'I started crying': Jonathan Groff inspired to come out after emotional art gallery visit
Jonathan Groff came out as gay to his brother after being moved by seeing Michaelangelo's David during a solo trip to Italy.
Jonathan Groff came out as gay after being moved by seeing Michaelangelo's David.
The 'Frozen' actor travelled around Italy alone in 2008 after his two-year stint in Broadway show 'Spring Awakening' came to an end and on his final day in Florence before meeting with his brother in Rome, he took a trip to the Accademia Gallery in Florence in order to see the famous sculpture and it sparked a very emotional reaction.
He wrote in the November issue of Conde Nast Traveler: "When you turn the corner, there are rows of other unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo.
"These figures are so constricted, like they're straining to be released from the marble and fighting for air. I ached just looking at them.
"But they lead up to this perfect, liberated form. I started crying and wondered, What is it about this naked man that makes me so emotional?
"Afterward, I sat in a piazza, journaling, thinking about how nobody here knew or cared about me, and I decided to come out to my brother—who is also named David—the next day.
"Only my roommate knew I was gay, because he was also my secret boyfriend."
And when the brothers met up, it wasn't only Jonathan, 38, who was nervous about sharing news about his personal life.
He continued: "In the evening, we went to this restaurant called Saby's near our hotel, the Locarno. We were getting pasta, we were getting wine, and I knew that if I didn't tell him right then, I would never do it.
"My hands were shaking; my voice was hoarse from talking, because I hadn't spoken to anyone in seven days.
"But David also seemed nervous. He said, ‘Jonathan, there's something I need to talk to you about.’ He told me all about this girl that he was in love with, who is now his wife. It was like he was coming out to me, because we'd never talked about relationships or sex or love in our entire lives as brothers.
"He teed it up perfectly, and once he gave me all of the details, he said, ‘This is the first time I've ever felt this, and I'm wondering, What about you?’
"And I shared everything with him. We just showed all of ourselves to each other. It never could have happened anywhere else.”
