Video: Jonathan Groff Dishes on the Most Important Relationship in His Life

When an individual sets their sights on a career in the arts, they have two very important decisions to make. One: What is the most important value in their life? Two: How far are they willing to go in pursuit of their passion?

For Tony winner Jonathan Groff, now back on Broadway in Just In Time at Circle in the Square Theatre, the answers to both questions are intertwined. Groff has devoted his life to the ephemeral connection between an artist and their audience, pouring himself into his work as a way of unlocking his soul for everyone, including himself, to see.

Groff's supremely open performance style first blossomed at the age of 21, when he took a determined leap of faith.

“I went to an open call,�� Groff shares, his smile easy as he brushes his fingers over the cover of a Spring Awakening �뵺��. “I remember this feeling when I was auditioning for the show, like I wasn't a good enough singer�� I remember calling my dad the night before the final callback, and saying to him, ‘I can't quite play this role yet, but I know if they give me the chance, I could get there.’��

Thankfully, his conviction proved true. Spring Awakening launched Groff into the upper echelon of millennial musical theatre stars. It isn’t hard to see why.

There is no more precise word to describe Groff than earnest. While much has been made over the years about his endearing charm, his unflinching work ethic, and his instantly recognizable tenor—it is that core nugget of “goodness�� that is truly his calling card. His willingness to lay bare the unshielded truth of himself can be traced back to his Pennsylvania childhood, where his love for musical theatre was sparked by the tender songs of Howard Ashman, William Finn, Stephen Sondheim, and Jeanine Tesori.

While Groff is currently on a hot streak, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Following Spring Awakening, he embarked on a stretch of Off-Broadway work. He turned down an opportunity to play lead character Finn on the television show Glee (opposite his friend and Spring Awakening costar Lea Michele), so that he could hone his craft as an actor. Most of his experiences onstage during this period were affirming. It was a negative experience, however, that would open the next door in his career.

“Oh god, The Bacchae,�� Groff smiles, his eyes wistful at the memory of the 2009 Greek tragedy he performed at Shakespeare in the Park. “I went to Greece before performing in this play, with my mom, and I performed the monologue from The Bacchae in these stages in Athens: I got really into it, to getting in touch with it�� This was the first show that I got ripped to shreds in the reviews. Terrible. I got personally called out for being horrible in this play.

"I was playing Dionysus, a Greek god, and I had a five-page monologue at the top of this play at the Delacorte, and I read all of the reviews. And I got to the theatre that night after we opened, and I came out on the stage, and I was like, ‘Wow. Everyone thinks I'm terrible in this play, and now I'm about to do this five-page monologue.�� And about a page and a half into it, I just was like,�� Groff pauses, puffing himself up for emphasis. “I'm a Greek god, and they all have to sit here and watch me do this! I just decided to be confident and to own whatever it was I was doing on stage. So it was a good, empowering moment to overcome that." He then adds, fondly, "And a lot of the villainous qualities, characteristics that I tapped into in this, I used for Jesse St. James in Glee, which I then jumped into after doing this play.��

That multi-episode arc on Glee led Groff down a film and television path for the better part of a decade. Then in 2015, he made his return to Broadway in an undeniable, unimpeachable mega-hit: the kind of show artists dream of being a part of one day. Of course, for Groff, it practically happened by accident.

“I feel like I won the lottery with Hamilton,�� Groff laughs. “I really did, because I replaced Brian D’Arcy James Off-Broadway at the Public Theater. Brian was playing the King, and Something Rotten got fast tracked to Broadway, and Brian had to leave. And I got a text message from [Lin-Manuel Miranda]. ‘It's basically one song. It'll be really fun, I promise.'" Groff agreed, never having heard the music or seen the show. "I thought it would be fun to be back at the Public and to hang out with Lin. And then I flew to New York on a Thursday night, I saw the show on Friday, and then I went into the show on Tuesday night." He couldn't believe what he was seeing, and was astounded that he would be a part of it. Though Groff signed up to only do the show for a few months Off-Broadway, he ended up playing King George when the show transferred to Broadway.

"I used to sneak into the house Off-Broadway, and I would watch the show from the vom. And then on Broadway, I would sneak and watch from the box, dressed as the king, still in my costume. I would peek through the curtains. Unbelievable show, unbelievable experience.��

Then last season, Groff won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, which he hooked for his performance as Franklin Shepard in the revival of Merrily We Roll Along. From the bonds he formed with his co-stars Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe, to the power of the material itself, the memory of the production remains a powder-keg of joy for Groff. He thinks of the musical as Hal Prince, George Firth, and Stephen Sondheim’s gift to writers. “I think they wrote something really extremely bone cuttingly personal, and that was painful, and joyful, and all of it just cut to the bone with their truth. Anyone that gets the opportunity to do that material, gets that therapy, and gets that opportunity for excavation...boy, was it a life-changing experience.��

Now, as he inhabits the shoes of Bobby Darin in Just In Time (which has earned him another Tony nomination), Groff is revealing yet another layer of his soul, allowing his audience to get to know him on an even more intimate level.

“The first preview, when I came down the elevator after singing ‘Mack the Knife�� for the first time, I just lost it. I was just weeping, because this is such a gift. I say in the show, the audience is the only relationship he was any good at. And honestly, same.�� Groff laughs. “To feel that connection to the crowd, to feel them there and to feel them enjoying it is such a spiritual experience for me.��