7 Things We Learned About Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff in “Those You've Known”

Lea Michele was just 14 when she was cast in the “Spring Awakening” workshop. Michele was one of the very first people to sign on, and one of the youngest, but she already had Broadway credits under her belt. She made her Broadway debut in 1995 when she was 8, joining “Les Miserables” as young Cosette. She also was part of the original Broadway cast of “Ragtime” in 1998. She would also play Shprintze in “Fiddler on the Roof” on Broadway before “Spring Awakening” opened on the Great White Way.

In the doc, the creators described Jonathan Groff, who is from Lancaster, PA, as a “chorus boy.” They feared he didn’t have enough of an edge to play the moody Melchior, but he proved himself during auditions and got the part.

Jonathan Groff, who is gay, was closeted when he was cast. In the doc, he confesses he was worried his acting would reveal that he wasn’t straight. He says, “The first thing I felt was, ‘They’re going to know I’m gay. F*ck. I never had sex with a girl, I’m in the closet. I’m just going to pretend that I know what I’m doing.'”

Groff explains that he was scared that being out would ruin his career as an actor. He says, “I was afraid if people knew who I was, they wouldn’t find what I was doing believable.”

In the doc, Lea Michele says repeatedly that she was in love with Groff. She finally told him about her feelings at a party, and she knew from his reaction that he was gay. “I just saw a look in his eyes, and that moment I knew,” she explains. “I never asked him ever again about his sexuality, and I think he felt safe with me because I knew and we could still be best friends.”

The pair were so close that Michele even showed Groff her vagina once because he’d never seen one. In the doc, when Groff finds out that Michele told the crew about this, he couldn’t stop laughing at the absurdity.

When the show went into previews on Broadway, they were selling 300 seats in their 1,100 seat house. The crew at the theatre would warn them that when they looked out, they would mostly be seeing purple velvet chairs instead of audience members. By the time the show closed in 2009, it played 859 performances and 29 previews.

Because the show was struggling financially, the cast and crew were desperate for nominations at the Tony Awards, which would help sell tickets. The night before the nominees were announced, Groff and Michele ran across the street midshow from the theatre to the actor’s chapel and prayed for nominations. Groff dropped $50 in the collection box, which Michele didn’t know he was planning to do, and she had no money. The next day, the show found out they’d received 11 nominations, including best performance by a leading actor in a musical for Groff. Michele was not nominated.

Groff and Michele left “Spring Awakening” together in May 2008. A month later, Groff finally felt comfortable enough to come out. He emotionally recounts this time in his life in “Those You’ve Known,” reflecting on how playing Melchior gave him enough strength to come out and finally use his own voice. When he told Michele that his roommate was actually his boyfriend, she told him that she already knew.