It’s been over 15 years since Jonathan Groff publicly embraced his identity as a gay man, but that moment in his life is still significant today.
The 40-year-old actor, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Bobby Darin in the jukebox musical Just in Time, exclusively told Parade about a time in his life long before he became a Broadway star.
Groff, who moved to the Big Apple from Lancaster, Pa., was just another aspiring actor pounding the pavement before landing his big break in the hit rock musical Spring Awakeningopposite Lea Michele.
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“The first month that I moved to New York, I was waiting tables at the [now closed] Chelsea Grill of Hell’s Kitchen on 9th between 46th and 47th,” Groff recalled as part of Parade’s recent cover story celebrating Broadway’s diverse and star-studded season. “Lots of rejection. Lots of like really failed dance calls — going to dance calls and getting cut and feeling like, ‘What am I doing here?’
“And I remember going back to my apartment and taking down the Bible that my Mennonite grandmother had given me upon moving to New York and being like, ‘This isn't making me feel better.’ Putting the Bible back up on the shelf and running to Central Park and standing in front of the Bethesda Fountain and looking up at that angel and being like, ‘I got this,’” he continued.
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“I was feeling the magic of New York City, the magic of Central Park, the magic of the Angels in America HBO special that had just come out. And feeling like I was also about to step into my gay self for the first time. That was the moment — looking at that statue — that I was like, ‘Everything’s going to be OK. This is a magical place. I want to be here.’ And now here we are.”
Groff, who started to slowly embrace his sexuality during his run in Spring Awakening, publicly came out in 2009 when he was dating late Broadway actor Gavin Creel.
Jonathan Groff (Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Just in Time)Michael Hull
“He changed my life,” Groff told Broadway.com earlier this year. “I had come out of the closet personally but I had not… There had been no occasion for me to announce it publicly, and we were dating, and he was like so out. He was doing Hair at the time, and he had organized these buses [to the National Equality March in D.C.] through Broadway Impact, the organization that he co-founded, and I remember we were on the buses, and he was painting the peace sign on my cheek with the cast of Hair. And we were all down there, and I really remember the moment of looking over at him with literally a bullhorn and feeling like, ‘Okay am I going to…’ It was such an essential moment. It was because of who he was and how out and how vocal and how brave and fearless and externalized he was and wanting to kind of try to be as brave as he was. But it was also just like the love that I was feeling for him.”
Groff compared his joy of performing to the feelings of joy he felt for the first time in a relationship with another man.
“At that time — it was 2009 — coming out of the closet was like sort of an unspoken or maybe sometimes spoken thing that you were sacrificing something in your career if you were going to come out publicly,” Groff said. “And I remember looking at him feeling like, ‘I would rather feel this feeling than ever be on a TV show or do a movie. This is so much more meaningful to me.’ And so I owe him that, and I'm so grateful that we got to talk about that many times even after we had broken up.”
Related: Once Upon a Time, They Considered Giving Up. Now They’re 2025 Tony Nominees (Exclusive)
Hosted by Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, the 78th Tony Awards will celebrate excellence during Broadway’s 2024-25 season.
They will air live on CBS and can be streamed on Paramount+ (live for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).
For more interviews with your favorite Tony-nominated stars, check back to Parade until the Tony Awards airs live Sunday, June 8, on CBS. And follow Parade on Tony Awards night for live updates from the red carpet, press room and afterparties.
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