NEED TO KNOW
- Renée Elise Goldsberry takes fans through her struggle of balancing a newly explosive career, thanks to Hamilton, while navigating new motherhood in the documentary Satisfied
- “It felt like striving for one threatened the other,” she says in the trailer, of balancing her work and parenting dreams
- Satisfied is in theaters from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, with tickets on sale Aug. 22
Renée Elise Goldsberry is reflecting on her mental challenges as she experienced both of her biggest life dreams come true at once, in the trailer for her documentary, Satisfied.
Named after Goldsberry’s show-stopping solo number in Hamilton, the Tony Award winner’s documentary premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Festival and “explores her life-changing experience originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, while simultaneously navigating her path to motherhood and balancing the competing demands of career and family,” according to a release.
The newly released trailer opens with a voiceover from Goldsberry, telling viewers over home-video footage from her adolescent years, “I had two big dreams when I was little: to be a mother, and to have a career as a singer and an actor.”
“Until I grew up, and it felt like striving for one threatened the other,” she adds.
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The rest of the trailer takes the audience through snippets of her audition process for Hamilton with costar and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as her “real struggle” toward motherhood, including six pregnancies before welcoming her son Benjamin in 2009 with husband Alexis Johnson. (The two went on to welcome a second child via adoption, daughter Brielle, in 2014.)
Hamilton went on to break Broadway wide open the following year. And as Goldsberry recalls in the trailer, “I’m the only mom in the cast. I’m not home for bath time, or to kiss the kids good night.”
“It’s every actor’s dream to be part of a hit, yet I’m feeling increasingly out of control,” she continues. “Sometimes now, when I’m doing the show, I keep having panic attacks throughout the number.”
“This is starting to feel like a runaway train. Overwhelming everything else in my life completely,” Goldsberry adds. “Is the sacrifice worth it? And who is paying the price?”
Satisfied is directed by Chris Bolan and Melissa Haizlip, from Aura Entertainment and Fathom Entertainment. It’s produced by Stick Figure in association with Amblin Documentaries and Aperture Media Partners, with a team of executive producers including Goldsberry.
Aura Entertainment CEO Marc Goldberg says in a release that the film “isn’t just a story about how one role, one show, changed the face of Broadway for future generations; it’s a story about motherhood and resilience.”
“Renée’s story is both personal and powerful, with a behind-the-scenes look at a cultural phenomenon that audiences around the world will find deeply moving,” he adds, in part.
Satisfied is in theaters from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, with tickets on sale Aug. 22.
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