Vanity Fair Interview with Groff
Jonathan Groff plays narcissistic, backstabbing, and heartbreaking former rival show-choir member Jesse St. James on Glee, and he does so with an insouciant and enviable conviction. He is also a gay, which, since this is the Gay Guide to Glee, makes our fandom all the more raging. Tonight, Groff returns to the show for his 10th episode, so to celebrate his tin anniversary, we gave him a call. Highlights:
Brett Berk: You’ve made your triumphant return to Glee in the past few weeks. Is it true that the new plot trajectory for your character, Jesse St. James-in his work as a show-choir adviser-is based on the role of Sparky Polastri in the canonical film Bring It On?
Jonathan Groff: Oh my God! I wish. That would have been amazing! I haven’t seen that movie in such a long time.
What!?!
I mean, I’ve seen it many times. I just haven’t watched it lately.
Jonathan, write this down: You should watch Bring It On at least once every 9 to 12 months.
I know. I totally should. But no, Jesse St. James is not based on that. He’s his own man and his own character. And he’s not as talented at coaching as the guy in Bring It On, as you’ll see in the episode this week. He’s just mean. I actually couldn’t believe it when I read the scripts for this season. I thought I was coming back to redeem myself, and apologize to Lea-which I did, and do. But then in this week’s episode, I can’t believe how mean I am.
Truly. Last week, your bad attitude led to fisticuffs between you and Finn. In a real fight, how would you take him?
I think I would hit him down low. I think if I rocked him from the bottom, he would fall over, and all of that weight would fall on top of him. I also don’t think he’s very quick on his feet, so I think that going for the legs and the mid-section would be the best.
Speaking of taking one of the Glee boys, I happen to think that almost all of the guys on the show are adorable. If you were a 14-year-old boy again, right now, which one would you have as the wallpaper on your iPhone?
I’d probably have Chris Colfer, because I think he’s so brave on the show, and the things he’s doing are setting such a great example for young people, gay or straight, in terms of educating them and putting it out there. And in real life, he’s such an amazing person. He’s handling his fame and his success and his…responsibility in such a classy way. I really admire him.
That’s such a sweet answer. Which I’ll now pollute with my next question. Personally, I prefer failure to success as a dramatic device, so I’m looking forward to a disastrous finale for the McKinley kids in New York. How about you?
Obviously I can’t tell you what happens. But, no, I don’t actually like to see them fail. It kind of kills me a little when they lose. I mean, I beat them last year-Vocal Adrenaline beat them in the regionals competition. But when I watched it back on TV, and there we were taking the trophy, I was like, Awwww. I felt terrible. I don’t enjoy it, or at least, I don’t get as much joy out of it as you do, I guess.
Not everyone has the gift of Schadenfreude. But in terms of enjoying success, what can we see you in this summer? Broadway? Shakespeare in the Park? More Kung Fu Panda voiceovers?
[Laughs.] That’s actually weirdly inaccurate. I didn’t do that Kung Fu Panda thing. I don’t know how that got out there. I don’t know if there’s another Jonathan Groff or something, but, for the record, I Did Not Voice Kung Fu Panda. Thank God for you and vanityfair.com. I can finally come out there and say I didn’t do that.
But in terms of this summer, we wrapped Glee on Wednesday. I’m back in New York this week to see friends and theater. And then I go back to L.A. next week and try to get a job. I’m just looking for the next gig. Let me know if you have any openings there at Vanity Fair.
We do, actually. We’re looking for an intern. You could be our theater intern.
I would totally be an intern. Absolutely.
source
Brett Berk: You’ve made your triumphant return to Glee in the past few weeks. Is it true that the new plot trajectory for your character, Jesse St. James-in his work as a show-choir adviser-is based on the role of Sparky Polastri in the canonical film Bring It On?
Jonathan Groff: Oh my God! I wish. That would have been amazing! I haven’t seen that movie in such a long time.
What!?!
I mean, I’ve seen it many times. I just haven’t watched it lately.
Jonathan, write this down: You should watch Bring It On at least once every 9 to 12 months.
I know. I totally should. But no, Jesse St. James is not based on that. He’s his own man and his own character. And he’s not as talented at coaching as the guy in Bring It On, as you’ll see in the episode this week. He’s just mean. I actually couldn’t believe it when I read the scripts for this season. I thought I was coming back to redeem myself, and apologize to Lea-which I did, and do. But then in this week’s episode, I can’t believe how mean I am.
Truly. Last week, your bad attitude led to fisticuffs between you and Finn. In a real fight, how would you take him?
I think I would hit him down low. I think if I rocked him from the bottom, he would fall over, and all of that weight would fall on top of him. I also don’t think he’s very quick on his feet, so I think that going for the legs and the mid-section would be the best.
Speaking of taking one of the Glee boys, I happen to think that almost all of the guys on the show are adorable. If you were a 14-year-old boy again, right now, which one would you have as the wallpaper on your iPhone?
I’d probably have Chris Colfer, because I think he’s so brave on the show, and the things he’s doing are setting such a great example for young people, gay or straight, in terms of educating them and putting it out there. And in real life, he’s such an amazing person. He’s handling his fame and his success and his…responsibility in such a classy way. I really admire him.
That’s such a sweet answer. Which I’ll now pollute with my next question. Personally, I prefer failure to success as a dramatic device, so I’m looking forward to a disastrous finale for the McKinley kids in New York. How about you?
Obviously I can’t tell you what happens. But, no, I don’t actually like to see them fail. It kind of kills me a little when they lose. I mean, I beat them last year-Vocal Adrenaline beat them in the regionals competition. But when I watched it back on TV, and there we were taking the trophy, I was like, Awwww. I felt terrible. I don’t enjoy it, or at least, I don’t get as much joy out of it as you do, I guess.
Not everyone has the gift of Schadenfreude. But in terms of enjoying success, what can we see you in this summer? Broadway? Shakespeare in the Park? More Kung Fu Panda voiceovers?
[Laughs.] That’s actually weirdly inaccurate. I didn’t do that Kung Fu Panda thing. I don’t know how that got out there. I don’t know if there’s another Jonathan Groff or something, but, for the record, I Did Not Voice Kung Fu Panda. Thank God for you and vanityfair.com. I can finally come out there and say I didn’t do that.
But in terms of this summer, we wrapped Glee on Wednesday. I’m back in New York this week to see friends and theater. And then I go back to L.A. next week and try to get a job. I’m just looking for the next gig. Let me know if you have any openings there at Vanity Fair.
We do, actually. We’re looking for an intern. You could be our theater intern.
I would totally be an intern. Absolutely.
source