VIDEO: Leslie Odom Jr. Talks Sam Cooke on THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT

One Night In Miami... is a fictional account inspired by the historic night four formidable figures spent together.

By: Apr. 08, 2021
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Leslie Odom Jr. is a GRAMMY and Tony award-winner but it was his work in the Nationwide commercials that landed him his role as Sam Cooke in "One Night In Miami."

Watch the full clip from "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" below!

On one incredible night in 1964, four icons of sports, music, and activism gathered to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. When underdog Cassius Clay, soon to be called Muhammad Ali, (Eli Goree), defeats heavy weight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall, Clay memorialized the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).

Based on the award-winning play of the same name, and directed by Regina King, One Night In Miami... is a fictional account inspired by the historic night these four formidable figures spent together. It looks at the struggles these men faced and the vital role they each played in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 1960s. More than 40 years later, their conversations on racial injustice, religion, and personal responsibility still resonate.

Multifaceted performer Leslie Odom, Jr. starred on Broadway as 'Aaron Burr' in the blockbuster hit musical, "Hamilton." He is a Grammy Award­ winner as a principal soloist on Hamilton's Original Broadway Cast Recording, which won the 2015 award for Best Musical Theater Album.

Odom, Jr. originated the role of 'Burr' in a sold out run at The Public Theatre in 2015, earning a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical. Odom, Jr. made his Broadway debut at the age of 17 in "Rent" before heading to Carnegie Mellon University's prestigious School of Drama, where he graduated with honors. He is the recipient of a 2002 Princess Grace Award for Acting, which is dedicated to identifying emerging talent in theater, dance and film.



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