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Theater & Dance

The New Hamilton on Broadway Is a Sexy, Gay, HIV-Positive Cancer Survivor

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Donald Traill/Invision for Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilege/AP Images

Javier Muñoz is stepping into Lin-Manuel Miranda's buckled shoes. 

Starting Monday July 11, Javier Munoz, otherwise known as the "sexy Hamilton," will step into the title role of Broadway's biggest show, replacing the role's originator and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Munoz, who was previously Miranda's understudy and eventual successor for In the Heights, is no stranger to the role, which he has made his own and decidedly sexier during regular Sunday performances.

The 40-year-old Munoz recently underwent surgery and radiation to treat his cancer, which he was diagnosed with last fall, causing him to miss weeks of Hamilton performances.

Munoz chooses not to discuss the nature of his cancer, but he is very open about both his sexuality and his HIV status. "I have been living with HIV since 2002, and I'm undetectable," Munoz told The New York Times. "I'm healthy, I'm strong, and I'm very out about that because of the stigma still attached to it."

Since testing positive, Munoz admits he's had a "healthy fear" about his health and asked how to test himself for lumps since both of his parents had cancer. When he found a lump, he brought it up to his doctor, which led to further tests and the discovery of his cancer.

"I had my first follow-up in March, and all green lights," he said. "I'm good."

Now healthy, he's ready to churn out his musical history lessons seven times a week, joking that someone else gets to be sexy for the eighth performance. Instead, he'll be eating pizza.

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