Hamilton star and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda has achieved many things this year — winning Tony Awards, Grammys, and the hearts of everyone who has given at least one listen to his Broadway show's original cast recording. But Miranda can add one more achievement to that list — he has been impersonated on Saturday Night Live's Oct. 1 premiere. Cast member Cecily Strong debuted her Lin-Manuel Miranda impression and it was unexpectedly inspired. But I do have one nitpick — her Miranda still had his long hair and goatee, which the Tony-winner cut and shaved in the summer.
That's OK, though, because Strong was totally connected to the spirit of Miranda and his perfect rhymes. Her impression debuted during a Family Feud parody sketch, which pitted a team of Hillary Clinton's allies against Donald Trump's family and friends. Strong's Miranda was Team Hillary and, naturally, stated his introduction in an awesome rap, which showed that Strong could possibly be just as good as Miranda. Who knew the actor behind "The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With At a Party" and a fantastic regular Melania Trump impression would be the one to bring the Hamilton spirit to SNL?
Twitter agreed that Strong's impression is just as brilliant as the Broadway show itself.
The timing for this impression couldn't be better, because Miranda himself will be hosting SNL on Oct. 8. Could Strong's Miranda and the real Miranda go toe-to-toe in an epic Hamilton rap battle for the ages on next week's episode? Fans — and myself — can only hope so.
But for now, I think fans should just appreciate the fact that Strong stepped up to the plate and delivered the best Miranda impression Hamilton lovers could ever hope for on the NBC comedy series.
Watch Strong's impression in the video below.
