InDepth InterView: Jonathan Groff

 

Today, we are talking to GLEE fan favorite - as Jesse St. James - and theatre superstar - from SPRING AWAKENING on Broadway to DEATHTRAP in the West End - the charismatic and magnetic Jonathan Groff. In this world exclusive interview, Jonathan and I discuss all things GLEE and all about working on the second season of the hit show - and, most importantly, everything about the season finale - with GLEE stars Lea Michele, Cheyenne Jackson, and Charice, in addition to working with Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel and GLEE creator/show-runner Ryan Murphy. Additionally, in this complete conversation, we take a look back at Groff's many stage roles ranging from HAIR and THE BACCHAE in Central Park for The Public Theater, to SPRING AWAKENING on Broadway, DEATHTRAP in the West End, as well as his debut in IN MY LIFE - a show whose composer/lyricist/writer, Joe Brooks, was just in the news following his apparent suicide this weekend. Jonathan and I also touch on his blazing feature film debut in Ang Lee's TAKING WOODSTOCK co-starring Liev Schreiber, as well as his work on the pilot for Ryan Murphy's PRETTY/HANDSOME, co-starring Joseph Fiennes and Blythe Danner, and his participation in the new independent film TWELVE THIRTY. We also take a look ahead to the future and deduce what is next for one of the brightest talents on Broadway - all of that and much, much more!

Total Eclipse of the Groff

PC: Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" was an amazing vocal performance from you and Lea - the best song of Season Two.

JG: Thank you so, so much. I was so nervous about it because I am such a huge Adele fan. I have been listening to that album non-stop since it first came out. So, when Lea texted me and told me that we were going to be doing that song, I was really excited about it, but, at the same time, I was also pretty freaked out.

PC: Did you know right off the bat you were going to be doing it acapella like that? That's what makes it so unique.

JG: No, I didn't. I didn't. We knew that, like, just before we were going into the studio to record it. It's actually John Legend's version, that he did.

PC: No way! Are you a Legend fan?

JG: Oh, yeah - but, I didn't know that he had done a version of it until we got that recording of it.

PC: It makes a sort of relationship triptych with you and Lea - "Hello" to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" to "Rolling In The Deep". All great duets - building, dissolving, breaking up.

JG: Oh, you're making my day! I loved doing all of those so much. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

PC: Have you gotten good feedback from the fans on "Rolling In the Deep", as well? It's a big YouTube and iTunes hit.

JG: Amazing, right? Yeah, I got some really nice e-mails and some really nice phone-calls, so that was really, really cool.

PC: Could you please give me a few words on some of your GLEE co-stars - particularly these three who have done this column?

JG: Sure!

PC: Kristin Chenoweth.

JG: I love Kristin Chenoweth. I mean, she was so amazing on GLEE and I actually went to go see her in WICKED when I was in high school - I got her and Idina's autographs, actually. (Laughs.) I even went to the stage door - I was such a huge, huge fan.

PC: Idina Menzel was the next one on my list, actually!

JG: Oh, it was so, so exciting to get to work with both of them on the show. They were so nice and so hardworking. I mean, Kristin was like improving and knew all of her lines for the whole episode - she's just a total pro and I am just blown away with her.

PC: She also supported your character on Twitter when there was some backlash about Jesse being too mean or too cruel too "queeny".

JG: Yeah, right. You know, with things like that, it is sort of like getting a bad review and you just have to let it roll off your back. It didn't really affect me that much.

PC: Do you want to duet with Idina in the future since she plays Lea's mother on the show?

JG: Oh, I would kill to do a duet with her. I am such a huge fan. I adore her. I think she is so talented. I was so excited that we got to do some scenes together and got to work together. And, she just had her baby so the baby was on set. It was just awesome.

PC: What about Charice?

JG: I actually never got to work with her onset or even meet her yet! She's so, so talented, though.

PC: What about your relationship with the star of the show and la piece de resistance de GLEE - Lea Michele.

JG: Oh, yes - hello?!

PC: Literally, "Hello".

JG: (Big Laugh.) We had so much fun - and we always have so much fun together. I mean, we wrapped the show about a week and a half ago and it was like 3 AM or something and we were on the set and we were walking back to our trailers and we just had a moment of, like, "Wow, I can't believe that we met five years ago. At that callback of SPRING AWAKENING, who would have ever guessed that now we'd be on the set of this TV show?"

PC: It must be mind-blowing.

JG: It was completely surreal. I mean, to go through an exciting thing and have an exciting thing happen in your career is always really fun, but to be able to do it with someone and to experience things with someone is so much more fun. I feel really lucky to experience all the things I've gotten to experience with her. It's just been a blast.

PC: Is it true you suggested her to Ryan Murphy?

JG: Well, she came out to visit me when I was doing that pilot we were just talking about that didn't get picked up [PRETTY/HANDSOME], and, Ryan was like, "Oh, my God! You would be so perfect for this role on GLEE!" So, I just introduced them.

PC: Was she visiting the set?

JG: Yeah, she had come out to visit me just for like a weekend when we were shooting out there in LA.

PC: That's all it took?

JG: Yeah, I guess so! (Laughs.)

PC: Did you get to work with Patti LuPone at all on the finale?

JG: No, I didn't! I wish. I wish. I am such a huge fan. I love her so much - I saw her in GYPSY and I thought she was amazing. I am just a huge, huge fan.

PC: Did you enjoy that production of GYPSY?

JG: I loved that production, yeah - I wish I could have seen it twice.

PC: Are you doing any stops on the GLEE tour?

JG: I don't think so - but, I don't know for sure. Nothing has been asked of me yet - but, you never know with GLEE!

PC: You and Lea - along with Matt Morrison, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth and Cheyenne Jackson on GLEE - are breakout stars unlike anything we've seen in quite some time. GLEE seems to be providing a perfect avenue for Broadway performers to parlay their success into Hollywood.

JG: It's so funny - Cheyenne was actually on set for the finale! I have not seen him all season long, even though we've done some of the same episodes. I saw him when we were on set during the season finale - finally. (Pause.) I can't believe they haven't had him sing yet! I can't wait until Cheyenne sings on GLEE.

PC: When Charice did this column she said the same thing! Not yet.

JG: Not yet! Hopefully it's coming! (Laughs.)

PC: Would you like to do a song with him in the future?

JG: Of course!

PC: "You're Nothing Without Me" from CITY OF ANGELS?

JG: (Big Laugh.) I feel like he and Matt would do that really well, though, don't you think?

PC: Or, Matt and Bryan Ryan (played by Neil Patrick Harris)?

JG: Totally! Absolutely. I hope Neil comes back next year, as well.

PC: So, we can confirm Jesse St. James survives the season? He doesn't die in a motorcycle accident or anything as rumored?

JG: (Laughs.) No, I definitely don't die in a motorcycle accident.

PC: What can all the fans - the gleeks - look forward to in the finale?

JG: I mean, I think they are in for a surprise. I read the script a couple of weeks ago and the whole thing takes place - most of it - in New York. I am not in any of those scenes - I didn't get to come to New York to shoot the episode. So, you can definitely look forward to seeing lots of New York City, which will be lots of fun.

PC: What was your first reaction to the script?

JG: I was pretty shocked by the end of the finale. I think people will be surprised.

PC: How do you feel the second season has progressed? It seems to be an ever-evolving machine, especially how the parts are constantly changing and being renovated.

JG: Totally. I think that Ryan does such a good job of always keeping it new and always keeping it fresh and always trying to change it up. And, always trying to push the envelope a little bit - all of the different people that he has brought onto the show; and, like, that whole storyline that he did with Chris [Colfer] that happened this year has been so amazing. (Pause.) So, yeah, it really is ever-evolving.

PC: What do you think about the show as a fan?

JG: Oh, I have to say that I think all of the character development that has happened this season has been great. I have been excited to get to know Santana a little bit more - and, to get to hear her sing more. And, Heather [Morris], too - to get to see her do her thing in the "Britney" episode and everything. Yeah, I am really enjoying getting to know all of the other characters. I think it's great. And, it keeps it interesting for everyone watching.

PC: You played a lead role on Ryan Murphy's pilot, PRETTY/HANDSOME, involving a transsexual, a few years ago. What was the show about?

JG: It was a pilot for FX starring Joe Fiennes. He played a doctor who secretly wanted to have a sex change. In the pilot, you sort of got to know that, and he dressed up as a woman and whatever. It was really, really interesting.

PC: Who did you play?

JG: I played his son, who, you know, was like a senior in high school and had gotten his girlfriend pregnant. It was really... (Laughs.) intense. It was a really good show, though.

PC: What a cast! You, Blythe Danner, Joseph Fiennes...

JG: I know! And Carrie Anne-Moss played his wife and Robert Wagner played his father. It was awesome.

PC: What a shame it didn't get picked up.

JG: Yeah. Totally.

PC: Have you worked on any other projects that didn't get picked up or didn't continue on? You've done a lot of work.

JG: Hmm. Let me think. (Pause.) Other than PRETTY/HANDSOME - which was really fun, but never happened, obviously - I have never done another pilot.

PC: What about workshops of musicals?

JG: I have done a bunch of those. A countless number.

PC: What was the most interesting?

JG: Well, I did a really crazy workshop of the sequel to FAME.

PC: What was that about?

JG: David Da Silva, who is the guy that created FAME: THE MUSICAL, he wrote a sequel to FAME called FAME: FOREVER. We did it a couple of years ago. I can't remember much about it right now. But, I got my Equity card doing FAME at the North Shore Music Theater in Massachusetts and so they asked me to come in, then, to do that. That was one workshop that didn't happen.

PC: So, from FAME to GLEE - how fascinating! Weird, no?

JG: (Laughs.) Yeah! Totally weird.

PC: Speaking of Equity cards: IN MY LIFE was your first Broadway show. Are you aware that the show's writer, Joseph Brooks, committed suicide yesterday?

JG: I know. I heard about that. It's so sad.

PC: Do you have any recollections of working with him?

JG: Totally. He gave me my first big opportunity: I was Christopher J. Hanke's understudy in IN MY LIFE. It was my first Broadway show. I mean, the people who were in that show with me - my friends Laura, Courtney, Kilty and Christopher - I mean, we all still stay in touch. I am still very, very close with so many folks from that show. We were all really sad to hear that his life ended so tragically. There was a little e-mail blast, actually, that is going around between the company right now that was sort of designed to share memories and stuff from that experience.

PC: Chris Hanke did this column recently and he said it was never an ALL ABOUT EVE-like situation with you as his understudy.

JG: Oh, yeah - he couldn't have been more generous or great. I actually just saw him yesterday in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING. He was awesome.

PC: What did you think of that production?

JG: I loved it. I thought it was so good. I actually did that show my freshman year of high school.

PC: You also did BAT BOY, right?

JG: (Laughs.) Yes, I did!

PC: What do you think of modern scores like that and SPRING AWAKENING? Does modern music have a place on Broadway?

JG: Well, you know, I think there is room for it. I saw a bunch of shows this week and I was really thinking when I was watching them that there is room for everything, you know?

PC: Undoubtedly.

JG: I mean, I love those old-fashioned musicals like HOW TO SUCCEED - I am a huge fan of that show - and I saw ANYTHING GOES, as well. I mean, I think there is room for a little bit of everything on Broadway, don't you?

PC: Of course. There isn't enough new stuff, though. Did you see BLOODY, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON earlier this season?

JG: Yeah, totally! Well, I saw it off-Broadway. I was actually out of town in London when it moved to Broadway, and it closed before I came back. So, I never got a chance to see it on Broadway - but, I saw it off-Broadway.

PC: Would you ever take on a role like that?

JG: Which role - in BLOODY, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON?

PC: Yeah!

JG: (Laughs.) No, I don't want to touch that - I think that Ben Walker did an amazing job.

PC: How did you feel about taking on Christopher Reeve's iconic role in DEATHTRAP? Had you seen the Sidney Lumet film before you became involved with the revival?

JG: Yeah, I watched the movie right before my audition, actually. My friend, Greg, was like, "Oh, it's one of my favorite movies! You've gotta see this movie." So, I watched it right before my audition.

PC: What did you think of the film version?

JG: Actually, when I watched the movie, I was sort of reminded what an important part the giant boots play in that show - they talk about, "Be aware of the man in boots," you know?

PC: Yes. Ira Levin was a puzzle master.

JG: Yeah, there's a little bit about it in the script. But, it wasn't really until I watched the movie that I thought, "Oh, wow, I really gotta get a pair of boots for this audition!" - you know, seeing Christopher Reeve in these giant boots. So, I went to the Army Store downtown and bought a pair of Army boots that I wore to my audition and they ended up being my costume piece in the show.

PC: How perfect!

JG: Totally. Totally.

PC: Does a piece of clothing or a prop ever help you find your character - or an element of a character? Your vest in TAKING WOODSTOCK is already pretty iconic. Jim Morrison-ish.

JG: (Laughs.) Yeah, totally. I actually got to meet Michael Lang and spend time with him when I did that movie. He still has that vest! I mean, he wore that almost exact vest - there is all this footage and all these pictures of him in that vest, and they recreated it, obviously, for the movie - but, when I went to his house, he pulled out that vest! He still has it from 1969. It's pretty awesome.

PC: That movie has two truly awesome performances thanks to you and Liev Schreiber. Did you know when you were making it that it would be a star-making performance like it ended up being?

JG: Well, I was just, like, really excited to be working with Ang Lee. That was the first movie I ever did. So, I was just really excited to get to meet him and get to work with him and be a part of that group of people. I was so pumped. And, to get to meet Michael in real life? I mean, the experience of the movie was just such a gift. Getting to ride in a helicopter; learning how to ride a motorcycle and ride a horse - it was so many things.

PC: Was it daunting to know your costume was mostly just a vest?

JG: I actually didn't do any lifting - they actually told me not to exercise at all. They didn't want me to look muscular, they wanted me to look like a hippie. They didn't want me to have any obvious muscles or anything, so I kept it au natural. (Laughs.)

PC: Would you consider playing a superhero type role and do the extreme exercise regimen actors like Robert Downey, Jr. and Ryan Reynolds have done? Do you think it's going too far to put your body through the wringer or is it appropriate for an actor?

JG: No, I would totally do that. If I had to do something physical, I would definitely be up for all of that.

PC: What about onstage nudity like in SPRING AWAKENING? Have you ever been asked to go what you deem to be too far?

JG: Oh, no. I've done a lot of nudity - in SPRING AWAKENING and a play a couple of years ago at the Public. (Pause.) Yeah, I mean - it doesn't really faze me too much. I think it's probably more shocking for the audience than it is for the actor - because you do it eight times a week, so you get kind of used to it, as opposed to, like, an audience seeing it for the first time and getting nervous about it.

PC: If you prepare the audience for it, it shouldn't be a problem, anyway.

JG: Totally. If it fits within the context of the show, it's always worth it and all of that.

PC: What was that production of THE BACCHAE that you did like in general? I never got to see it.

JG: Yeah, we did a new translation of the play and Philip Glass did a bunch of music for it.

PC: No way! What was that like?

JG: Yeah, the girls - the Bacchans - sang. It was, really, so much fun.

PC: What do you think of the themes and message of that play? What do you think about the Christ allusions - written long before the Christ story? It's a pre-cursor, really.

JG: Totally. It is. It was such an intense play to do. (Sighs.) It's always sort of a lot to bring out those Greek tragedies - you know, people don't really do them anymore except in college, when you are in school and you read them. And, it was so exciting to get to play Dionysus and to get to do it outdoors - to get to be sort of involved with the weather elements that happen in Central Park. I actually took a trip to Greece a week before rehearsals began.

PC: What was that experience like?

JG: Right before rehearsals began, I took a week-long trip to Greece and saw the ruins and, like, went and did my opening monologue in the theater of Dionysus - I was totally nerding out in that show. (Laughs.) I had such a good time.

PC: What it a transcendental type experience? Did you find the core of the character there or anything?

JG: Well, you know, it was and it wasn't - it was more for research. I sort of felt disconnected from it because it was so long ago, so I just wanted to go and stand on that ground and sort of take it in and all of that. So, that certainly informed my experience, I think. But, then, you get into the rehearsal room and you are dealing with, like, the concept of the show and the props and whatever else, and it becomes a totally different thing. But, I am really glad that I took that trip because it was really informative and really fun.

