringing this love of a character; this matriarch and support for the community, back to life in a bigger and deeper way. Joy is the perfect word for this movie. It’s going to be a joyous gift; it was a gift for me and it will be a gift for you.”

Jimmy Smits, who plays Kevin Rosario in the movie, added: “I’m blown away by the work and the detail of the work, being intimate, small and dramatic and then big, with these homages to what we know as the Golden Age of Cinema; we can have all of that because of these people [the cast]… it can exist.

“And it’s something that’s needed now, as we come out of this pandemic and we come out of all of this, we need that joy. We need that hope and that possibility, because we reflected on so much social stuff as well.”

After seeing the movie for ourselves we’ve got to agree; it’s truly something special!

In The Heights comes to cinemas across the UK on June 18th, 2021.

RELATED: Jon M. Chu says In The Heights helped him prepare for the film adaptation of Wicked


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
find me on and follow me on