ANTHONY RAMOS THE PEOPLE WHO SHAPED ME

NOW STARRING IN A NEW NETFLIX THRILLER, THE HAMILTON ACTOR REFLECTS ON THE MENTORS WHO HAVE GUIDED HIM

- KIRSTEN ACUNA

Anthony Ramos loves a challenge. The Puerto Rican actor and singer just wrapped a six-mile run as he’s training for his first New York City Marathon, but, like the Broadway show that catapulted him into the spotlight in 2015, the Brooklyn native, 33, is nonstop. As his infectious salsa single “I Was the One” went viral on TikTok, Ramos was already onto his next creative challenge: writing a musical. Still, “I’ll never be Lin-Manuel,” he acknowledges of the Hamilton creator who gave him his big break.

Onscreen Ramos has an action-packed new role as a military officer trying to save the U.S. from an imminent threat in Kathryn Bigelow’s thriller A House of Dynamite (on Netflix Oct. 24). “I really wanted to be on her set and learn from one of the greatest,” he says of the Oscar-winning director. “I’m still learning what it is to be a leader by watching other people I admire.”

Here Ramos shares some of the friends and groundbreaking figures who have inspired his acting and musical journey.

Marc Anthony