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Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. refused to appear in the movie until he got a huge raise

You can put this one in the "win column" for those who believe in equal pay. Leslie Odom Jr. took a stand and was not going to settle for anything other than what was fair.

The Hamilton star, who won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the most successful musical in modern history, simply sought a similar wage to white actors who had comparable roles in other musicals. As he explained to Dax Shepard on his podcast Armchair Expert, they did not contact his agent at CAA until after the announcement of the shows filming. When the offer finally came, it was disappointing.

Brother, thankful for the platform you’ve built where we may speak with such candor and vulnerably. We need these s… https://t.co/02iD48sXLp
— Leslie Odom, Jr. (@Leslie Odom, Jr.) 1596505419.0

"They came to me with an offer, 'Leslie, we're shooting tomorrow,'" Odom said, "and 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."

All Odom was asking for is to be treated fairly. He told Dax, "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?" Odom said. "So when I found out what he made, Dax, 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.'"

For Odom, this was no strong-arm tactic. He just wanted to be treated fairly. And it was no bluff, either.

"The day before we shot that movie I called out. I was not kidding. I was not coming to work the next day to do the movie. You know, I was not kidding. It was a principle for me and sometimes it doesn't work out. Sometimes they look at you and go, 'We're just not paying it,' and you have to go, 'That's OK.

Wait for Itwww.youtube.com

As most of us know, everything worked out eventually and Leslie Odom Jr. played Aaron Burr for the filming. It would be hard to imagine anyone else in the role. When Hamilton debuted, Disney's streams were up an eye-popping 74% from the previous weekend.

"I love my white liberal friends, love white people, but, you know, don't be in the streets talking about Black Lives Matter if my Black life doesn't matter," Odom said. "Like, essentially, don't wait for the f***ing cops to kill me before my Black life matters. If my Black life matters, make sure I can take money home to feed my children."

Odom should not have to fight just to be treated like everyone else, nor should anyone. Yet somehow, still, this is the world we live in. If someone like Leslie Odom Jr. has to fight this hard to be an equal, and he made it very clear that he sought equality as opposed to special treatment, then where does that leave us?

Keep in mind that this happened in the entertainment industry, which tries to remind us of how accepting it is of gender and race in every single awards show it puts on. One has to wonder how genuine some of that really is. If you want to learn how to walk the walk, take a lesson from Leslie Odom Jr. He didn't want less than he deserved, and he didn't want more than he deserved. He wanted what was fair, and for those who believe in equality, Odom just chalked up a win.

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Yet another celebrity video on why you should vote. Only this time they're adding even more famous people because voting is kinda really super important. (via YouTube/SaveTheDay.Vote & storyful)
Posted by Upworthy on Thursday, September 22, 2016

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GIFs from Save the Day/Facebook

Whether you're a high-profile movie star, an accountant, a police officer, or a sales clerk, we all get one vote; and those votes all matter, especially in this election.

Polls show a teeth-grindingly tight race between two candidates with vastly different world-views this year. This one is going to come down to the wire, and you (yes, you) absolutely matter in helping to determine not just the future of the U.S., but a broader impact on the world.

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Here's why 'Hamilton' star Leslie Odom isn't getting offered new roles.

Aaron Burr, himself, has hope for the future of theater.

Unless you've been living under an actual, literal rock this past year, you've probably heard of the hit Broadway show "Hamilton."

Actor and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda performs a number from "Hamilton" during the 2016 Grammys. Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images.

The show, centered on the life of U.S. founding father Alexander Hamilton, won both a Grammy and a Pulitzer and racked up a record 16 Tony nominations. In short, it's a pretty big deal and the hottest ticket on all of Broadway.

Aside from being just absolutely fantastic, the show's gotten some major attention and praise for the majorly diverse cast.

Yes, the show is set in the 18th century. No, that wasn't a barrier. In fact, it was a refreshing reimagining of the life and times of the founding fathers.

Leslie Odom, Jr., who plays Aaron Burr in the production, recently talked about diversity during a Hollywood Reporter roundtable discussion.

One of the first things brought up was the idea that because of the success of shows like "Hamilton," some of the racial barriers to Broadway have been torn down. Odom, however, isn't so sure.

GIFs via Hollywood Reporter/YouTube.

And he's got a great point. In 2014-2015, about 80% of roles on Broadway went to white actors, making them disproportionately overrepresented when compared to the general population.

Why doesn't "Hamilton" change everything? Because outside of it, there just aren't a whole lot of roles for people of color on Broadway.

Odom has had just about as wonderful a season as is humanly possible, and yet people aren't exactly knocking his door down to lock him into his next role. Were he a white actor, he explains, he could come to expect a few offers per week.

Sadly, there just aren't many roles written for people of color, making it not so much an issue of racial bias in casting, but one of overall underrepresentation across the board.

Odom isn't giving up hope, however. He believes "Hamilton" will inspire a more diverse slate of writers to put together a more varied set of roles in years to come.

Maybe somewhere there's a kid jotting down the first notes of what will one day become the next "Hamilton," and there's no telling what the story will be. If anything, "Hamilton," a musical written by and starring a man of Puerto Rican descent surrounded by an anachronistically diverse cast, proves that these sorts of reimaginings are not just possible, but also profitable.

As mentioned during the roundtable, people have a tendency to write what they know.

When it's not just actors, but the writers, directors, and producers of shows who share a relatively homogenous upbringing, that only serves to reinforce the status quo.

Hopefully, "Hamilton" will open up the eyes of decision makers, influencing them to take a chance on more diverse ideas and artists.

That's how you guarantee a healthy, diverse future. That's how you change the status quo. That's how you find "Hamilton"-like success both inside and out of the theater.

You can watch the roundtable discussion featuring Leslie Odom, Jr., below: