On The Money

Leslie Odom Jr. strikes it rich with One Dollar

- Brantley Bardin

AFTER BECOMING AN OVERNIGHT STAR WITH HIS MONUMENTAL Tony- and Grammy Award-winning performance as Aaron Burr in the original Broadway cast of the colossal cultural phenomenon Hamilton, what could Leslie Odom Jr. possibly do to top his big break? The answer: everything.

Since fame kissed him, the Philadelphia-raised entertainer has released two Billboard No. 1-charting jazz solo albums and is now a major concert draw with a third album in the pipeline. Acting alongside A-list superstars in big budget films like Murder on the Orient Express, he’s become a movie star. At this year’s Super Bowl he sang “America the Beautiful” for 103 million viewers. He even penned a popular inspirational book published last March, Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning. Now, Odom, 37—who also sings the catchy Nationwide commercial jingle—is turning his eye toward becoming a regular presence on television, starring in One Dollar, the 10-episode CBS All Access murder mystery-thriller. Promises Odom, “It’s super twisty!”

In One Dollar, you play Randall Abatsy, the wealthy, charismatic, and philanthropic new guy in a small, post-recession, Rust Belt town that’s just been rocked by an ultra-grisly murder. Possibly even multiple murders. Tell us about your character and his part in all this.