Jonathan Groff Reveals He Was Inspired to Come Out After Seeing Michelangelo's Statue David

Michelangelo's David – a towering, 17-foot tall statue of a muscular, nude man carved in the first years of the 16th century – might be viewed by some today in places like Florida as "pornography," but the famous sculpture had a profound emotional effect on "Looking" actor Jonathan Groff, who revealed in a personal essay how the famous statue prompted him to come out.

The statue is literally monumental both physically and culturally, its unique profile instantly recognizable to people around the world. For Groff, who wrote in an essay for Condé Nast Traveler about seeing the sculpture in Rome at the age of 23, David was a symbol of "liberation."

"It was June 2008, and I had just finished doing 'Spring Awakening' on Broadway for two years," Groff detailed in his essay. "Over a week, I visited Assisi, Siena, and Florence before meeting my brother in Rome, following the Rick Steves guidebook to the letter.

"On my last day alone, I went to see David at the Accademia Gallery," Groff, now 38, continued. "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," Groff added – namely, the statue of David. "I started crying and wondered, 'What is it about this naked man that makes me so emotional?'" Groff recounted.

Reflecting on that question, Groff concluded that it was time to find liberation for himself. "Only my roommate knew I was gay, because he was also my secret boyfriend," Groff wrote. He related how he "decided to come out to my brother – who is also named David," and how when the two had dinner after a day of sightseeing, his brother also had news to share.

"He told me all about this girl that he was in love with, who is now his wife," Groff recalled. "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."

Once his brother had "teed it up perfectly" with his admission, Groff "shared everything with him," the "Frozen" star wrote. "We just showed all of ourselves to each other. It never could have happened anywhere else."

UK newspaper the Daily Mail related that it wasn't long after his Roman holiday that Groff "was linked to his fellow Broadway actor Gavin Creel, and his love life in the intervening time has included 'Star Trek' star Zachary Quinto."

Now a busy – and out – success on screen and stage alike, Groff has recently starred in LGBTQ+-themed and inclusive projects like "And Just Like That...," "Knock at the Cabin," and "The Matrix: Resurrections," as well as having been a lead in HBO's gay rom-com "Looking," starring in the film version of "The Normal Heart," and appearing in more than a dozen episodes of "Glee." His Broadway credits include the original production of "Hamilton," as well as "Spring Awakening."

Groff is currently starring in "Merrily We Roll Along" with Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez in New York.