Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Jonathan Groff

February 10, 2026

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  • Jonathan Groff is characterized by his magnetic charm, exceptional talent, and an unusual, Yoda-like calmness even during high-pressure career moments. 
  • Gracie Lawrence and Jonathan Groff represent a modern trend where artists successfully straddle multiple performance categories (singing, acting, recording) without being confined to one label. 
  • Jonathan Groff's early life on a Mennonite horse farm, where he was allowed to express his theatrical interests (like dressing as Dorothy), provided a foundation of unconditional love that emboldened his later career risks. 
  • The longevity and eventual appreciation of art, exemplified by the show 'Merrily,' depend on the care and intention put into its initial creation, even if it is initially unsuccessful. 
  • Jonathan Groff views his work in theater as a vital, intimate form of living, stemming from a primal need for connection that began when he was closeted in high school. 
  • Jonathan Groff maintains a 'dead calm' reaction to scary or difficult professional situations, a coping mechanism he compares to fainting goats, which allowed him to handle losing his voice mid-performance without panicking. 

Segments

Gracie Lawrence Introduction
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(00:00:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Gracie Lawrence, singer for the band Lawrence, was introduced as a friend and colleague of Jonathan Groff from the Broadway show Just in Time.
  • Summary: Gracie Lawrence was introduced while rehearsing for a new Broadway show called All Out alongside Jon Stewart and Abby Jacobson. She previously played Connie Francis opposite Jonathan Groff’s Bobby Darren in Just in Time. Lawrence noted that listening to the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast provided a calming hug to her and her roommate before performances.
Groff’s Performance Magic
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(00:07:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Jonathan Groff’s performance magic lies in making audiences feel immediately at ease and comfortable, even while playing bizarre characters.
  • Summary: Lawrence considers Groff one of the greatest performers, comparing his magnetic quality to that of a different era, like Bobby Darren. She noted his ability to maintain intense, beautiful eye contact with the audience. Groff also incorporates playful, spontaneous actions on stage, such as violently tickling co-stars mid-scene to keep the performance fresh.
Groff’s Calm Demeanor Question
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(00:08:41)
  • Key Takeaway: Gracie Lawrence questioned Jonathan Groff about the source of his consistent, Yoda-like calm despite leading major shows and attending events like the Tonys.
  • Summary: Lawrence observed that Groff never appears frazzled, even during high-stakes events, leading her to ask if he has always been this calm or if he has recently achieved this state of composure. She contrasted his demeanor with her own tendency toward nervousness, suggesting that his talent allows him to work without coming from a fear-based place.
First Meeting and Sleep Habits
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(00:12:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy Poehler and Jonathan Groff established that their first meeting involved a hug where Groff lifted Poehler up, and Groff maintains a late schedule due to his post-show routine.
  • Summary: Groff confirmed he is a hard sleeper, typically going to bed around (12:30) or (1:00) AM after shows end at (10:30) PM, often involving biking home and watching YouTube. Poehler noted that Groff’s physical strength was evident when he lifted her during their initial greeting.
Childhood and Early Influences
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(00:17:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Jonathan Groff’s supportive Mennonite family allowed him to embrace his theatrical interests, including dressing as Dorothy at age four, which contrasts with his childhood fear of horses on his father’s harness racing farm.
  • Summary: Groff’s grandfather, Wade, once unknowingly made a gay joke by calling young Jonathan ‘Mary’ while he was dressed as Mary Poppins on the farm, foreshadowing his future Broadway role. Groff’s interpretation of Dorothy at age four focused on the trauma of the tornado, while Poehler focused on the ‘follow-me’ aspect of leading the journey.
Musical Discovery and Career Start
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(00:28:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Jonathan Groff’s passion for musical theater was ignited by an Ethel Merman LP of Annie Get Your Gun found at the Lancaster Public Library, leading his mother to take him on bus trips to see Broadway shows.
  • Summary: Groff was obsessed with Sutton Foster in Thoroughly Modern Millie due to her magnetic, palpable stage presence. He deferred admission to Carnegie Mellon after securing a non-union tour role, which provided him with $10,000, allowing him to pursue theater instead of college immediately.
Spring Awakening and Coming Out
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(00:34:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Playing the rebellious character in Spring Awakening served as a ‘somatic exorcism’ that built the muscle necessary for Jonathan Groff to overcome the shame associated with coming out publicly.
  • Summary: Groff initially felt unqualified for Spring Awakening but knew he had to play the role, which taught him how to act and sing properly. Coming out felt difficult because he worried about changing the ’temperature in the room’ for others, but the role empowered him to embrace authenticity, leading him to become the Grand Marshal of the New York Pride Parade shortly after.
Hamilton Audition and Role
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(00:46:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Jonathan Groff joined Hamilton unexpectedly to cover a role, initially performing without an accent or full characterization, relying on the strength of the song to carry him through the first two months.
  • Summary: Groff was asked by Lin-Manuel Miranda to cover a role after the original actor had to leave. He learned the song in two days without knowing he needed a British accent, feeling like he had won a contest to be in the show. During his 45-second breaks on stage, he read books in his small dressing room, avoiding leaving because he wore the white wig.
