Tony Award winner and Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda is known for his activism in education, voting participation and diversity in the arts. This month the Hamilton star will join an effort to encourage people to get the COVID vaccine.
Miranda will appear on NBC’s Roll Up Your Sleeves, a special aimed at raising public awareness about immunization against the coronavirus and encouraging people to get the shots. The show is produced by ATTN:, Civic Nation and Deviants Media. It is executive produced by Jarrett Moreno, Tom Werner and Valerie Jarrett. The special will be presented by Walgreens, the nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain that is now offering COVID vaccines at stores in more than a dozen states.
The Mary Poppins Returns star will join former First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Anthony Fauci and actor Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club) on the vaccination special that airs on April 18. They will “educate and empower audiences to make this important decision to help put the pandemic behind us,” says the TV network in a press statement.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, will be interviewed by McConaughey. Fauci will also separate facts from fiction about the vaccines and urge all Americans to do their part in getting the vaccine when eligible.
The program will include comedy acts, informative packages and real-life stories.
“We are honored to present an hour of television devoted to increasing vaccinations in America and help end a cataclysmic pandemic,” said Jen Neal, executive vice president of live events and specials. “The entertainment, comedic and music communities, along with First Lady Michelle Obama, have come together for the special, which will be inspirational, poignant and, at times, humorous. The overriding message: get vaccinated, end the pandemic and get your life and the life of the country back on track.”
A lot is riding on the vaccination efforts, according to other people involved in the special. “The ability to get people back to work and kids back in school, getting us reunited with family and friends and attending concerts, sporting events and many other activities we hold dear, is contingent upon people getting vaccinated,” said Matthew Segal, ATTN: co-founder. “At ATTN: we believe in the power of entertainment to inform audiences, and we’re thrilled to partner with NBC, Civic Nation, Walgreens and many great public figures and performers to get out this critical message.”
Miranda is an award-winning composer, lyricist and actor. He is best known as the creator and original star of the Broadway hit Hamilton. This play won 11 Tony Awards, including two for Miranda for book and score of a musical. Hamilton’s original cast recording won a Grammy for best musical theater album. His song “How Far I’ll Go” for the animated film Moana won him nominations for the Oscar and Golden Globe. He also scored two other Golden Globe nominations for his acting in Hamilton the movie and Mary Poppins Returns.
The Puerto Rican actor has used his platform to advocate for various social issues. He made a public service announcement for the Census 2020 along with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and helped raise funds for Puerto Rico relief efforts after Hurricane Maria. He has supported the Black Lives Matter movement, too.
Miranda’s work has also inspired grassroots action during the pandemic. Recently, a group of doctors from Northern California adapted a song from Miranda’s Broadway musical hit Hamilton to promote COVID vaccination. Vax’n 8 produced the video My Shot! to address the social, scientific and political issues around immunization.
Featured Top Photo: Lin-Manuel Miranda in ‘Hamilton.’
