A week ago or so, Disney+ added a recording of the immensely popular Broadway musical Hamilton to its online library, and fans have been obsessed with it ever since.
The unique format allows audiences to experience the action from way closer than they would have been able to when sitting inside a Manhattan theater. As such, viewers have been able to notice things they might have not perceived before. And one of these things is the fact that actor Jonathan Groff spits a lot when he talks.
The spitting, Groff has admitted, is not so much a part of his performance as it is a part of his actual person. In fact, the actor apparently knows that “he’s always been a spitter.”
In the musical, Groff plays the British King George who – if you know your history – is one of the story’s main antagonists. During several scenes, spit can be seen flying from his mouth as he sings and dances.
Although audience members only discovered Groff’s habit recently, the actor’s Hamilton co-stars have known about it for quite some time. Not long ago, Lin-Manuel Miranda even joked that his cast could use some raincoats to protect themselves from King George’s barrage.
Rather than denying or ignoring the public’s obsession with his salivary output, Groff has chosen to own up to it. In a recent interview with Variety, the actor told it as it is, saying:
“I spit a lot onstage. I’ve always been a spitter…I start sweating. I just get wet when I perform onstage. It is just what happens.”
When he’s not onstage, Groff can be seen playing the lead role in the fantastic Netflix Original crime drama Mindhunter. Regrettably, however, his character on that show has yet to spit.