Jonathan Groff

Summary

Podcast Summary: Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Episode: Jonathan Groff
Date: February 10, 2026
Host: Amy Poehler
Guest: Jonathan Groff

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Overview

In this lively, warm, and candid episode of Good Hang, Amy Poehler sits down with Broadway, TV, and film star Jonathan Groff for an in-depth conversation about his multifaceted career and joyful approach to life. They are joined briefly by Gracie Lawrence, Groff’s co-star from his current Broadway show Just in Time, who shares stories from their collaboration and asks Groff about his famously calm demeanor. The discussion covers Broadway, making meaningful friendships at work, early formative experiences, playing Dorothy, approaching risk and change, and what’s been making them laugh lately.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening and Gracie Lawrence’s Cameo (02:27-12:01)

• Amy introduces the episode and welcomes Gracie Lawrence (of the band Lawrence and co-star in Just in Time) for a fun pre-show hang, joined humorously by surprise guests in Gracie’s dressing room: Jon Stewart and Abby Jacobson.
• Gracie confesses that watching Good Hang pre-show was a calming ritual for her and her roommate:

  "A calm would come over us." (04:00)

• Gracie describes their band’s involvement in their new Broadway show "All Out" and her admiration for Jonathan Groff:

  "I love Jonathan Groff in such an intense way...I think he's like one of the greats, like one of the greatest performers of all time. He reminds me of the kind of performer that is of a different era. He can do it all and is so magnetic and so charming." (07:31)

• Notable, memorable moments include talk of Jonathan’s intense on-stage eye contact and playful backstage shenanigans, highlighting his ability to keep performances fresh and fun.
• Gracie asks Amy to pose her burning question to Groff:

  "I've never seen him frazzled or anxious or nervous. ... When did he, has he always been this way? ... What, if anything, scares him now?" (09:15-10:53)

2. First Meeting & High-Energy Introduction (12:52-18:03)

• Jonathan and Amy officially meet for the first time and joke about their immediate rapport:

  "When you came in, we hugged and you lifted me up, which I really enjoyed...people should know you're very jacked." (13:17)

• Discussion turns to the structure of a Broadway performer’s day, waiting all day for the “hardest” and yet most joyful part—the show:

  "The most challenging part of my day, but it's also the most joyful part of my day...I'm like a kid with the high school play." (15:07)

• Groff walks Amy through his post-show routine—night biking home, decompressing with YouTube, and a true night-owl lifestyle.

3. Joy, Ambition, and Goodness in Artistry (18:03-21:29)

• Amy praises Jonathan for balancing ambition with compassion:

  "You, to me, are the embodiment of someone who is deeply, deeply open and a good, caring, nice person. And also crushing it and ambitious and ambition with a side of compassion, basically. You don't have to be a jerk." (18:03)

• Jonathan reflects on ambition as non-competitive, echoing the “a rising tide lifts all boats” adage and appreciating peers, especially those “magnetized to the same joy of performing” as he’s grown older.

4. Formative Years: Horses, Broadway, and Family (22:11-33:39)

• Jonathan shares childhood memories of life on a Mennonite horse farm, being more drawn to Sondheim than horses:

  "My brother and I were both petrified of the horses because they're so scary...I was blasting Britney Spears and Stephen Sondheim...being like, this. I don't fit here." (23:06)

• Heartfelt stories about family acceptance—being “allowed to be” himself even in a conservative environment:

  "They just beautifully allowed me to fly my freak flag." (26:12)

• Both Amy and Jonathan discover parallels in their childhood performances as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, hilariously contrasting Groff’s “tornado-forward” approach with Amy’s “leading lady” instincts.

5. Path to Broadway & Early Career Breaks (29:03-34:48)

• Groff traces his journey from discovering musical theater at the local library, through school trips to see Broadway, to working in community theaters and meeting his future Just In Time cast mate decades earlier.
• Talks about forgoing college after booking the Sound of Music tour, parents’ support, and the pivotal moment of being Tony-nominated for Spring Awakening at 21.

6. Self-Discovery, Identity, and Artistic Growth (35:12-47:09)

• Jonathan describes how Spring Awakening opened him up as a person and an artist:

  "Playing the role in that show allowed me to grow the muscle to be able to do that [come out]." (38:24)

• Deep conversation on the struggles and fears around coming out, family reactions, and the complexity of living authentically, particularly for people-pleasers.
• Career evolutions: from Glee to Looking to Hamilton, each marked by periods of risk-taking.
• On accepting the part in Hamilton after Looking’s cancellation, his initial “just say yes” attitude, and discovering the comedic brilliance in the King George songs.

7. Performance Process & Backstage Life (51:28-56:09)

• Amy asks about downtime backstage at Hamilton:

  "I ended up really learning how to embrace...I would have visitations from the cast...Then I started reading all the books that I wanted to read...and it became a very productive time." (53:46)

• Funny rituals (Groff would "have five Altoids in my mouth" for his cue), and mutual “cue-missing” anxiety dreams in performance settings.

8. Merrily We Roll Along: Sondheim, Memory & Full Circle (56:51-62:49)

• Both discuss the depth and resonance of Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway as Groff turned 40, recognizing its autobiographical links to Sondheim’s own life, and its theme of friendship, time, and artistic growth:

  "It was every dream I ever had come true." (60:16)

• On the power of crafting something with intention, regardless of how it's received in the moment:

  "If you do something with your whole heart, it can continue to resonate and stand the test of time." (62:49)

9. Friendship, Intimacy, and Chosen Family (65:08-70:03)

• Amy observes how Groff’s projects often translate into lifelong friendships; Jonathan reveals this partly stems from the closeted intimacy needs of his youth and the authenticity found in theater communities.
• Heartfelt tribute to late friend Gavin Creel—meeting him as a teen at the stage door, the “electricity” of those early theater experiences, and how transformative those relationships can be.

10. Gracie Lawrence’s Question: Calmness in the Face of Pressure (70:45-76:54)

• Groff finally answers Gracie’s earlier question, crediting his “fainting goat” instinct to go “dead calm” when scared:

  "When something scary happens, I go dead calm. I start to just talk really slowly and I bring it all the way down..." (72:45)

• He shares a story about losing his voice onstage and handling it with composed directness, putting his cast and the audience at ease.

11. What Makes Jonathan Groff Laugh (77:19-81:13)

• Late-night decompression equals YouTube bingeing (“my only addiction”):

  “Weirdly, even though I'm not on any social media, I was the one that knew the YouTubes that would make us laugh.” (77:33)

• Amy and Jonathan bond deeply over news blooper videos ("Gay Everest," "Grape Lady") as the ultimate cure for work stress and proof of their kindred comedic spirits.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On ambition and kindness:
  "Oftentimes ambition is seen as...a cutthroat thing...but we're all just on our own little, like, track and field lane." — Jonathan Groff (18:34)
• On family support:
  "They just beautifully allowed me to fly my freak flag." — Jonathan Groff (26:12)
• On playing Dorothy:
  "I was very tornado forward in my interpretation." — Jonathan Groff (26:47)
• On coming out:
  "I have to play this role. And they let me do it...and playing the role in that show allowed me to grow the muscle to be able to do that." (Coming out after Spring Awakening) — Jonathan Groff (38:24)
• On risk and artistic growth:
  "If you do something with your whole heart, it can continue to resonate and stand the test of time." — Jonathan Groff (62:49)
• On calmness under pressure:
  "When something scary happens, I go dead calm. I start to just talk really slowly and I bring it all the way down..." — Jonathan Groff (72:45)
• On what truly makes him laugh:
  "A news blooper is the best." — Amy Poehler (78:12)

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• [04:00] — Gracie Lawrence describes pre-show rituals and praise for Jonathan Groff
• [10:53] — Gracie poses the calmness/anxiety question for Groff
• [15:07] — Jonathan on prepping for a late show and the challenge/joy of live theater
• [23:06] — Jonathan’s childhood on a Mennonite horse farm and feelings of being different
• [26:12] — Family support for his creative/different side
• [26:47] — Dorothy stories (Amy & Jonathan)
• [38:24] — On coming out, artistic therapy via Spring Awakening
• [47:09] — Being offered Hamilton, building the King George character in real time
• [53:46] — What Groff did backstage during Hamilton’s long breaks
• [62:49] — Power of intention; Merrily and the value of quality, even in “failure”
• [72:45] — Jonathan describes his dead calm under pressure
• [77:33] — Jonathan’s favorite way to decompress: YouTube and news bloopers

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Tone & Takeaways

Amy and Jonathan’s rapport is immediate, affectionate, and full of playful humor and mutual respect. The episode is rich with honest insight on creativity, career longevity, identity, and joy, always circling back to the pleasures of collaboration, friendship, and the freedom to be yourself—both onstage and off.
Perfect for fans of theater and comedy, and for anyone seeking a gentle, affirming, and deeply entertaining podcast conversation.

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Transcript

[Jonathan Groff]

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[Amy Poehler]

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of good hang. We are so excited to talk to Jonathan Groff. Huge fan, and what a delight. What a just so. So talented and funny and so fun to talk to. And we're gonna talk about a lot of things today. We're gonna talk about horses. We're gonna talk about Broadway. We're gonna talk about making lasting friendships at work. We're gonna talk about us both playing Dorothy in the wizard of Oz and the different things we brought to it. And we're gonna talk about his Broadway smash hit, just in time, which is open for a few more weeks on Broadway. He plays Bobby Darin. It's amazing. You have to see it. But before we do, we're gonna check in with someone who knows our guest, who's worked with our guest, who loves our guest, and that person is Gracie Lawrence. Gracie is an incredible singer from the band Lawrence. She was Connie Francis in just in time. And we are gonna speak to her while she is in rehearsal for another Broadway. Gracie, do you have a question for our darling Jonathan? Hi. This episode of Good Hang is presented by Uber eats. Big news. Aldi is now on Uber Eats, and you get 20% off your first grocery order with code NEWALDI26. So whether your fridge is empty and you're too tired to shop or you just ran out of essential ingredients in the middle of meal prep, don't worry. Fill your fridge in just a few taps and get 20% off your first Aldi order on Uber eats for orders over $60. You can save up to $20. Ends February 28, 2026. Terms apply. See app for details. Hello, Gracie.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Okay, wait, Sorry. There's some people in my dressing room that are. I told them that I was in the middle of something, but it's like, who's in there?

