Rodney Hicks (Benjamin Coffin III) and Gwen Stewart (Mrs. Jefferson/others) are the only members from the original Broadway cast to be part of the closing cast for the show and film. Stewart returned to the cast in the same role she played in the original cast ("Mrs. Jefferson, woman with bags, and others," including the solo in "Seasons of Love"). Hicks also returned to his original cast role, in a way--when the show first opened, he had played "Paul, a cop, and others," and had also been the understudy for the role of Benjamin Coffin III, which was then usually played by Taye Diggs.