Music

Jonathan Groff Spits Quite A Lot In ‘Hamilton’, And No One Can Handle The HD Footage

We're all in the splash zone now.

by Jared Richards  7 July 2020
Jonathan Groff's spit in Hamilton is quite intense

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With the filmed version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical Hamilton arriving on Disney+ over the weekend, a lot of people are finally seeing the pop culture phenomenon for the first time.

But with the up-close camera shots and HD footage, it’s a different experience entirely — and getting up and close with actor Jonathan Groff’s globs of spit has been a little overwhelming for viewers.

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Groff, who was the lead in Mindhunter and Looking, plays King George III in Hamilton — portrayed as a petulant and pompous king ruling from afar, who has three solos about the American revolution. It’s one of many scene-stealing performances in Hamilton (Daveed Diggs is another stand-out, as is Renée Elise Goldsberry).

Fluid, too. Between Groff giving the king a very particular accent and all that Broadway belting, there’s a lot of white spit coming forth from his mouth. In ‘You’ll Be Back’, it’s almost like he’s foaming with rage, as a giant glob rolls from his lips and droops down.

If Hamilton isn’t for you, here’s one offending shot:

It’s clearly a deliberate choice — and one Groff stan defended the actor after his name trended on Twitter purely because people were talking about his spit. As they note, Groff drank a lot of water before heading on-stage to ensure the spit, which makes the king look even more unhinged.

Still, that hasn’t stopped people from viscerally reacting on Twitter, as it’s quite a lot to take in — especially when you’re not expecting it.

The worst fear seems to be having his spit land on you (though some, of course, would very much like that). One person was living the nightmare/fantasy, as Hamilton‘s music director Alex Lacamoire even confirmed that the orchestra pit was very much in Groff’s splash zone, saying he would every now and then feel a bit of the actor’s spittle land on him.

“And you know what? Worth it,” he wrote on Twitter.

Find our favourite reactions below. Hamilton is now streaming on Disney+.