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, my God. Listeners Jon Stewart and Abby Jacobson are flanking Gracie Lawrence right now. We got a three fur.

[Gracie Lawrence]

A three for sentence. I've dreamed of.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

A three fur.

[Jonathan Groff]

With Amy Poehler.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, my God. Hi, friends.

[Jonathan Groff]

Hello, friends.

[Amy Poehler]

What a good surprise.

[Gracie Lawrence]

No, they live in My dressing room. Yeah, we share dressing.

[Jonathan Groff]

This one. Amy.

[Amy Poehler]

Top. Top notch. Yeah. So, so talent. So naturally talented.

[Jonathan Groff]

The only downside, honestly, Amy, is the drinking.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

That's the part that.

[Amy Poehler]

The only thing that's holding her back. Yeah. Yeah, we.

[Gracie Lawrence]

We don't have to talk about it.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, yeah, there's actually not a podcast today. Gracie, we're all here because we love you and we want to.

[Gracie Lawrence]

You know what? I thought that this seemed strange. I was like, why are they in my dressing room? Why am I getting a call from Amy Poehler?

[Amy Poehler]

Look at you guys. Broadway, you know, it's just rehearsal.

[Jonathan Groff]

Broadway babies.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Broadway babes. Guys, let's do our thing. Me, me, me, me, me, me, me. Okay, we actually do have to go down. Okay, bye.

[Amy Poehler]

Love you. Love you.

[Jonathan Groff]

Bye.

[Amy Poehler]

We're talking about. And to Jonathan Groff today, who I know you love.

[Gracie Lawrence]

I love Jonathan Groff in such an intense way. Wait, I need to say something to you first.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, wait. Okay, wait.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Okay, like, wait. Like, everyone, stop. First of all, I would watch this. This podcast in my dressing room at just in time before the show, because it was like a calming, warm hug. I would watch it with my dressing room roommate, Erica Henningsen. Erica. The best. We'd be, like, panicking before we went on stage, and we would watch this podcast, and a calm would come over us.

[Amy Poehler]

So, Gracie, you are rehearsing right now for your new Broadway show.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you want to tell people what that is? Yes.

[Gracie Lawrence]

It's a show called all out, with our mutual friends Abby Jacobson and Jon Stewart and Eric Andre and Ike Barinholtz.

[Amy Poehler]

And it's FYI, I'm coming to see you tonight.

[Gracie Lawrence]

I heard that nasty little rumor. Are you really. Oh, my God. I'm going to be so.

[Amy Poehler]

And I like to wear a very loud sweater so people can see me. And I like to make a lot of noise.

[Gracie Lawrence]

I'll find you.

[Amy Poehler]

And I like to give thumbs up or thumbs down as the show goes on.

[Gracie Lawrence]

That's totally fine with me. I like to make a lot of uncomfortable eye contact with one audience member, and I think it's gonna be you tonight. Yeah. And then I'm in the show with my band Lawrence, which is my brother and I and six of our closest friends, and we're playing our original music in this show. It's super cool.

[Amy Poehler]

And, Gracie, you are, like. You straddle this amazing world. And one of the things I want to talk to Jonathan. Well, you. We straddle an amazing world. Don't get dirty, little, little minx. You'll watch it. Someone's listening to this before they go on and they want peaceful, they want peace. No, totally. Okay. You're a singer and you are on. On stage and you record and you act like you.

[Gracie Lawrence]

You.

[Amy Poehler]

And. And it's really interesting because I think Jonathan very similarly. Like, when I look at his career, he has done so many things and both of you are examples of, like, there's no categorizing artists anymore. There's no. You know, there used to be this feeling that, like, you could only be this kind of performer or actor. And Jonathan is a perfect example of that. Can you tell me the first time you met him and what your first impression of him was?

[Gracie Lawrence]

I met Jonathan on the first day of rehearsal of the workshop of Just in Time.

[Amy Poehler]

And for people who don't know. Can you just tell us what that show is?

[Gracie Lawrence]

Just in Time is a Broadway show. It is directed by Alex Timbers and it is about the life of Bobby Darin. And I play Connie Francis. And Jonathan. Jonathan currently plays Bobby Darin. I played Connie Francis and yeah, we met on the first day of the workshop and I was really nervous, which is like a theme of my life. And Jonathan walked in and the first thing I did in the day was sing with him. That was like my first. My first entrance to this show. He walked in like star of the show. Like, he was just such a star. From the second he walked in, it was like I got the right entrance from him. I was like watching him walk and he put his binder down and then he sat down next to me and he was kind of like. And then he just did the. Did the Jonathan Groff thing of like making really intense, beautiful eye contact with you.

[Amy Poehler]

Perfect.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Which you'll experience in the.

[Amy Poehler]

Can't wait. He's so charming. As far as his actual, like, big width and breadth of talent, what do you think makes him such a special performer?

[Gracie Lawrence]

I do think he's like one of the greats, like one of the greatest performers of all time. He reminds me of the kind of performer that, you know, is of a different era. He reminds me of Bobby Darin. Like, he is this kind of performer that can do it all and is like, so magnetic and so charming.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Gracie Lawrence]

His magic trick as a performer is making people feel so at ease and so comfortable and like, they know him immediately. And even when he's playing bizarre weirdos, it's like you still feel really comfortable around him and you want to. He's like the most watchable person I've ever met. Ever on stage. Like, yes. And his. The eye contact thing. Because I will tend to be like, you know, like, if someone's looking at me too long, I'm like, what? He will lock the fuck in. Like, he's going to do that.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Gracie Lawrence]

He is also, like, a lover of, like, shenaniganry and, like, bullshit on stage. Like, he will really. I don't know how he knows the right moment to do the things, but, like, somehow he will violently tickle me on stage consensually. And I'll have friends at the show, and I'll be like, did you guys notice when Jonathan just, like, fully in the middle of the scenes, like. And they'll be like, no, I didn't catch that. And I'm like, how does he, like, know? He just really knows.

[Amy Poehler]

He has a playful energy that's a tiny bit of. I mean, I'm at. I imagine when you just do show after show after show, you gotta keep it fresh.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. So I asked my Zoom guests to give me a question for my guest.

[Gracie Lawrence]

I thought of a million questions because he is in some ways so anomalous. But given that I'm technically a new friend of his, even though I feel I know him very well, I've noticed in this year that I've never seen him frazzled or anxious or nervous. And he's had so many occasions where he, like, objectively should be, like, leading a show, you know, doing huge interviews, going to the Tonys, performing three times at the Tonys. He is like Yoda.

[Amy Poehler]

Like.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Like, he is so calm. And when I'm nervous, he always turns to me after I say, like, I'm feeling kind of nervous. He was like, really?

[Jonathan Groff]

Huh?

[Gracie Lawrence]

Like, he doesn't understand that. And I'm wondering, why isn't he more scared of things? When did he. Has he always been this way? Like, did I meet him in a time in his life where he just really has his shit together? Or has he always been extremely calm? Like, when he was auditioning for things back in the day, was he, like, going in the room shaky, or was he, like, like, so calm and, like, what, if anything, scares him now? Little bitch. Like, I. I'm annoyed. It's crazy.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, that's a great, great question. Cause you're absolutely right. You never catch him working too hard. But he's the hardest worker, and he makes things. I mean, that's. To your point about, like, we feel like we know him. He also makes things feel accessible to us. Like, I think great artists do. They just. They don't overcomplicate things.

[Gracie Lawrence]

No, he's not tortured.

[Amy Poehler]

No, he's not. That's why I love him, because he's such a good example, in my opinion, of the more talented you are, the easier easier you are to work with. Period. The end. Again, there are the few eccentric geniuses, but for the most part, if you're not coming from a fear based place, it's such a pleasure to work together with someone who's so talented, so. Well, Gracie, that's a really, really good question. And I think he's really good. Really great. I mean, I cannot thank you enough for taking what I'm sure is your. This is probably your downtime, your eating time. You're looking at your phone time before you have to go back out there.

[Gracie Lawrence]

I'm sure they're. I'm supposed to be rehearsing something, but who cares? I'm here.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you so much. Such a pleasure to meet you. Take care. Bye. This episode is brought to you by Visible. This year is already in full swing, which means you're likely being pulled in a million different directions. Keep the new year new me momentum going by switching to a new wireless plan from visible. It's one line wireless with unlimited data and hotspot for $25 a month, taxes and fees included. You heard that right. $25 a month, same cost every month, all in Verizon's 5G network. It's the ultimate wireless hack to save money and still get great coverage and a reliable connection. Switch today to Visible today and cross wireless savings off your to do list. Terms apply. See visible.com for plan features and network management details. Jonathan, I'm very, very excited that you're here.

[Jonathan Groff]

I'm very excited to be here.

[Amy Poehler]

I thank you for doing this. You know, when we started the show, we were like, who? We just like thought about people that we wanted to talk to that would be good hangs and you were definitely someone that we really wanted to talk to.

[Jonathan Groff]

I am so honored. I'm so honored. Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

And have we ever met?

[Jonathan Groff]

No, this is our first time.

[Amy Poehler]

This is our first time meeting. I mean, I'm sure you get the slump, but I do feel like I've met you.

[Jonathan Groff]

Same, same. I know I lifted you up.

[Amy Poehler]

It was an off camera. People say it was off camera, but when you came in, we hugged and you lifted me up, which I really enjoyed. I mean, I don't always love being lifted up, but I really liked when you did it. And also, people should know you're very jacked.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, my God. Thank you. I'll take it.

[Amy Poehler]

Your arms were really strong.

[Jonathan Groff]

I'll take it. My friend Susie. Every time I would see her, I would lift her up, and then she was like, jonathan, please stop lifting me. I don't think you're lifted. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, when you're, like, a short person.

[Jonathan Groff]

Sometimes, like, this was her point.

[Amy Poehler]

In improv, you got lifted up. Which, by the way, I'm sure there's many women out there that are like, oh, you got lifted up a lot. Good thing to complain about.

[Jonathan Groff]

But, you know, I get it, though. There's, like, assumptions made. I lifted you.

[Amy Poehler]

No, it was nice.

[Jonathan Groff]

And then I felt like, oh, no. Did I just assume?

[Amy Poehler]

No. Everything. I loved everything about it.

[Jonathan Groff]

Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

I loved everything about it.

[Jonathan Groff]

Thank God. It was exciting. That was our first meeting. Lifted, you know?

[Amy Poehler]

And I'm talking to you today. Talking to you today because you have your show tonight.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

And it's literally, you're gonna be on stage in a few hours.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And I have so much I wanna talk to you about today. But one thing I realized is that you've done so many things so well, it's gonna be hard to talk about all of them. But most of your life, your job, the hardest part of your day is at the end of your day. Like, what is it like to have a full day waiting for your hardest part of the day to start?

[Jonathan Groff]

That is such a great question, Amy. And I've never thought about it like that before.

[Amy Poehler]

I used to have a version of that with snl. Right. But that was once a week was the actual performance. The rest of the time was like a split, like, you know, midday to night.

[Jonathan Groff]

But it may be the most challenging part of my day, but it's also the most joyful part of my day, that getting out there and getting to do it, it's like I'm like a kid with the high school play.

[Amy Poehler]

That's awesome.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. I get amped, and then I sleep very hard at night. So I think maybe I'm naturally a night person.

[Amy Poehler]

Before we get into your life, I need to get into sleep because it's my favorite thing to talk about. What time do you go to bed?

[Jonathan Groff]

Okay. So usually the show, I'm not gonna like this.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm already worried. But the show's over at, what, 10?

[Jonathan Groff]

If you're looking, the show's over at 10:30.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, God.

[Jonathan Groff]

And then oftentimes, part of the fun is, like, having people backstage.

[Amy Poehler]

Nightma true nightmare.

[Jonathan Groff]

And then I'll talk to people and hang for a Bit in the dressing room. I'll get on my bicycle.

[Amy Poehler]

You bike home?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yep.

[Amy Poehler]

Should people know that? We can cut that. Don't follow him.

[Jonathan Groff]

Suddenly I'm being followed by people on bikes.

[Amy Poehler]

That's incredible.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, I bike. I bike to and from the theater. I arrive on a bike usually.

[Amy Poehler]

That's great.

[Jonathan Groff]

And then I'm in bed probably by like 12:30. 12:30 or 1.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, I like that.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. I'll go home, I'll eat something, I'll watch some YouTubes. And then I do feel when I walk in my apartment, like, I start to go, like, mm, I'm calming down, I'm dying. Yeah. And then I fall asleep and I. Are you. I'm a very hard sleeper.

[Amy Poehler]

I used to be a really, really hard sleeper. I'm getting a little lighter as I get older, but, yeah, I'm with you. I'm not. I don't get up in the middle of. I can go down. I can go down. I go down, you go down. And then. What time is morning time? Is it 10:00am or is it 9:00am.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's 10:00am how did you know it.

[Amy Poehler]

Was 10:00am well, because the 1:00am Bedtime is usually like a 10:00am Wake up.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, yeah, that's the natural. Wake up.

[Amy Poehler]

10:00Am yeah. So we're talking to you right now at, like, basically your lunchtime.

[Jonathan Groff]

That's exactly right. I'm having this coffee, black coffee for lunch.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm having black coffee for lunch.

[Jonathan Groff]

And what is this? Like, what time are you gonna go to bed tonight? We're gonna finish this.

[Amy Poehler]

I actually. I'm already stressed about the fact I have to go. Have to. I have the lucky privilege of going to a show tonight. I'm going to a show and I'm already stressed about the fact that I am not gonna be in bed. In bed. I love bedtime.

[Jonathan Groff]

Ideally for me, you couldn't go to a matinee.

[Amy Poehler]

I know. I blew it. I love a matinee.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, right. Because then you can go straight to bed.

[Amy Poehler]

And when I'm there, I'm so happy. But I'm literally counting the minutes till I can go to sleep. Okay, but what I wanted to say. Jonathan, now I'm starting.

[Jonathan Groff]

Okay, okay, okay. You got the glasses on.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, because we kind of wrote it down. Because you are such a nice boy. You are a good, nice boy. You, to me, are the embodiment of someone who is deeply, deeply open and a good, caring, nice person. And also crushing it and ambitious and ambition with a side of compassion, basically. You don't have to be a jerk.

[Jonathan Groff]

I love that you're saying that, too. Yeah. Because oftentimes ambition is seen as, like, a negative thing or, like a cutthroat thing that you have to, like, push people aside in order to do your thing. But we're all just on our own little, like, track and field lane.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes, that's right. You're only competing with yourself.

[Jonathan Groff]

Exactly.

[Amy Poehler]

And that the idea that if, like, you know, what is it? A rising. A rising boat.

[Jonathan Groff]

All boats rise.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. It's not that all boats rise, but isn't it A rising tide? A rising tide rises all the boats.

[Jonathan Groff]

Really.

[Amy Poehler]

A rising tide lifts all boats.

[Jonathan Groff]

A rising tide.

[Amy Poehler]

That's your warmup for tonight. A rising tide lifts all boats.

[Jonathan Groff]

A rising tide lifts all boats. It does.

[Amy Poehler]

A rising tide lifts all boats.

[Jonathan Groff]

That was good. You matched my. That was perfect.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you. But it's true. It's true, like, that there's this, you know, you can decide. And I feel like not knowing you, but knowing so many people who love and love working with you, I feel like that is you. And so congratulations on that. I have no question. I just wanted to say that about you.

[Jonathan Groff]

Right back at you.

[Amy Poehler]

And you have done so much. You've done musicals, you've done television, you've done film. You're on Broadway right now. You were in Spring Awakening. Of course. You were in Hamilton. You were in Glee. You were in Mindhunter. You're Kristoff and Frozen. You do so many things so well. But through it all, through it all, I feel the sense from you of exactly what we started this conversation with, which is there's still just a lot of joy in getting to do what you get to do.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And if. And like, you hold onto that. You're grateful for it. You're in the moment.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Amy Poehler]

It's.

[Jonathan Groff]

And you work for it. And you, like, you find those people. I mean, you're the queen of this. Of, like, finding those people that you love and love to make things with. And I feel like as time goes by, I just turned 40 last year. I can feel myself, like, getting magnetized to those people later in life of, like, ah. Like working with Dan Radcliffe on Merrily. He, like, that was, I think, the first time I was like, oh, wow, I've really met my match here. Because this guy loves to do this so profoundly. And we formed a lifelong friendship with our friend Lindsay. Really everyone in that company, but, like, Dan. Dan was, like, sick and gripping me. Like, he, like, had to be. There was, like, a need in him that I really related to. And I'm finding, like, as time goes by and you get older, like, there's such a joy in the people that we started out with. The ones that really want to be here are still here.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's such a cool thing.

[Amy Poehler]

And Dan Radcliffe is an example of this, and you are, which is also. You want longevity in the business. You want to work a long time, if you like. It's the long game.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's the long game.

[Amy Poehler]

Playing the long game. And, I mean, I can't wait to talk to you about Merrily. It's such an incredible piece of art. It's so deep. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be approaching 40 and winning a Tony for a piece that is all about the circular feeling of life and, like, having it in real time. And. And so before we get there, we're gonna get there. But I am so enamored and. And moved by your. By little Jonathan on the horse farm. Like, with horses. You grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Your dad was a horse trainer.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yep. Still is.

[Amy Poehler]

Is.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And do you ride horses? And do you like horses? Oh, is this controversial?

[Jonathan Groff]

It's not controversial. So he does harness racing. So it's like the cart behind the horse. Like, you're sitting in the cart with the whip.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

And so is that.

[Amy Poehler]

Are you in. Was that, like, a Mennonite?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, my dad is. His whole family is Mennonite.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow.

[Jonathan Groff]

My grandfather was a Mennonite preacher, and he kind of, like, was expected to take over the dairy farm because he was the oldest son, but wasn't into cows and so pivoted to horses and got really into horse racing. And then my mom was raised Methodist and so started going to the Methodist church because the Mennonites were not super into the gambling aspect of his career.

[Amy Poehler]

Interesting.

[Jonathan Groff]

He wasn't shunned or anything, but just. Yeah. And so, yeah, growing up, I would play pretend on the horse farm with my brother, but my brother and I. My brother David and I were both petrified of the horses because they're so scary.

[Amy Poehler]

So I'm afraid of horses.

[Jonathan Groff]

Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, they scare me. I respect them. They're beautiful. But I don't mess around with horses.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. And that's really wise. I feel like when you know that, you're really tapping into the empathy of the horse because, like.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. I don't want to startle them.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

And I'm a little nervous. I don't want to make them nervous.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

And there are some people that are just so, so good with them. And I feel like. I feel to horses, like people who. Who don't want to have children feel towards children. Yeah. Which is like, I think that's great for you.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes. Not my journey.

[Amy Poehler]

And I want people who want to ride horses to ride horses. Not my journey.

[Jonathan Groff]

Exactly.

[Amy Poehler]

They're so tall. Their eyes are so.

[Jonathan Groff]

Their mouths are enormous.

[Amy Poehler]

Enormous.

[Jonathan Groff]

And they're like, yeah, y.

[Amy Poehler]

They don't make that sound.

[Jonathan Groff]

I was nervous, like, I was shoveling the shit in the stalls with the horses also. So you can imagine not loving and like, the, like, sort of like moving around the horse to, like, shovel its shit into the thing. I was like, it was not.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, that's funny. Like, that's like not going into the family business. Not liking horses.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes. I was blasting Britney Spears and Stephen Sondheim on the, like, on the tape player in the barn, shoveling the horseshit, being like, this. I don't fit here.

[Amy Poehler]

I love that. I loved your Tony speech when you thanked your family and your brother, your parents, like, for, like, letting you just be you in, like. They really did that, right.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

You were exactly that. Singing and dressing up and getting to do stuff. And everybody was like, that's. That's our Jonathan.

[Jonathan Groff]

We have this VHS of me dressed as Mary Poppins. I was three. And my mom and my dad, like, they. I had lipstick and a carpet bag and a hat and a dress. And we're on my grandfather's Mennonite farm, Wade. And I'm like, with the carpet bag. And in the background you can hear him going, mary, oh, Mary. Not even really clocking the gay joke that he's making by calling me Mary.

[Amy Poehler]

Which then became a very successful Broadway show. Exactly. And that's where. That's where. That's where Cole got the idea.

[Jonathan Groff]

That's where Cole got the idea. Oh, my God. Totally. Yeah. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And who was saying that? Was your dad saying that?

[Jonathan Groff]

My Mennonite grandfather, Preacher Wade.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, Wade.

[Jonathan Groff]

So incredible.

[Amy Poehler]

They let me.

[Jonathan Groff]

They. I think if they had, like, equated. Putting this young boy in a gown may open up homosexuality in him. It's like an on ramp to gayness. They may not have done it, but this was like, before the Internet. And, like, they just beautifully allowed me to.

[Amy Poehler]

So great.

[Jonathan Groff]

Fly my freak flag.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. And I hear. Did you play Dorothy in the wizard of Oz? I did as well. What age did you play Dorothy at? 4. What did you bring to the role? How did you see her at 4?

[Jonathan Groff]

I brought a lot. There's also a Video of that. I brought a lot of. I brought a real, like, I was screaming a lot. Yeah, it's a lot of me going like.

[Amy Poehler]

Because of the tornado.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, yeah. Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

You were playing the tornado.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, I was like, I was very tornado forward in my interpretation.

[Amy Poehler]

Interesting. So you were interested in the like the trauma before the yellow brick.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes, I held that like that. I carried through. Yeah. What was your on ramp?

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you for asking. I was in fourth grade and I was really into fourth grade. I was in fourth grade. A little older, a little wiser. I knew we were going to be okay, I think. But I was really interested in the like the follow me aspect. I was very much like, come on over here. Come on. Very into like leading lady. Follow the, like, follow the yellow brick road. Like, let's go the. Let's go of Dorothy. Like the. I love the skipping and the running around and just like the journey part. I was really into that part. And the tornado, I just, I just went internal. I just really small.

[Jonathan Groff]

You were more like the phoenix rising from the ashes. You were like leading everyone somewhere.

[Amy Poehler]

It was just in my eyes. The tornado was in my eyes.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. It was like a quick look, like blink and you miss it.

[Amy Poehler]

Owen, what was that?

[Jonathan Groff]

Wait, is she okay? But then immediately you were leading us. Yeah. Oh, so much smarter.

[Amy Poehler]

Fuck lions and tigers and bears.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh my.

[Amy Poehler]

This episode is brought to you by Subaru. For me, going the extra mile means taking the long way home. If you're going to grab snacks and the 10 minute trip turns into a two hour journey, suddenly you're on a new street. Then your ice cream is melted in the back and you know we've solved the meaning of life. But luckily in my Subaru Hybrid, that's right, I have one and I love it. That extra mile is built right in with longer range and better fuel efficiency than ever before. The Subar Forester Hybrid and the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. Great cards. I have them both. Love goes the extra mile. Visit subaru.com hybrid to learn more. Okay, so then you're on the. You're on the farm, you're scared of horses, you're singing. What makes you you. You're gonna go to college and then you get a part.

[Jonathan Groff]

It really is as you describe. You're on the farm, you're with the horses, you're singing. What is gonna happen? I don't remember. When I listened to the original cast recording of Company, I still smell horse. I saw the sense memory of smelling horse. Yeah, it smells like the pile of manure that we would make from the stall.

[Amy Poehler]

How did you get those records? Like, who? Who. How did you find out about. What was the musical that made you fall in love? Was it the Horses? Did the Horses. This is even funnier. No.

[Jonathan Groff]

I can't believe it. I haven't thought about this. Amy, in somewhere, when you say record. I went to the Lancaster Public Library and got the record. LP. I mean, it's not like this was, like the 60s. This was like 1992. But I got the LP record of Ethel Merman singing Annie get yout Gun.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow.

[Jonathan Groff]

And I would play the record of Annie get yout Gun over and over again. And we had a record player in my house growing up. And, like, a giant computer. Remember, like, the early computers, and like, a hand thing that was, like, doing the video games. And I would be playing a very basic video game and blasting Ethel Merman singing.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you remember what, Like a young. How a young boy discovered Ethel Berman? It's amazing.

[Jonathan Groff]

Who.

[Amy Poehler]

How did you find out about her?

[Jonathan Groff]

They took us to see the high school play of Annie get yout Gun.

[Amy Poehler]

There you go.

[Jonathan Groff]

I was like, when it got to intermission.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

And they were like, okay, now we're going to go to the bathroom and then we're going to come back. I was like, there's more after that. We're gonna come back and it's gonna happen again. There's gonna be more story. I was so excited.

[Amy Poehler]

Did you ever go into New York when you were a kid and see a show?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, I went. That was the Andy get yout Gun moment. Happened when I was in, like, fourth grade. And that's when I went to the library then and got the record and was obsessed. And then my mom started taking me on bus trips to see Broadway shows. And that was like, fifth grade, sixth grade, middle school.

[Amy Poehler]

Then I started going, what did you see back then?

[Jonathan Groff]

I saw Beauty and the Beast. I saw Grease. I saw Annie get yout Gun with Bernadette Peters, which I was, like, losing my mind for. In high school, I saw Thoroughly Modern Millie six times. Obsessed.

[Amy Poehler]

You were obsessed with Sutton Foster?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, obsessed. Obsessed with her, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

What was it about her that you loved?

[Jonathan Groff]

She would, like.

[Amy Poehler]

She liked you.

[Jonathan Groff]

She. On stage. Well, on stage, there's a couple of things she would, like, be right here. There was a level of presence about her that was so magnetic. And I couldn't stop looking at her when she wasn't speaking in scenes, I would be staring at Sutton because she felt so alive. And then she had been the understudy in that show out of town and replaced and kind of was like, pushed out into the front to take on that role. She was like, 28 years old. And there was almost like, when it's really hot, when it's really hot and you're driving and you see those waves of heat coming off the road, you know that when you're in the car and you're like, whoa, it's so hot that you can see the air is like. That was what was coming off of her body, in my experience and my memory of watching her. And it was like heat was coming off of her.

[Amy Poehler]

And you were still in high school. Did you know you were gonna be an actor? Did you know. Did you have a sense that you were gonna move to New York and be an actor at that point?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. Once I was in high school, there was two community theaters in my hometown, The Fulton Theater and the Everett Performing Arts Center. They're both still there. And at the Fulton Theater, I was meeting actors that they hired from New York to play the leads.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, wow.

[Jonathan Groff]

And I would like. I was obsessed with all of them. One of them is in Just In Time. Whoa. This woman named Terri Kelly, who was the lead of the show in 2001 at the Fulton, is now one of our amazing swings in Just In Time. So we have a full circle moment there. But, yeah, I started to dream about moving to New York. That's when I learned that you could go to open calls. And I did that my senior year of high school. I went to an open call for the Sound of Music tour and got it and went on the road and then moved to New York.

[Amy Poehler]

And you basically told your parents, I'm not going to college.

[Jonathan Groff]

They really. They said, if you want to go to college, we will find a way to pay for this for you. But it's so expensive. And, like, are you sure you want to major in theater? Yeah, because what's that gonna get you at the end of four years? All this money? And I was like, it's my passion. It's what I want to do. And my dad, I remember, like, a late night with my dad sitting in his chair, and he was like, if this is really what you want to do, we'll figure it out. And I was like, okay, thanks, dad. But then I went to New York and auditioned for this tour and got it, and I went on the road, and I deferred my admission from college. And I made $10,000 in the year of working on this non union tour. Carnegie Mellon at that time was $40,000 a year. That's where I deferred my admission. And I was like, I'll never be able to pay this off. And my parents were like, right, take your money. Go to New York.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

See if it works out. If it doesn't work out, amazing. Come back and go to college for something else. So that was the plan.

[Amy Poehler]

And then 21 years old, you get nominated for a Tony. 21. I mean, spring Awakening. I feel like Dorothy. I feel like Dorothy. I mean, that musical. I saw you in that musical. I saw the orig. Come on. So amazing.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, my God.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, an original musical that's so successful that. That age. I mean, I guess my question to you is, like, now you've got some time right now. And you did the documentary. You produced a documentary.

[Jonathan Groff]

You really know your stuff, Amy.

[Amy Poehler]

I try my best.

[Jonathan Groff]

You're such a hard worker, but, I.

[Amy Poehler]

Mean, you're looping back around it now. So you've got. Now you've been able to look back, like, looking back now at that boy. Like, what do you take away from that moment now? Like, with distance and time, what are you so grateful for about that moment?

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, my God. It was like getting picked up and put somewhere else. It was like the claw coming. And just like.

[Amy Poehler]

That's a good way to think about it.

[Jonathan Groff]

Of. It was like Thoroughly Modern Millie, which I had seen six times. The director of Spring Awakening is Michael Mayer, the director of Thoroughly Martyr Millie. It was a combination of feeling like I got picked up and put somewhere. And I remember auditioning for it, and I remember calling my dad on the phone the night before the callback and saying, I can't do this right now, but I know that I could do it if they gave me the chance.

[Amy Poehler]

Why were you thinking you couldn't do it?

[Jonathan Groff]

Cause I knew my talent was not. I didn't really have the proper gifts. My singing. I didn't have my singing together, but I had this primal thing down in my gut that was like, I have to play this role. And they let me do it. And it was like. So then this thing in me got to, like. It's like those opportunities, like, you get that opportunity. And especially with theater, because it's almost religious, because you're repeating, and when you repeat things over and over again, it can change you from the inside out. And I've. It, like. Like, like, made me the. It, like, taught me how to act and taught me how to sing. And there was. And I was in the. During that whole show, and I had my roommate Cody, that was my boyfriend. And when I left that show, I came out of the closet a month later because this rebel, that was this character, this person that didn't care, didn't let the world define him. This was what I was playing. Like you said, I'm a people pleaser. I'm like, like, prioritizing niceness. Prioritizing, like, making sure everybody feels good. And coming out felt like that would create a dissonance. And it was really hard for me to do that. And that playing the role in that show allowed me to grow the muscle to be able to do that.

[Amy Poehler]

So cool.

[Jonathan Groff]

So cool.

[Amy Poehler]

And you put that in such a beautiful way. I think people often underestimate that sometimes the struggle to live authentically doesn't have as much to do with how you feel about yourself as it does in the worry of how it will change the temperature in the room. Like, how it will change the dynamic in the family, how it will make other people feel. It's often, like, told through, like, an inner struggle, when sometimes the struggle is really about, how will other people change?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, how will they feel?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

And where you're at, how did your family feel? How did they. How did. Were they surprised?

[Jonathan Groff]

Cut to me screaming as Wade.

[Amy Poehler]

Wade was like, well, my minute at.

[Jonathan Groff]

Grandma's, like, who is that little girl in the wizard of Ozford? They're like, that was Jonathan.

[Amy Poehler]

It was like, were they. Were they surprised?

[Jonathan Groff]

I mean, like, my dad was surprised. My brother was surprised. I told my brother first.

[Amy Poehler]

Ah, that's nice.

[Jonathan Groff]

And he was like, what? He was surprised?

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

Which, like. Yeah, My mom said that she kind of knew it was, like, complicated. And cut to, like, whatever. Two or three Christmases later, and they're handing presents to my boyfriend that's home for the holidays. So it, like, very quickly, it took a minute for them to digest it all.

[Amy Poehler]

Sure.

[Jonathan Groff]

And then ultimately, it's been great.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Amazing. So, so much happening in your 20s. Like, so much. And then you go on Glee, which is this insanely popular show with your buddy Leah, and, like, you just. You're just. You're just. Everything is happening really fast.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

It feels like that when I look at your stuff. Like that your 20s is just, like. Things are really moving and chugging along, and you're just working like crazy and being like a New York kid.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Because you have a quality about you that's very young. You've been told that.

[Jonathan Groff]

I'm sure I feel it.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. I feel eternally young in a certain way. I'm Very, like, excitable.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you have an age you feel like you are, like.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Do you know what I mean?

[Amy Poehler]

Like, that you relate to.

[Jonathan Groff]

Right now, I feel about 15. Yeah. I feel I.

[Amy Poehler]

You're just picking people up left and right, drinking black coffee.

[Jonathan Groff]

I feel like we're on the, like, high. High school news. Like, I did, like, the high school news member, like, you'd be like, good morning, everyone. It is December 16th.

[Amy Poehler]

This is Gary High School News. I'm having, like, a. I'm having a hot flash right now.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, it's giving High school news stationary. Yeah, we're on the morning announcements.

[Amy Poehler]

We, both of us would have definitely done morning announcements for my dream.

[Jonathan Groff]

Sure.

[Amy Poehler]

My dream. I would have had a big crush on you and people.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, my God. I would have been just following your Dorothy lead, and people would have been.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, like, Jonathan does not have a crush on you. Okay. You're not his type. They be like, I don't know. I think I can get him. I think I can win him over.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, yeah. It would have been totally us on the news.

[Amy Poehler]

Then you're on Looking, which is this first show on HBO to feature a gay man as the lead.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Is that real?

[Jonathan Groff]

Is that real? Is that right?

[Amy Poehler]

I don't know. It's not on the Internet, but who knows? We don't have time now, but incredible. But that's a big jump to be coming out and a few years later playing like a really fully realized, sophisticated single man looking for love. That's a big jump.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, it was like, I'm really riding the wave here of life and of progress. And when they initially sent me that audition, I said no. I felt scared to be gay on a TV show, wanting to be out publicly. And another thing, to be like. Like, eating ass on tv.

[Amy Poehler]

Only until.

[Jonathan Groff]

It'S like, I'm gay. And then. And then it's like, okay. Gruff, like, we get it. Like, they see me in different positions and, like.

[Amy Poehler]

But, I mean, you actually bring up a really good. You bring up a good point, which is it's very hard to do intimate scenes, no matter what to be.

[Jonathan Groff]

But it's funny because you didn't care. No. In Spring Awakening, I was like, let's go.

[Amy Poehler]

I think because you already ate ass in a different way.

[Jonathan Groff]

In a different way. I felt a kind of, like, safety with women because they didn't feel like there was as much at stake and we could really, like, go for it. It felt like. In some ways, it felt like back then, what I wished I was wishing I wasn't gay, wishing I was straight. And it was like, this is who I wish I could be. It felt like dreaming, changing who I was. Like a fantasy of what I wished I could be. But then when they send me these scripts and it's actually how I am, it then does become a little bit scary. But I'd seen Andrew Haig when he became attached as the director. I'd seen his film weekend at the IFC on 6th Avenue. And I was like a wreck, crying in that movie theater. Cause I'd never seen something that felt so real. And so when he became attached as the director, then I was like, no brainer. Yes, I wanna do this. I wanna work with this man. And that the way that he tells those stories made meant so much to me in that movie. And I want to do this with him. But at the audition, I was shaking and I felt sort of like Sutton when I'm talking about the heat coming off of the body. My whole body went hot. And I went. I blush. I was, like, blushing, and it was like spring awakening. Another role that I was like, almost like a ring of fire birth into a new version of self. Like therapy.

[Amy Poehler]

Like a somatic exorcism. And you knew it was right because you were feeling it so big.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow.

[Jonathan Groff]

And they asked me to be in the. To be the grand marshal of the Gay Pride parade. I told my parents when I came out like, five years before, I was like, hi, so Cody is not my roommate. Cody's my boyfriend, and I'm gay. But, like, I'm not gonna, like, be in a parade. That's what I said. When I came out, I was so still full of shame. I was like, I'm. But listen, like, I'm not holding the flag. I'm not like the cutting gun eating ass on television. And then ultimately on the grand marshaling, the. The New York, like, with a sash, a rainbow sash. Literally, like, elbow, elbow, wrist, wrists. And I felt scared. I. I still felt scared back then. I. I was like, this feels like, right. It feels like the right thing to do. But I'm like.

[Amy Poehler]

Dorothy. You were like Dorothy.

[Jonathan Groff]

Screaming as I'm getting pushed. What feels like pushed off a cliff.

[Amy Poehler]

This is an amazing theme I'm realizing about you, which is really amazing, is that you. And I think it may also just come from, like, familial, unconditional love, which I'm learning more and more. Like, when artists have it, they can take big chances. Yeah, you take a lot of chances when you're like, holy shit, yes, you do. You do it, though. You do it.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes. I think I'm a little drawn to it.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

I must be, like, magnetizing and like you said, unconditional love. I think you're right.

[Amy Poehler]

There's a little bit of a thing where, like, you. I'll speak for myself, too, coming from that background where, like, I, I don't want to bypass the fact that there's a safety element that I had in my, in my youth that allows me to do that now.

[Jonathan Groff]

Talk about it, because I like the.

[Amy Poehler]

I, I, I. I think that there's. You cannot discount that feeling that if you had a safe home in your professional life or your creative life, you, you just. Just feel sometimes emboldened to take these chances when they're given to you. And that's definitely what you did, because it is like your career is just like, yeah, let's try this. Let's do this. And then looking happens, and then it gets canceled. Bummer. But not really a bummer because all of a sudden, guess who's available for Hamilton? Guess who's tech avail for Hamilton. Jonathan Groff.

[Jonathan Groff]

Another Fear Factor thing, though, of, like, Brian D'Arcy James originated that role.

[Amy Poehler]

Brian originated.

[Jonathan Groff]

And then his show, Something Rotten, got fast tracked to Broadway, unexpected, while they were in rehearsal for the Public Theater. And I get a text from Lynn, who I had become friends with through the years, being like, hey, Brian has to bail right after opening. Will you come in Off Broadway and do this for two months? For the last two months of the Off Broadway run? And he was like, it's basically just one song, and it's not a lot of moves, and you'll be great. And I was like, okay.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow.

