Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff have one of the most fascinating relationships in Hollywood. The platonic(ish) soulmates instantly bonded from the moment they were cast in the controversial 2006 musical, Spring Awakening.
According to Michele in the documentary Those You’ve Known, she felt an immediate urge to protect Groff. “When I first met Jonathan, I knew I had to take him under my wing,” she revealed. Explaining further, she said, “He was this country mouse and I was this city mouse. He came all the way from Pennsylvania and had gel so hard in his hair, it was cement.”
Clearly, the Mindhunter star wasn’t opposed to Michele guiding him along the way, because the two have been attached at the hip ever since, over 20 years later. But that’s not to say their relationship was always smooth sailing. In fact, much of their origins as best friends were filled with heartache, confusion, and conflicting emotions.
The ‘Glee’ Stars Were ‘Really in Love’ During Their Spring Awakening Days
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In the HBO documentary Those You’ve Known, musical fans get to take a deeper look inside the making of one of Boadway’s biggest sensations to date, Spring Awakening. What initially started as a tiny off-broadway production, which was performed nightly inside a rickety gothic church, had eventually blown up to become one of the most successful Broadway shows to date.
While the musical itself has captivated the hearts of audiences worldwide, it’s safe to say the play wouldn’t have seen the level of success it accumulated had it not been for the palpable chemistry between romantic leads, Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele. Hell, people in the very last row of the theater would be able to tell something intense was going on between the two budding Broadway stars whenever they shared the stage together.
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Yet for the up and coming actors, it became increasingly difficult to navigate their relationship off stage. Since the Glee actors spent every night making out passionately in front of a live audience, lines began to blur over what was real between the two, and what was strictly a performance.
Yet according to Frozen star Jonathan Groff, there was something real between the two. “Lea and I, we were grasping onto each other, we were really in love,” he revealed in the documentary (per People Magazine.)
But these intense feelings between the two couldn’t go very far, at least romantically, particularly on Groff’s end. As much as he adores Michele, he was grappling at the time with his sexuality and knew deep down that he was attracted to men rather than women.
But these intense feelings between the two couldn’t go very far, at least romantically, particularly on Groff’s end. As much as he adores Michele, he was grappling at the time with his sexuality and knew deep down that he was attracted to men rather than women.
Lea Michele Begged Jonathan Groff to Date Her
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Before the Funny Girl actress knew about Jonathan Groff’s romantic preferences, she was wholly convinced she and her Spring Awakening co-star were meant to be. “I fell in love with him in more ways than one,” she said in the HBO documentary. “I was so in love with him.”
The Scream Queens star later revealed in the documentary that she could no longer bottle in her romantic feelings. She had to address her emotions with Groff once and for all. So one night, she pulled him aside at a cast party, and begged him to be her boyfriend. “Finally, I cornered him at a party, and I said to him, ‘Why don’t you love me?” said Michele to Groff. “Just love me. Why can’t you love me? Date me. Love me.”
Yet according to the actress, it was in that very moment after spilling her guts out that she was able to intuitively pick up on Groff’s sexuality. She continued in Those You’ve Known, saying, “I never asked him again about his sexuality and it was sort of this… I think he felt safe with me because he knew that I knew and that we could be best friends, and our relationship just grew and grew to the point that we would do the show and then we would go home together. That’s why Jonathan and I became so close. We were so intertwined.”
The Broadway Stars are Best Friends to This Day
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Twenty years later, and the former co-stars are practically attached at the hip. Jonathan Groff even went so far as to name his pet goat Lea Michele! (According to Groff, the goat has since passed away. RIP, Lea.)
According to Michele, she still considers the Hamilton actor her “soul mate.” The pair love cozying up together, and have frequent spooning sessions, since Jonathan Groff is the ultimate cuddling champion. “He’s a cuddler man. That boy will just scoop you in,” Michele revealed in an interview.
Just recently, she celebrated her best friend’s 40th birthday, posting adorable pictures of the two on Instagram. She captioned the post, “My best friend turned 40 today. I love you to the moon and back JG.”
