The actor who called out Vice President-elect Mike Pence after a Friday night performance of the Broadway musical “Hamilton” said Monday that there is “nothing to apologize for,” after Donald Trump demanded an apology from the cast.
Actor Brandon Victor Dixon told “CBS This Morning” that he does not think that the statement, which asked that Trump’s coming administration take all Americans into account, warranted an apology.
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Dixon said.
“Conversation is not harassment, and I was really appreciative that Vice President-elect Pence stood there and listened to what we had to say,” Dixon continued. “It was the beginning of a conversation I hope we can continue to have.”
Dixon said that the producers of the show asked him about an hour before the performance to read a statement after the show was over. Dixon said that while the show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, had a hand in writing the statement, he made some “adjustments” himself.
The actor told CBS that he is happy that producers took a chance in reading out the statement to Pence.
“Art is meant to bring people together, it is meant to raise consciousness, and when you have a platform like that, I told Jeffrey Sellers after the show, ‘I applaud you all for not throwing away your shot,'” Dixon said, referencing a lyric from the musical. “‘For taking a moment to spread a message of love, to spread a message of unity.’ We’re not here to boo. We’re here to cheer each other on.”
While Trump took to Twitter Saturday morning to demand an apology from the cast, Pence said that he was not offended by the gesture.
“I did hear what was said from the stage. I can tell you I wasn’t offended by what was said. I will leave to others whether that was the appropriate venue to say it,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Dixon said that even though Trump slammed the cast, he and others would still welcome Trump to attend the show.
“The power of our show and the way we tell it is undeniable,” he said.
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