Yahoo Lifestyle Anthony Ramos Got Real About “Struggling In New York” As He Revealed How Much Money He Made While Performing In “Hamilton”
After Hamilton's huge success, the cast was booked and busy — and actor Anthony Ramos was no exception.
Originating the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the 2015 Broadway smash hit, Anthony went on to star in the acclaimed movie adaptation of In the Heights: another Lin-Manuel Miranda musical.
But performing in a successful Broadway show may not be all it seems, especially when you’re just starting out.
Last week, Anthony sat down with Vivian Tu on the Richer Lives podcast by SoFi and broke down the financial realities of performing on and off Broadway.
When asked about the feeling of receiving his first Hamilton paycheck, the star responded, “Yo. It was nice. Well — no, no, actually, it wasn’t.”
Anthony explained that his reaction came with the fact that Hamilton originated off-Broadway, and he was making around “$420 a week.”
“Getting that first paycheck was great because I was getting paid to do something […] I loved,” he said. “But I was still struggling in New York, that’s the thing.”
For context, Anthony grew up in Brooklyn, NYC and attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy on a full scholarship. He was cast in Hamilton four years after graduating, and has since gone on to star in major blockbuster movies including Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and Twisters.
After the move to Broadway, Anthony revealed that “there was a jump.” But he conceded that although the show had leveled up, it was “still tough.”
“If you’re an ensemble member [on Broadway] you’re probably making, like, $1,800 a week, and then you get taxed on that. And you know the taxes in New York… So you’re probably coming home with, like, $1000 a week, right, maybe, like, $1,100 a week,” he said.
Anthony continued, saying, “But they’re paying their agent, if they got a manager they’re paying their manager, so 10% to the agent, 10% to the manager, so 20% off the top. And then you’re paying probably in New York — what, 30%, 40% tax?”
“If you’re not smart with your money, you’re beat,” he said.
The conversation continued with Anthony outlining how he learned how to manage his money throughout his career. “I’m only speaking from experience. I learned, you know what I’m saying? I thought I was way better with money than I actually was.”
You can listen to Anthony’s full appearance on the Richer Lives podcast here.
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