Ariana DeBose Describes the Hamilton Role She Originated as "Death Itself"
The Academy Award-winning film and theatre star hosts the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular on Friday, July 4.
When Ariana DeBose originated her Hamilton role on Broadway, the triple threat might have given the show's producers a little more than they bargained for.
The Academy Award-winning film and stage star, who hosts Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Special this year, told Jimmy Fallon how the role came about — and evolved — during a 2022 The Tonight Show visit. What started with a piece of choreography that involved holding up her fingers as if she were holding a bullet, tracing that bullet's journey towards the doomed Alexander Hamilton, became so much more.
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"OK, I'm playing an inanimate object. Awesome," she told Fallon she recalled thinking. "As an actor, I was like, 'How do I make this work for myself?' So I just started filling in the blanks, and I said, 'What about an omen of death?' Maybe she's like death itself."
"Wow, so you really made it a character," Fallon said of the role she played from 2015-2016.
"I sure did!" said DeBose. "And guess what—no one but me knew that. In fact, to this day, I'm pretty sure the creative team is like, 'What are you talking about? How creative of you!'"
By now, the Bullet's role as an omen of death is pretty widely accepted, and DeBose is known for defining the role as it is today.
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Lin-Manuel Miranda praised Ariana DeBose for creating "the power of the Bullet" in Hamilton
In a 2022 conversation with Vanity Fair and DeBose, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and original star of the smash hit show about the life and death of Alexander Hamilton, said that one of the "great things" about the musical's streaming debut was how people were noticing the Bullet and writing essays like, as Miranda worded it, "Have you guys seen what Ari is doing?"
"What really got me was there was a whole dissertation on the character, and I was like, 'Yeah, you connected the dots I was connecting as an actor,'" DeBose said. "Which, you guys didn't say, 'OK, this is what your goal is.' You were just like, 'Go be an actor.'"
"But again, when you bring all of yourself into the thing it radiates off the screen," Miranda told her. "So there can be essays on the power of the Bullet because of the choices you made."
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What does the Bullet do in Hamilton?
Aside from tracing the actual path of a bullet, DeBose's character foreshadows death or destruction all throughout the show, disguised as a regular ensemble member. She sticks close to Hamilton, with her eye always on him, throughout the show, playing various side characters who have a role in his demise. He's looking death in the face the entire time, especially right before it finally comes for him.
She also signifies death for other characters, either by being the last to see them alive or by giving them directions that will eventually lead them to the end. The effect is subtle, but when you know to look for it, it adds an extra layer to an already very layered show.
In other words, you could say that Ariana DeBose did the thing.
Don't miss the Macy's 4th of July fireworks hosted by Ariana DeBose
This Friday, DeBose is Host of Macy's 4th of July fireworks spectacular. NBC's 49th annual broadcast of the event features performances from Trisha Yearwood, Jonas Brothers, Keke Palmer, Eric Church, Ava Max, and Lenny Kravitz. And that's not the only musical highlight, as Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and James Poyser's 25-minute composed score will accompany the fireworks.
Macy's fireworks special will air on NBC and Peacock on Friday, July 4 from 8 to 10 p.m. ET, immediately followed by an encore presentation.