PC: And, the history of The Public Theater and Joseph Papp is so integral to the history of world theatre, as well.

JG: Yeah, I love The Public Theater. I mean, I've done a couple of plays there and I did a concert there last year at Joe's Pub. I just think that place is amazing. I mean: they are producing shows on Broadway; there are so many theaters in that building; and, they do Shakespeare In The Park. I really feel like that's so inspiring - I love going there and I love working there. I get so inspired just walking in that building - not only because of the history and everyone that has walked through those doors, but, also, all of the work that they are turning out. I just really admire that theater.

PC: Plus, the Michael Bennett/CHORUS LINE legacy.

JG: Oh, yeah. Totally.

PC: What do you think of that 1970s era of Broadway with Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, Hal Prince, Michael Bennett & Fosse? Will we ever have a time like that again?

JG: Well, it really was a golden age, wasn't it? It was such a great time for theatre. I think, yeah, of course, we can totally have that again - there are great composers and there are people pushing boundaries today. I mean, I wish I could sort of hop in my time machine and go back and see all of those shows again, but, yeah, I am living for those revivals now. I wish I could go down to DC and see that revival of FOLLIES. I'm sure it's really great.

PC: Are you a Sondheim fan?

JG: Absolutely! Are you kidding me? He's a genius!

PC: I've never heard you sing a Sondheim song - what's the first you want to do?

JG: That's actually a really great point - I never have sung a Sondheim song!

PC: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG? That score fits your voice.

JG: Oh, yeah! Totally!

PC: Charley at Encores!? Or, wait a couple of years?

JG: (Laughs.) I mean, I would be up for anything - just to get to sing that music. I think "Being Alive" would be my ultimate Sondheim tune I would like to turn out.

PC: So, Bobby in COMPANY?

JG: I would love to - that's a dream role, for sure.

PC: Do you have any new musicals you are looking at now?

JG: No, I am just back to auditioning and pounding the pavement. I am here in New York today and tomorrow I go out to LA for a little while - I got a place out there a couple of months ago. I am just trying to get things going.

PC: Tell me about your new movie TWELVE THIRTY.

JG: That actually opened in New York a few months ago at a few theaters. I shot that almost two years ago. It's just a small independent film. It was really fun to do.

PC: Do you want to move more into film? TAKING WOODSTOCK was quite a debut.

JG: Yeah, I am open for anything. As long as it's a project that excites me and a director that excites me and a company that excites me and a role that excites me - I am up for any medium. You know, I would love to come back and do a play or a musical or a movie - I am up for anything as long as it is challenging.

PC: Tell me about your relationship with Patina Miller and hanging out with her for nine months in the West End when you did DEATHTRAP? She just did this column and told me how much she cherishes her friendship with you.

JG: I mean, it's really funny - Patina and I did HAIR together in Central Park and we became really close. And, I actually went to go visit her in London before it went into production. So, then, we were, like, Skyping every couple of months and staying in touch. Then, I got this job in London, and it was so amazing to have her there with me!

PC: What was it like to be two American stars in the West End?

JG: We had such a good time. We would spend every day off together. I saw her show four times.

PC: Wow. What a score it has!

JG: Yeah! I love it. I saw it on Broadway on Thursday night. I am just so proud of her. I have honestly never met another person who works as hard as she does - she works her ass off. I was just, like, beaming with pride watching her on Thursday doing her show. I feel like the show has gotten so much better since it was in London and she just keeps getting better and better. I am her number one fan. I think she's just the greatest.

PC: It takes the best to recognize the best. You are two of the few in the new generation of breakout Broadway stars.

JG: Aww, well, I just can't wait to see what she does next! I feel like she's got a lot inside of her. I can't wait to see what's next from her. I am such a fan.

PC: Define collaboration.

JG: Collaboration, to me, is just being open. I feel like a lot of times we forget to listen to our fellow actors or listen to the audience, so the most important thing about collaborating to me is just listening. Listening, because, when you listen, you automatically react to something and you offer something up. So, to me, the most important thing about collaboration is listening to the people around you.

PC: You're the man. I really appreciate it, Jonathan.

JG: Thank you so much, Pat. You are so sweet. Have an awesome evening.