The star of 'Merrily We Roll Along' revealed that he had "no desire to reprise the role of a singing teenager" yet unexpectedly found himself guest-starring on the show years later. Ryan Murphy initially pitched the idea of 'Glee' to Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele, but Groff ultimately turned it down.
"I was adamant about not wanting to reprise the role of a singing teenager for another seven years," Groff confessed to Vanity Fair this week. At that point in his career, he was 23 and had just wrapped up a two-year stint portraying a teenager in Broadway's 'Spring Awakening' alongside Michele.
Groff recounted, "Ryan Murphy informed both Lea Michele and me that he had specifically crafted 'Glee' for us and inquired if we were interested in joining the cast." However, Groff ultimately declined the offer.
"My heart was set on acting," he explained. "While I adore singing, I felt that doing so would be more of the same rather than an opportunity for artistic growth. Instead, I opted to embark on a journey of exploring my craft through three off-Broadway plays the following year."
Groff expressed no regrets about his decision. "After that enriching experience, I realized the transformative power of engaging with exceptional material," he said. "'Spring Awakening' altered me profoundly as an individual. It left me eager to continue exploring, growing, and challenging myself as an actor."
Apart from 'Glee', Groff also had an offer to star in the Broadway revival of 'Hair', but he chose to "embark on a year-long journey at Playwrights Horizons and the Public Theater, delving into the world of theater."
Interestingly, Groff did eventually make an appearance on 'Glee', albeit as a recurring guest star. He portrayed Jesse St. James, Rachel Berry's (Michele's character) antagonist-turned-boyfriend-turned-friend, appearing sporadically throughout seasons one, two, three, and six.
'Glee' ran from 2009 to 2015, with Michele starring alongside Cory Monteith, the character ostensibly intended for Groff, until the untimely death of the latter in 2013.