[Jonathan Groff]

And I said yes without hearing it, knowing anything about it. They sent me the song. I learned the song from, like, a piano thing. And then I saw it and went in two days later. I was in LA at the time, and so I didn't know I had to have a British accent.

[Amy Poehler]

And did you have a. No, I'm just kidding.

[Jonathan Groff]

Exactly.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, your accent is perfect.

[Jonathan Groff]

No, but yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Drag me.

[Jonathan Groff]

But you're right.

[Amy Poehler]

No, I'm not dragging. Not dragging. It's its own. It's its own. Like, your accent is its own. It's delicious. When you say bake, you'll be bake. It's incredible. Where did you come up with that accent?

[Jonathan Groff]

I'd say, when I went on the first day off Broadway, it looked like I had won a contest to be in him because I had no sense of character. I had no they were like, you have to do, like, a British accent. I was like, but what? Like, everyone's black. Like, I don't understand. It's like, why I have to do a British accent.

[Amy Poehler]

No one. You're right. No one's historically accurate, except.

[Jonathan Groff]

But I have to do a British accent. And then I saw it and I was like, oh, I get it. I'm like, the one thing. Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

And the choice of your voice is. Your voice is incredible in it. Thank you. I love your accent.

[Jonathan Groff]

Thank you. So then I like. Pippa was like, there's this woman at Juilliard. They can help you. So she's. I was like, what?

[Amy Poehler]

You're like, oh, no.

[Jonathan Groff]

But here's the lesson I learned, too. When I went on and I had no character at all. I had no accent. I was just trying to remember the words and the notes and then walk off. It was like, they put me in a king thing and I walked out there and I did what I could remember, and then they pulled me off. But the song killed.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, one could even say stole.

[Jonathan Groff]

But I was like, I don't have to do anything. I came out here. I have no idea what I'm doing.

[Amy Poehler]

Such a funny song.

[Jonathan Groff]

This writing.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jonathan Groff]

Is so.

[Amy Poehler]

And the device. Sorry to interrupt. The device of you being the lover, the jilted lover saying you'll be back is such a funny device for.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's so surprising.

[Amy Poehler]

It is. It's so funny.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's like the first time people aren't rapping, so all the white people in the audience are like, oh.

[Amy Poehler]

They're like, now, this is how I remember. This is how I remember Broadway. Right, Right. It's so true. And it is this great record scratch moment in the show, which, you know, look, we don't. We could talk forever about Hamilton. It's beyond genius in every way, but it is. It is so funny because it reminds you for just a second of how things used to be, both vocally, lyrically.

[Jonathan Groff]

Stylistically, on so many levels. Yes. It's hitting on so many level. That lesson of, like, oh, I have no idea what I'm doing, but this song is killing. Was then when I was. For the next two months, when I started to learn the very specific upper whatever accent. And I was watching all the. I'm also so different than Brian Darcy James. I was watching these clips of Barbra Streisand from her TV special, My name is Barbara. And I was watching her come out on stage and, like, basically like herself with her own voice. So enjoy. So small but enjoying every little. I was like, okay. And then I started to build the character. But I'd never built a character in front of an audience in a show before.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow.

[Jonathan Groff]

And so that was also a bit of getting pushed out there. And because the show is so great, I was able to just play catch up. Because you can be completely unaware of what you're doing, but sing that song and it nails it.

[Amy Poehler]

And you're right. You were, like, seducing us. You're very seductive, and you're very laconic as that character. As, like, you're laconic. Laconic.

[Jonathan Groff]

Talk about laconic. Tell me that one.

[Amy Poehler]

I believe it means sleepy. Like, just, like, not thirsty. I have so many questions about backstage at Hamilton.

[Jonathan Groff]

Okay. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Number one, Were you allowed to come late?

[Jonathan Groff]

No. Did I come late or was I allowed to come?

[Amy Poehler]

Because you had about an hour before you were on, right?

[Jonathan Groff]

I had No, I was on in the first, like, 20 minutes, 25 minutes.

[Amy Poehler]

And then you have a big break.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

How long? An hour.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, my God. So much.

[Amy Poehler]

What do you do during that time?

[Jonathan Groff]

That's such a good question. Okay, so, Bobby Darin. I am off stage for 45 seconds in the, whatever, two plus hour thing. And this is my preferred. I love being out there. When we walked into the dressing room at the Richard Rogers in Tech for Hamilton, and Lynn and I were sharing a dressing room space, I was like, whatever. Idina Menzel had done the show right before if then. And my dressing room was Idina's W. And it was like a little closet. And I was like, oh, this is where I live. I'm on stage for nine minutes, but this is where I live. And I started to get claustrophobic when I walked in of, like, what am I gonna do back here? And I read so many books.

[Amy Poehler]

You couldn't leave building.

[Jonathan Groff]

Couldn't leave. No. Cause you're in the white wig and the.

[Amy Poehler]

You never ran out to get something and took the wig off.

[Jonathan Groff]

I never ran out to get something.

[Amy Poehler]

That was such a good boy.

[Jonathan Groff]

That's so boring.

[Amy Poehler]

Because those. You did a lot of performances.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And I used to think about you backstage and be like, what's he doing backstage?

[Jonathan Groff]

I ended up really learning how to embrace. Well, I would have visitations from the cast.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, fun.

[Jonathan Groff]

So that there would be, like, nightly visitations, which was great. And kind of like free hang time, which was. It was like, I could have, like, done this.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. And like, we could have done on the morning announcements.

[Jonathan Groff]

It really feels like we're on the morning announcements.

[Amy Poehler]

I Love.

[Jonathan Groff]

But then I started reading all the books that I wanted to read. I started to just, like, boom, boom, boom, boom, Knock through them all, and it became a very productive time.

[Amy Poehler]

Cool. Very cool.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And then you had to come back out, so that must have also been like. Did you ever miss a cue?

[Jonathan Groff]

I can't believe I never missed a cue.

[Amy Poehler]

I know. Cause it's hard when you. I mean, I know you work with total professionals who will make sure that you don't miss a cue. I'm sure, like, all the stage managers are like, yeah, you didn't miss a cue. Cause I told you exactly 10 minutes, babe.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes, exactly.

[Amy Poehler]

But when you have that long stretch, it's hard to get. It's just like having one or two lines in a sketch, like, you really can screw it up.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, right. It's like a little sprint. And I also find always having one or two lines, to me, is the hardest thing. Do you find that, like, coming in, killing and leaving cold coming in?

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jonathan Groff]

I would have five Altoids in my mouth when I came on stage, because it was like, to open up my.

[Amy Poehler]

Is that what they. Open up your.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. I've now moved on to sugar free black cherry hauls. I have one of those in my mouth for the entire show since I did little shop in 2019. That's my new thing. But in.

[Amy Poehler]

You're not afraid it's gonna pop out or shoot out?

[Jonathan Groff]

You know, it's never shot out until, like, five days ago. It did popped out during Splish Splash. And I was like, I lost a too. It bounced into the audience.

[Amy Poehler]

It's a really good Broadway story. It popped out during Splish Splash. And it's like, thank God it was just your Altoid.

[Jonathan Groff]

Bing, bang. I saw the whole gang. It came right out and went, ding, ding, ding.

[Amy Poehler]

Why did he get fired? It popped out during Splish Splash. And it wasn't supposed to.

[Jonathan Groff]

I mean, there are. He popped it out.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, he popped it out during Splish Splash. I mean, I'm projecting because I used to have a ton. I don't know if you. Did you ever have nightmares? When have you ever had Broadway nightmares? Nightmares where you miss you're late, or like a stress dream?

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, yeah, of course.

[Amy Poehler]

I used to have stress dreams all the time. That there was a. There was, like, a staircase at SNL where you had to kind of run down to get to the studio that I was running down. And I was hearing my cue.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, that's gonna give me nightmares tonight.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Jonathan Groff]

So sorry.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. But then I was Missing a cue. Missing a cue. And those, those used to give me, like, tor n and to add to everyone I cared about and whose opinion I cared about would be on the stairs being like, you're late. You missed it.

[Jonathan Groff]

We're not mad, we're just like, surprised. Yeah, I thought we would.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

I just can't believe Amy, like, of all people, missed the cue.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, I guess it's the disrespect for me. Oh, and then let's talk about Merrilee, if we can.

[Jonathan Groff]

Of course.

[Amy Poehler]

That experience must have been just so fulfilling in every way, because to your point of like being turning 4:40, the show is all about the beginnings and middle and ends of things and how life feels like. It's this shuffle of all those things and the friendships we make along the way. And here you are, like now, you know, almost a 20 year vet in the business when you're doing that show. And I know how much Sondheim means to you.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, smells like horse.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, he smells like horse. He helps you, like when you were scared of those horses. He probably has written a song about horses. I'm sure there's.

[Jonathan Groff]

There's a reference to horse racing in Bobby and Jackie and Jack. One of the songs in Merrily We Roll along, there's a famous horse that's quoted in that song. But yeah, the. It was so crazy because I, I moved to New York in 2004. We did that show in 2024. So exactly 20 years to the year it takes place. Exactly over 20 years. And it's about looking back in Maria Friedman, our incredible director's vision and staging of the show. At the very beginning, Dan comes out over here. How did you get to be here? What was the moment? Lindsay comes out over here over the shoulders of Frank, the character I played. How did you get to be here? What was the moment? In the exact positions 15 years earlier, John Gallagher Jr stood here as a ghost in Spring Awakening. And Lea Michele stood over this shoulder. Lindsey Mendez, L.M. lea Michele. L.M. the same initials of the actresses standing on this side of the thing. Talk about sense of memory. I had crazy things come up on that one. There would be moments where I. Because also it was the most. I think. Well, he said Sondheim, it was the most autobiographical thing he ever wrote. He said that about the song opening Doors. But I have a feeling from all the people that came through to see the show that we could talk to after and people that knew him and Hal Prince and Mary Rogers, that this was about him and his Two friends and these relationships that fracture over time and the heartbreak and the disappointment. And I would be saying a line. I would be saying a line to Lindsay on stage and I would say it and it would come out and it would feel like Frank talking to the character of Mary. It would feel like Steve talking to Mary Rogers. It would feel like Jonathan talking to Lindsay in this like, crazy, like therapeutic exorcism. Yeah. It was wild.

