'In The Heights' cast on movie's summer celebration of music and dreams

CHICAGO (WLS) -- "In The Heights" hit theaters and streaming Thursday, and some of its stars sat down to talk about being part of this summer celebration of music and dreams coming true.

The joy jumps off the screen in the film, and the mood on the set was much the same.

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"It speaks about the celebration of joy and beyond, and establishing your own dream and reality," said actress Dascha Polanco. "When we speak of culture we speak of inclusion, and that's something we year for as an audience."

"It was really, really wonderful to work on," said actress Daphne Rubin-Vega. "It's powerful to be in an environment where the story and spaces are centered around you. It's indescribably gratifying."

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Gregory Diaz's storyline is very timely, touching on aspects of dreams and how promise in life can be completely upended.

"I was excited as an actor to be able to try my best, to uphold or uplift the story, but at the same time I sat back and thought about the significance it holds," he said.

"This is my first experience being part of a musical in a film of this magnitude where you look around and relate you don't have to subdue who you are," said Polanco. "I can actually draw some inspiration from the iconic women in my life."

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"This is so necessary and we need to start creating more of these, there's more to come!" she added.

"In The Heights" is in movie theaters and available to stream on HBO Max starting today.