Jesse L. Martin in Rent
Credit: Phil Bray/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock
NEED TO KNOW
Jesse L. Martin says singing “I’ll Cover You (Reprise)” is still emotionally difficult
After writer and creator Jonathan Larson passed, Martin sang it at his memorial
Martin originated the role of Tom Collins in Rent, which became a critically acclaimed Broadway hit after Larson’s tragic death
There’s one song from Rent that is both physically and emotionally hard to sing for Jesse L. Martin: “I’ll Cover You (Reprise).”
In an interview on The Roundtable with Robert Bannon, the actor, 57, explained that he “always saw that as a song to Jonathan [Larson],” the playwright and composer who created the 1996 musical.
“I had to sing that song at his memorial,” Martin shared. “It felt the whole time that I had something lodged in my throat, and it was really hard to sing, but every single time I’ve ever sang it, it was always for Jonathan. Always.”
Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin in ‘Rent’
Credit: Demmie Todd/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock
The Law & Order actor originated the role of Tom Collins in both the Off-Broadway and later Broadway musicals, as well as the movie.
Tragically, Larson died on Jan. 25, 1996 — the night before Rent‘s Off-Broadway premiere at the New York Theatre Workshop — of an aortic dissection believed to have been caused by undiagnosed Marfan syndrome.
His musical would go on to receive critical acclaim and commercial success. The show opened on Broadway on April 29, 1996, and ran for 5,123 performances before closing on Sept. 7, 2008. It won several awards, including the 1996 Tony for Best Musical and the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
In addition to Martin, the musical, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, featured Idina Menzel (Maureen), Anthony Rapp (Mark), Adam Pascal (Roger), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mimi), Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Angel), Fredi Walker (Joanne) and Taye Diggs (Benny).
In 2024, Martin told PEOPLE that when he was filming The Irrational, he was approached by a woman and her daughter who were fans of his from Rent.
“The daughter was completely shy, so she just looked shell-shocked, and the mom was in tears,” Martin recalled. When he talked with the mother-daughter duo, he learned the mother had been a fan of the original Broadway production of Rent, while the daughter loved the movie.
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Jesse L. Martin
Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage
“They both had their own experiences with the story of Rent,” Martin said. “For the mom, it was the first Broadway show she ever saw. The daughter listened as her mom shared the story of attending the show and then introducing her to the movie, which featured the same cast. It was a beautiful bonding moment for those two.”
Admittedly, this is not the first time Martin has seen two generations of Rent lovers living under one roof.
“That happens a lot with Rent,” he added.
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