Lea Michele is opening up about her 20-year friendship with fellow Broadway actor Jonathan Groff and how they buy each other anniversary presents like a married couple!
While appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show, airing on Tuesday (April 7), Lea opened up about being on Broadway at the same time as Jonathan this year.
Lea and Jonathan met while starring in the Broadway musical Spring Awakening over 20 years ago. This year, Lea has been starring in Chess while Jonathan led the musical Just in Time. Both have been major hits!
During the interview, Lea said she snuck into Jonathan‘s theater to catch the end of his show.
“Yes, I snuck into the theater, so my show was at a 7 o’clock, his show is at an 8 o’clock. So I ran out of my theater the other night and stood in the back of the theater and watched his show. I got to see the last 45 minutes and I just stood there and bawled and bawled, but we went to Joe Allen’s,” she said.
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Lea opened up about their long friendship.
“We celebrated and, so this was his idea, and so something my husband and I do is, for whatever year we’re married, we get the traditional gift,” Lea said.
She continued, “So we were 7 and this was wool and he got me a wool coat and I got him a wool sweater and we do it every year. So Jonathan knows that we do this tradition and he’s like, well, what’s 20 years? And it was platinum. And we got each other these like really nice gifts, but he was like, I really want to like, to have a 20 year friendship, and it’s not just like a whatever friendship this is like from day one, there isn’t a day that I haven’t spoken to him, seen his face.”
“Marriages, loss, jobs, moving cross country like there is truly huge life moments that we have been through so we did a toast at Joe Allen just to like end this run of us both being Broadway at the same time. So he’s passing the baton to me now and I have it and I’ll hold down the fort,” she added.
Lea is starring in Chess through June 21. Get tickets now!
