1. He has really good pitch!
Leslie says "If I know a song, any song, I can start it a capella in the key it was originally written or performed in. Most of the time." (source: newyork.com interview)
2. Leslie was the youngest person ever cast in the musical Rent!
He was only 17 and a senior in high school at the time. “The time I spent in New York when I was 17 gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams with my whole heart.” says Leslie (source: pbs.org Broadway or Bust: Meet the Pros biography)
3. Leslie doesn't think Aaron Burr was a bad dude.
“None of us wants to be judged by our worst act on our worst day, and we consistently judge Burr for that,” he said. “He was not a perfect man, but he’s not a villain. He’s a dude, just a guy.” (source: nytimes.com article)
4. Leslie produced some really good video content while he was a part of Hamilton. He produced a video called "Opening Night: Cast's Perspective" in which he got a small camera crew to go around filming the cast on their opening night on Broadway. I love that video. He also did an eight-part vlog series called "Aaron Burr Sir: Backstage with Leslie Odom Jr." for Broadway.com and it's so much fun.
5. Leslie has a self-titled solo album now! You should check it out. If you'd like to listen to little previews of each song or buy it click here. It's jazz and beautiful and really amazing.
Leslie doesn't have an AOL build interview, but he was on Side by Side with Susan Blackwell in January. Click here for that. And stay tuned for more of these Fun Facts posts, I hope you enjoyed!
-M