Jun 6
Jonathan Groff, 'Feeling Full of Pride and PrEP,' Reveals He Turned Down *This* Ryan Murphy Role
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Broadway star Jonathan Groff, currently up for a Tony Award for his turn in "Merrily We Roll Along," opened up in recent public comments about how he's feeling this Pride season, and what iconic Ryan Murphy TV show he turned down.
Appearing at a June 3 "Pride of Broadway" celebration in New York along with out weatherman Wayne Brady, Groff joked about having covered the May/June edition of Out magazine in a black sleeveless undershirt. "I was really flexing for my life," Groff quipped, Out.com reported.
The "Looking " alum went on to say that this June, he finds himself "single," adding that he's "feeling full of Pride and PrEP."
Romance aside, the idea of claiming a Tony for his work in the revival of "Merrily We Roll Along" has the perpetually youthful 39-year-old excited. "If I win, it's gonna light up the closeted homosexual that was 16 years old listening to Ethel Merman," Groff said, referring to his own younger self. "It would light him up like a Christmas tree."
Groff has received two previous noms for the award, one for his work in "Hamilton" and the other for "Spring Awakening."
Groff memorably starred in the latter on Broadway in the early 2000s. It was a role, he revealed, that led to him turning down a starring role on one of Ryan Murphy's signature TV shows, The Hollywood Reporter relayed.
Murphy had approached Groff about starring in "Glee," which, the prolific out producer told the then-23-year-old actor, was tailor-made for him and his "Spring Awakening" co-star, Lea Michele.
But the prospect didn't appeal to Groff, who wanted to stretch his creative wings.
"I really felt like I didn't want to sign on to be a singing teenager again for another seven years," the actor said in remarks to Vanity Fair's podcast Little Gold Men.
"Of course, Groff would eventually make his way to 'Glee' in a recurring role as heartthrob Jesse St. James, and go on to make a bigger splash as Patrick, the lovelorn protagonist in 'Looking,' Andrew Haigh's groundbreaking queer series," Vanity Fair recalled.
Since then, the busy thesp has taken on a variety of roles, including a role in the film version of "The Normal Heart," the voice role of Kristoff on the animated Disney feature "Frozen," and the part of Eric, a gay dad whose family is threatened in the M. Night Shyamalan thriller "Knock at the Cabin."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
