Anthony Ramos on His 'Love' for Lin-Manuel Miranda: 'I'm Really Grateful' (Exclusive)

There’s nothing but love between former Hamilton co-stars Anthony Ramos and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

While chatting with PEOPLE about his work with Dog Chow and their advocacy for service dogs, Ramos, 31, shares how he credits Miranda, 43, for so much of his success.

“He gave me some of the best opportunities I've had in my life,” Ramos says, reflecting on his career-launching role in the original cast of Hamilton on Broadway and his lead part in the 2019 film adaptation of Miranda’s first Broadway production, In The Heights. 

“The projects he's written have opened doors for me to be in this business in the way that I'm blessed to be in it now, so I really — I'm really grateful for that," he says, adding, “He's definitely [made] a big impact in my life. We haven't worked together in a while [and] I mean, we don't talk all the time, but when I see him, there's always love.” 

When Ramos last saw Miranda at Marc Anthony’s January wedding, he says it was a night to remember: “We were dancing on the dance floor, crushing it.”

Ramos originated the dual roles of Philip Hamilton and John Laurens in the first iteration of Miranda’s hit musical starting in 2015. 

“It's just wild to think that there's been so much time — that so much time has passed,” he says of the Tony award-winning production, which he departed in 2016. “It's crazy when I say it out loud. Like, it's been eight years since I've been on Broadway.”

After Hamilton, Ramos scored his role in In The Heights as Usnavi. At the time, Ramos said that taking on the role in Miranda’s semi-autobiographical Broadway hit felt like a “huge responsibility.” 

Now, Ramos is contemplating a long-awaited return to the stage. Just thinking about it, he admits, “I get nervous, I get scared a little bit.”

The Transformers: Rise of the Beasts star continues, “It’s not a light task, getting on stage eight times a week and getting after it, so I’ve got to really think about it and be like, I love this so much and I wanna commit to this.”

"There are things in the works for sure," he teases.

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