Though two of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s films earned coveted nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, he has confirmed he will be absent from the red carpet and the Dolby Theatre ceremony.
“Made it to Hollywood… This weekend, my wife tested [positive emoji] for COVID,” the Hamilton creator, 42, tweeted on Saturday, March 26, referring to wife Vanessa Nadal, whom he wed in 2010. “She’s doing fine. Kids & I have tested [negative emoji], but out of caution, I won’t be going to the Oscars tomorrow night.”
Miranda — who shares sons Sebastian, 7, and Francisco, 4, with Nadal, 39 — earned a Best Original Song nomination for Encanto’s “Dos Oruguitas.” The animated picture is also up for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. The voice cast is set to belt out the film’s surprise hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” during the Sunday, March 27, broadcast. His directorial debut, Tick, Tick… Boom!, also scored nods for Best Film Editing and Best Actor for Andrew Garfield’s performance as Jonathan Larson.
“Cheering for my TickTickBoom & Encanto families w my own family, alongside all of you, ALL of you,” the Tony Award winner concluded his tweet.
If Miranda wins an Oscar trophy during Sunday’s awards show, he will become the youngest person to become an EGOT honoree after previously collecting Emmy, Grammy and Tony statues.
“I literally fell in love with the Oscars because of Disney animated movies,” he gushed about his nominations to Collider earlier this month. “I was ride or die for The Little Mermaid. That was my favorite movie in my young life. And I watched the Oscars for the first time that year, because if ‘Kiss the Girl’ or ‘Under the Sea’ didn’t win, I was ready to riot as a nine-year-old. Then as a result you get to watch the Oscars. And Billy Crystal does this amazing job as the host, and it became my entry into a world of movies that just aren’t offered to kids.”
He continued: “I remember falling in love with Akira Kurosawa, because he got a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars. And then I went to the library to go take out the two-cassette Seven Samurai from the New York Public Library, and falling in love with his work on my own terms. It became this kind of entry point into a wider world for me. So the fact that I’m here with the Disney song is wildly full circle for me, because that’s the reason I tuned in the first place.”
While Miranda tested negative for the coronavirus, his decision to skip the show follows the Academy’s updated health and safety guidelines amid recent spikes. Per the protocols, individuals who received a positive test — within a zero to five-day window from their diagnosis — are not permitted to attend. Previous guidelines required invited guests to be fully vaccinated and take two PCR tests before the ceremony.
The Mary Poppins Returns star has previously been outspoken about supporting health initiatives amid the pandemic, helping launch a vaccination site for Broadway, film and TV professionals in April 2021.
“This is the first live performance I’ve seen in a year and a half. So I’m emotional today,” Miranda told CBS News at the time, opening up the location which was christened with a musical number. “If you worked on Broadway, you work off Broadway, you work in the theater, you worked in the wardrobe department, if you were a stage manager, if you were a front of house staff, you were an usher, you are welcome to this incredible facility.”
The 2022 Oscars air on ABC Sunday, March 27, at 8 p.m. EST.
