Javier Muñoz, the new star of Hamilton, who has replaced the show’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, sat down with Stephen Colbert Thursday night on The Late Show.

Muñoz, who is openly gay and HIV positive, talked with Colbert about the genesis of Broadway’s biggest smash in years, what it was like performing for President and Mrs. Obama, why The New York Times calls him the ‘sexy Hamilton’, and what inspires him most about the show.

Muñoz also talked about how his battles with cancer and HIV have connected him to his work in Hamilton. “My drive is rooted in my own personal experience in my life. It’s the fear of dying,” Muñoz says, that propels him.

Watch Muñoz, below.