[Amy Poehler]

So cool.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Amazing. And then to like have that be so, so celebrated for it, to really feel like people were ready for it, because for people who don't know the history of that show is it really was ahead of its time and it wasn't received the way it should have been received. And it kind of needed to just marinate for some reason. Much like the show itself, it needs time. So the show needed time. And then it came back out and it was celebrated in the way it was celebrated. It must have been so, so sad and it must have just been so satisfying.

[Jonathan Groff]

It was every dream I ever had come true.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

And then we made this movie of it.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jonathan Groff]

And that I went on Monday night last week to go see it just in a normal movie theater. And I was like weeping, just like, I cannot believe this. Cannot believe how Maria, the director directed it so beautifully for film. And it's like a hybrid between a. A filming of a theater piece and a movie. What she made is so unique and special and feeling the audience in the movie theater get the story and the idea that this was his big flop of his career and apparently his big heartbreak. Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince, it was the end for many years of their really fruitful over a decade long collaboration. That this show. Show is captured in this way and is playing in movie theaters is like, you can't. It's so surreal.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, it's kind of like why longevity is the goal in work and in life, you know, knock on wood. Right. Which is like, if you stick around long enough, like, things come back.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes. And I. You're exactly right. And I. And this, the ethos too, of, of like if you make something well in the moment, the faith that what you did in that moment to make it well and then push that boat out and then whatever that boat's journey is, is that boat's journey. But that you put the time and attention to detail and the care in the thing that you were making Merrily is the perfect example of. They put their hearts and souls into that and they pushed out that boat and it was not received. But because it was crafted so well and such a beautiful piece. 40 years later, you're getting this boat is coming back around. And because the people, when they made it in the present moment, took such care, it can exist and have this life. It gives me such faith in when we're creating things that if we don't do it with the proper intention and with everything we've got, then you just set it free. And if it hits today, we have people from looking. We were canceled after two seasons. People still come up to me and say, this show changed my life. There's like a. If you do something with your whole heart, it can continue to resonate and stand the test of time.

[Amy Poehler]

So cool. It's like sending out a missive to space and just. It taking that many light years to get there. Lyrically, what is a lyric for you that still bubbles in your head that you had to sing? And what is one that was a hard one to get? What was one that always felt like a bit of a hurdle? And what was one that just tickles you still in your brain?

[Jonathan Groff]

It's from the song Growing up, which the character of Frank sings. So old Frank.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

Don't you see? We can have it all? Moving on, Getting out of the past. This is the one for me. You ready?

[Gracie Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

Solving dreams, not just trusting them, taking dreams, readjusting them. Growing up. Growing up. This idea that you can have these dreams as a kid and it's not something that you eat, either make happen or you repress, but that you take this dream and you figure out what it was and what it still means to you. Solving dreams, not just trusting them, taking dreams, readjusting them. Growing up.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

Come on.

[Amy Poehler]

Come on. That's major.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's so good.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. That's so good.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's about. Because there's like, an element of, like, being in relationship to the past, but not having it hold you down. It would bring up something for me every single night different.

[Amy Poehler]

It's so good. And it's also. Also kind of the theme of what we've been talking about a little bit today. The idea of if you're open and flexible to readjustment, that is what, like, it's the best you can hope for.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Because nothing happens the way it's supposed to. Ever.

[Jonathan Groff]

No.

[Amy Poehler]

And you have to only just kind of like, stay steady and flexible for what's coming.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes. It's such a paradox.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. It's so true. And what I love about that, too, is the friendship in that show. Helps us solve the dream part like the solving of the dream. It's almost like it can't be done alone.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

And when I wanted to talk to you today, one of the things that I wanted to talk to you about today really is about the friendships you have made in the work that you do. I know it's really important to you. You have really made lifelong friends ye people that you share the stage with. Like, they share your life. Like they're, you know, you do not leave productions and say, like, peace out, see you later. Like, you're deep friends with people for life that you've worked with. It's really amazing.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes. It's interesting. Cause I feel like a little bit that starts from a place of, like, when I was closeted in high school and in community theater. I wonder if you feel this way, too, about writing and performing. Like. Like, you go there because you need that intimacy, and you can't get it in your real life for whatever reason. And there's a deep, primal need to go and connect with people. And so that part of me is still alive, even though I think I came out of the closet. I'm better adjusted in my life. But when I go to work, work, I don't go to work. I go to live and that. And I look at the people that I'm with, and it's deep, and it's like. It's powerful and it's profound.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Lindsay, Daniel, Leah. And can you tell me about Gavin Creel, who I never got to meet? Will you tell me just something about him? Because I love hearing about him.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, my God. Yeah. Well, he changed my life. He changed my life because. Well. Okay. Oh, my God. I'm gonna tell a memory that I have about him, please.

[Amy Poehler]

For people who don't know, Gavin's an amazing performer who passed a few years ago. Two years.

[Jonathan Groff]

A year ago, a year and a month or two ago.

[Amy Poehler]

An incredibly talented performer and a dear, dear, dear friend of yours. Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

I think he would appreciate the story that I'm about to tell.

[Amy Poehler]

Great.

[Jonathan Groff]

Gavin. If you don't know Gavin, you have to Google Gavin. Gavin did a lot of amazing things and is a profound, amazing person. The first time I ever met Gavin, I also dated Gavin. We had a whole relationship. He's what gave me the confidence to come out of the closet. He changed my life. But the first time I ever met him. Mm. Was at the stage door of Thoroughly Modern Millie, which he was in opposite Sutton. He played the role of Jimmy, and I would wait at the stage door. I was in high school, and the actors would come out and I was like. I was like, crazy. I just couldn't believe they were real people. Like, to see them would give me energy and get me amped. I have a crazy about Matthew Broderick that we could share at some other time. But meeting him at the stage door. But Gavin comes out and signs the program, and I was like, whoa. And then he goes back into the stage door, and then Mark Kudish, who played Trevor Graden, comes out and he's signing my program, and Gavin comes back out the stage door with an apple in his mouth. And he walks past Mark. Kudos. Grabs his ass, and Mark goes like, ho. And looks as Gavin is walking by, and Gavin just looks at him and winks with the apple still in his mouth.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, my God. So hot.

[Jonathan Groff]

And I was like, I have got to be in the theater. What is this? What is happening here? Where this beautiful man with an apple in his mouth is, like, tapping the ass of this other man? And they're like. But it's very free and it doesn't necessarily feel sexual, but there's a sen of sexualness. And, like, I was like, I've got to get into this world. That was the first time I, like, met Gavin.

[Amy Poehler]

Ugh. Just like, what an entrance. What a walk on from him.

[Jonathan Groff]

Totally.

[Amy Poehler]

And isn't it amazing when people come into your life like they just are in your simulation, but you don't know how yet.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes, yes.

[Amy Poehler]

They just walk in and it's like, cue the walk on. And it's like, in five years, you two are gonna be together, baby.

[Jonathan Groff]

Like, who's crazy? And it was, like, primal. I still can see it, the whole thing playing out.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, thank you for telling me that story and for reminding us about Gavin. And so speaking of friendships that you made and relationships that you made, we spoke to Gracie Lawrence today. A new friend, in a way. Although she said she feels like she's known you forever.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, my God.

[Amy Poehler]

And. And she. You and her were in your show together. You played Bobby Darin, she played Connie Francis. You had to really connect. She's incredibly talented. Like, she told a story about meeting you for the first time. You know what? And it was really like an apple in the mouth story. Like, you came into the room and she felt this energy. Like, he's. He's. I mean, because that's what I love about you is you are a star, and I love stars. And don't. You're a good boy. You're a nice boy, but you're a star. Don't let anyone tell you different.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, you're tickling me. You are a star.

[Amy Poehler]

So you had just a moment of like, right? And she has that moment with you and she, and so she had a question she wanted me to ask you, which it's a very sweet question. And also, you know, she was like, get ready for some amazing eye contact. She said, your eye contact is really great and it is really great. And I thought I would be overwhelmed by it, but I'm not at all.

[Jonathan Groff]

No, you're also, your eye conduct is also very.

[Amy Poehler]

I didn't want to say anything, but I also have good eye contact. And we'll be right back. And make sure, you guys, that you get your, your yearbook. The yearbooks are being passed out today, but I don't mind eye contact from the right. But here's Gracie's question, and it was a really cute question. And she said like, you know, she said, she, she's like, I've never seen him nervous or anxious or rattled. And she said, or frazzled, you know, is the word I think she used. And she said, you know, he has like a Yoda, like calm. And she said, why, why aren't you more scared of things? Have you always been this way? And what, if anything, scares you now? A little bit is what. Is what she said. Is what she said. How she said it.