Merrily We Roll Along Reflection
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(00:56:09)
  • Key Takeaway: Performing in Merrily We Roll Along exactly 20 years after moving to New York felt like a fulfillment of every dream, especially as the show’s themes mirrored his own life experiences and friendships.
  • Summary: The Merrily run mirrored the 20-year span of the show’s timeline, creating powerful moments of sense memory, such as actors standing in positions previously occupied by actors from Spring Awakening. Groff felt the autobiographical nature of the material, where lines spoken to his co-star Lindsay Mendez felt like conversations between his real-life self and others.
Longevity of Well-Crafted Art
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(00:59:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Art created with deep care and attention, like the film capture of ‘Merrily,’ can achieve longevity and return to relevance decades later, validating the initial effort.
  • Summary: The film adaptation of ‘Merrily’ is described as a unique hybrid between a filmed theater piece and a movie. The speaker emphasizes that if a work is crafted well in the moment, its journey is independent, but its quality ensures it can resurface and have a life, even after initial failure. This provides faith that doing work with proper intention sets it free to resonate over time.
Meaningful Song Lyrics
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(01:02:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The lyric “Solving dreams, not just trusting them, taking dreams, readjusting them, growing up” from the song ‘Growing Up’ encapsulates the theme of relating to the past without being held down.
  • Summary: Jonathan Groff identifies the lyric “Solving dreams, not just trusting them, taking dreams, readjusting them, growing up” as a lyric that always bubbled in his head. This concept speaks to the necessity of being open and flexible to readjustment because nothing ever happens as planned. The friendship element within the show helps facilitate this ‘solving of the dream,’ suggesting it cannot be done alone.
Friendships Forged in Work
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(01:04:29)
  • Key Takeaway: For Jonathan Groff, the intimacy found in theatrical work fulfills a deep, primal need for connection, leading to lifelong friendships with castmates.
  • Summary: Amy Poehler notes that the friendships Jonathan Groff makes in his work are deep and lifelong, as stage colleagues share in life experiences. Groff suggests this stems from a primal need for intimacy, similar to when he was closeted in high school community theater. Even when better adjusted in life, he goes to work not just to work, but to ’live’ deeply with the people he shares the stage with.
Gavin Creel’s Impactful Entrance
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(01:05:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Gavin Creel’s first impression on Jonathan Groff involved a memorable, sexually charged, and free-spirited stage door interaction that solidified Groff’s desire to enter the theater world.
  • Summary: Gavin Creel, a performer who passed away recently, profoundly changed Jonathan Groff’s life and gave him the confidence to come out. Groff first met Creel at the stage door of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie,’ where Creel winked while playfully grabbing another actor’s rear end while holding an apple in his mouth. This moment of theatrical freedom and subtextual sexual energy convinced Groff he needed to be in that world.
Gracie Lawrence’s Observation
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(01:09:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Gracie Lawrence observed that Jonathan Groff possesses a ‘Yoda-like calm’ and asked why he seems unfazed or un-frazzled by pressure.
  • Summary: Gracie Lawrence, who worked with Groff playing Connie Francis opposite his Bobby Darren, noted his great eye contact and lack of visible nervousness. She characterized his demeanor as a ‘Yoda-like calm’ and asked what, if anything, scares him now. Groff compares his calm reaction to scary events to the behavior of fainting goats on his father’s farm, where he goes dead calm and speaks slowly.
Losing Voice During Performance
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(01:12:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite losing his voice completely during a performance after singing in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Jonathan Groff maintained a calm, leader mentality by immediately arranging for his understudy to take over.
  • Summary: After performing in the freezing conditions of the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Jonathan Groff woke up sick before a matinee performance, realizing his voice was gone. He calmly informed the music director that the performance would be raw, but ultimately had to stop singing after several songs. He then announced to the audience that he was stepping out for the night, allowing Matthew Magnusson to perform Bobby Darren, demonstrating experience over panic.
Sources of Laughter and Media
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(01:16:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Jonathan Groff avoids social media but is addicted to YouTube, finding humor primarily in news blooper compilations, a preference shared by Paul Rudd.
  • Summary: Jonathan Groff does not use social media but struggles with an addiction to scrolling YouTube for laughs. He and Amy Poehler agree that news bloopers are a favorite source of comedy because they reveal the pretense of seriousness breaking down under pressure. Groff also expressed concern for the ‘grape lady’ from a viral video, hoping she recovered from her hard fall.
Sondheim’s Musical Rhythm
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(01:21:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Stephen Sondheim’s music is characterized by a rhythm that feels like a song rolling down a hill, constantly moving and talking without a clear starting point.
  • Summary: Amy Poehler offers a final thought on Stephen Sondheim’s genius, describing his music as never truly starting but always in motion, like a song rolling down a hill. The music feels like it is talking and then beginning a new trajectory without forgetting its origin point. She expresses gratitude for not having to sing his difficult compositions.