Lin-Manuel Miranda has a message to "Encanto" fans who believe "We Don't Talk About Bruno" deserved an Academy Awards nomination over "Dos Oruguitas": the latter captures the essence of the film.
"When you're submitting a song to the Oscars for consideration, your only goal should be what represents the themes of this movie, because you're asking for a part to stand in for the whole," he said on the latest episode of ABC Audio's "Close Up with Kelley Carter" podcast.
He added of the track, which plays when Mirabel and Abuela come to a mutual emotional understanding, "'Dos Oruguitas' is the kernel. It's the trauma, and it's the wonder of this family and their gifts, all in one musical moment."
Miranda said the success of "Bruno" -- now Disney's longest-running No. 1 song -- is "one of the great surprises and joys of my life."
Should "Dos Oruguitas" win the Oscar for best original song, Miranda would achieve EGOT status. The "Hamilton" creator said he finds the honor both "thrilling and intimidating ... everyone in that club is pretty amazing."
He listed off a few of his "heroes" -- EGOT winners John Legend, Rita Moreno and Marvin Hamlisch -- and said, "I think that the most important thing for me to do is stay a student and realize I'm still getting started, I still have so much to learn."
Miranda said the late "Rent" playwright and composer Jonathan Larson -- the subject of his directorial debut "tick, tick...BOOM!" -- is another hero of his.
"He was the gateway between loving musicals and thinking I could write a musical," the "In the Heights" creator explained, noting that he saw "Rent" when he was 17 and witnessed his diverse community reflected on the Broadway stage. "That was when I understood I had a story to tell," he added.
Listen to Lin-Manuel Miranda on "Close Up with Kelley Carter" here:
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