[Jonathan Groff]

She said, you little. And it's funny. Cuz Gracie, to me, like, I love, I love her so much. I love her so hard. And to me, like, she has a kind of sociopathic calm when she's on stage. And her like, like her. I saw her at like Lawrence at Radio Station City and she's like, she's like singing. She's Tina Turner basically. She's a rock star. The first thing that's coming up for me, why I giggle a little bit is like, my dad also has fainting goats on his farm. On the horse farm that freeze and fall over.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jonathan Groff]

And there's something. And I feel like it's like, it's kind of a. I've used it to my advantage when something scary happens, I go dead calm. Ooh, something scary for me happens.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jonathan Groff]

I start to just like talk really slowly and I bring it all the way down and I just kind of am like, okay. And like, for example, I got sick for the first time two weeks ago doing the show. It was like the 250 whatever performance.

[Amy Poehler]

You've done that many performances. Performances.

[Jonathan Groff]

And we did the Thanksgiving Day parade in the morning.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, that's right.

[Jonathan Groff]

On the Thursday.

[Amy Poehler]

You guys got to stop.

[Jonathan Groff]

I'm.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm sorry. That's too much.

[Jonathan Groff]

And it was like this.

[Amy Poehler]

I need to talk to Broadway's agent and manager. Because I. When I see you guys out during the morning, I'm like, broadway, please file a complaint. Broadway, no more of that. I've been like, I'm sorry. It's too much work.

[Jonathan Groff]

It was fun. I was. I was into it. I'm a little.

[Amy Poehler]

Say that. What are you going to say?

[Jonathan Groff]

A little. Let's go.

[Amy Poehler]

It's morning time. Okay. Sorry.

[Jonathan Groff]

Well, but then look what happened. I was like, let's go. I want to sing live. Let's go. We got there, it was freezing. Julia, one of the sirens, it looked like she was Beyonce.

[Amy Poehler]

The wind.

[Jonathan Groff]

Like, the wind was coming at us. And we were like.

[Amy Poehler]

And then you got sick.

[Jonathan Groff]

And then the next day, we had a matinee on the Friday because it's Thanksgiving week. And I was. I woke up and I was like, ha.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, no.

[Jonathan Groff]

I was like, I think I might have to call out of the show for the first time. But it started to come back 250. And then I say to our music director, this is going to be raw. I think this might be rock and roll. Bobby Darin for the weekend. Just so you know, because it's pretty raw. And then I get out there, and I'm kind of feeling myself. I was like, okay, it's kind of coming back. And then I. I was like, this song. This could be the start of something big. I was like, this could be the start. And just sand, like, in the mummy came out of my throat all over. And I was like. And then I was like, I'm Jonathan. I'll be your Bobby Darin today. And I was like, my voice, gone, Gone. And I get to answer Gracie question. To answer Gracie's question question. Completely calm.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

And I didn't. He was just like, okay. And now I'm going to see if it comes back. I'm going to sing the next song. Couldn't sing it. Do the next song. Couldn't sing it. Did the next song. Couldn't sing it. Like, the. The sirens, the. The girls in the show are like.

[Amy Poehler]

And the band's just like.

[Jonathan Groff]

The band is like, groff. What's happening? And then I was like, I'm gonna wait till I'm alone on stage. Cause I don't wanna put any of the rest of my castmates through this. And 20 minutes in, I'm alone. And I was like, hi, everyone. This is Jonathan. And I Start the show as myself. So it was kind of like they thought it was part of the show. And I was like, I'm Jonathan, and I really wanted to turn it out for you today because it's Thanksgiving week, and I know it's really an important time, but I've lost my voice, and I'm gonna hurt myself if I continue. Matthew Magnussen is gonna come on stage right now and be Bobby Darin, and he's amazing, and the show is amazing, and please stay and enjoy the rest of Just In Time without me. And I walked off stage, and it was sort of like nightmares, like, you were talking about. The idea of losing your voice in a musical on Broadway could be, like, a nightmare. But I felt. I went. I was in shock.

[Amy Poehler]

But also, may I just say, wisdom. Experience. No, just experience. Like, experience sometimes can just. You know, it's just. Just like, you've just done the show a lot. You've been on stage a lot. For someone else, that could have been truly. It would have, like, could have taken them down in a way where they'd never recover. And instead you're like, this is one night in 250, and I'm gonna be back here again. And I know how this goes. I'm gonna take care of my cast. Like, that's what. Like, it's a very leader mentality.

[Jonathan Groff]

Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

And I think you should sue NBC and you should sue Radio City, and you should never, ever sue Macy's.

[Jonathan Groff]

Sue Macy's.

[Amy Poehler]

Sue all of those balloons. Outrageous. They make you do that. Okay, so you have to go. You have to go to your show. But I have one very last question for you, which is, what. What. What are you watching? Listening to. You said you love your YouTube.

[Jonathan Groff]

What do you.

[Amy Poehler]

Where do you go right now to laugh? I mean, obviously, you're laughing on stage. You're having a good time at night, but what. What's your laughy place?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

What are you.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's YouTube. I am.

[Amy Poehler]

What are you looking at?

[Jonathan Groff]

I was like, YouTube. I'm not on media.

[Amy Poehler]

Incredible.

[Jonathan Groff]

And the one, like, Internet thing that I struggle with an addiction to is YouTube. And I'm, like, scrolling and I'm laughing. And even, like, back in the days of Spring Awakening, I had the. Like, even back then. Yeah. The cast would come over. I mean, there's. This is like maybe 16 years ago, like, they would come over and I would. I would be the one. This was like, before the iPhone, or it was like when the iPhone came out. But weirdly, even though I'm not On any social media. I was the one that knew the YouTubes that would make us laugh.

[Amy Poehler]

What was making you laugh back then?

[Jonathan Groff]

Have you seen gay Everest?

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, first of all, let's just prepare ourselves before we watch this. A news blooper is the best.

[Jonathan Groff]

That's my favorite.

[Amy Poehler]

Me too. I could watch and have watched compilations of news bloopers forever.

[Jonathan Groff]

Wait, me too.

[Amy Poehler]

You know who else loves a news blooper? Name drop Paul Rudd, who was on the show and we watched a lot of news bloopers and he loves a news blooper. Okay.

[Jonathan Groff]

That they are to me, because there's like the pretense of seriousness. It's literally us right now.

[Amy Poehler]

It's us right now.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

It's really us. Like all.

[Jonathan Groff]

If we were live.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. We would be in a. This is us in a morning show. High school.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes. Trying to hold it together. Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Liz Kakowski, a writer on snl, and Emily Spivey used to always laugh and talk about, like, wanting to write a morning show where they're violently hungover and trying to hold it together.

[Jonathan Groff]

But I feel like there's also a story somewhere in, like, we are a small town news show and like, the gay guy and the female best friend. And now we're on the local news. Like, we've worked our way up to, like, the big leagues. Like, WGAL is the one in Lancaster.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

And then wgal.

[Amy Poehler]

That's great.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's so good. Wait, why did I never put together. It's W Gal.

[Amy Poehler]

W Gal. That's great. Wgal.

[Jonathan Groff]

And then they have a huge falling out. And now we're on this, like, the idea of, like, holding the tension. Right. Suddenly, he's gay.

[Amy Poehler]

Move over, morning show. Right after the break, we're going to interview Eric Wyen, mayor, who climbed the highest mountain in the world.

[Jonathan Groff]

Man.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Everest.

[Amy Poehler]

But he's gay.

[Jonathan Groff]

I mean, he's gay. Excuse me.

[Amy Poehler]

He's blind.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's her. You know what it is? It's like, but. But he's gay. I mean, he's gay. Excuse me. I mean, he's gay. Excuse me. That's my favorite part.

[Amy Poehler]

But yeah, you're right.

[Jonathan Groff]

He's gay. I mean, he's gay. Excuse me, He's.

[Amy Poehler]

Which begs the question. It's like a Sondheim lyric. Which begs the question, is he gay?

[Jonathan Groff]

So there's another video on there of him reacting and being like, what? He's not gay. I've looked it up.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, okay. Because why does she say it twice?

[Jonathan Groff]

But if I could say something now I'd love to, like, publicly ask a question.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, we can. You know what's interesting, actually, no one's ever publicly asked a question after being asked a question. So now's the time.

[Jonathan Groff]

I'd like to publicly ask a question, which is another YouTube I love, which is the Grape Lady.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Insane.

[Jonathan Groff]

I want to know if she's okay.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. So if someone could get. Let us know if the lady who was stomping grapes who fell down and really. And really, it sounds like really hurt herself.

[Jonathan Groff]

She took a hard sword. Hope she's okay. Well, yow. We're gonna make sure she is.

[Amy Poehler]

And they're laughing. Ooh. Yow.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. Yeah. She took a hard fall off that. Yeah. Hope she's a. Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

Jonathan Groff. I loved our time together. Friends for life. I know.

[Jonathan Groff]

Friends for life. Let's go.

[Amy Poehler]

At the very least, co host.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes. The morning news.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, thank you so much. Jonathan Groff. That was so fun. We knew it would be. What a hang. What a doll. Ah, in love. What a dreamboat. So for this polar plunge, I guess I just wanted to talk about Sondheim for a second because he is so incredible and his work is so incredible, and there's a lot of people that come through this studio talking about him. And I would just like to say that the thing I love the most about Stephen Sondheim is how his music feels like a song rolling down a hill. Like it's never really starting. It's always kind of going, but it's not kind of talking and then it's going and the song is starting and it's starting this way and it's going over here. But don't forget, it started over there. And it's about to start, but it's not starting yet and we're going over. So I just. I love. I love the rhythm of it, and it's so hard to sing, and I'm so glad I don't have to sing it. So, Stephen Sondheim, thank you for your work and your genius. Thank you, Jonathan Groff, for joining us. Thank you for listening always to Good Hang. Have a great day, week, month, and see you soon. Bye. You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by the Ringer and Paper Kite. For the Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, cat Spillane, Kaia McMullen, and Alaia Zaneris. For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss Berman. Original music by Amy Miles and I am the one who puts a really good Hey.