Frozen actor Jonathan Groff reveals he came out as gay to his brother after being reduced to tears by Statue Of David

Frozen actor Jonathan Groff came out as gay to his brother after being reduced to tears by the sight of Michelangelo’s David.

Then just 23 years old, Jonathan was traveling through Italy on holiday after concluding his run in Spring Awakening, the musical that made him a Broadway star.

His dashed around the country sightseeing, making his final solo stop in Florence before heading to Rome, where he would be with his brother.

While strolling through the Accademia, he was struck by the display of Michelangelo’s unfinished sculptures, which seemed to him to be ‘constricted, like they’re straining to be released from the marble and fighting for air.’

Then, he told Conde Nast Traveler, he came upon the sight of the ‘perfect, liberated’ Statue Of David, which induced him to free himself by telling his brother the truth.

Iconic: He told Conde Nast Traveler he came upon the sight of the ‘perfect, liberated’ Statue Of David, which induced him to free himself by telling his brother the truth

‘I started crying and wondered, What is it about this naked man that makes me so emotional?’ the Hamilton heartthrob wrote.

‘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,’ Jonathan recalled, dishing: ‘Only my roommate knew I was gay, because he was also my secret boyfriend.’

At Saby’s restaurant in the Campo de’ Fiori in Rome, Jonathan resolved to tell his brother, but was quivering with dread.

‘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,’ said Jonathan.

‘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,’ Jonathan revealed.

‘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?”‘

Jonathan then ‘shared everything with him. We just showed all of ourselves to each other. It never could have happened anywhere else.’

Together again: At the time of his trip, Jonathan had just shot to fame on Broadway in Spring Awakening opposite Lea Michele, whom he is pictured reuniting with last year

Shortly afterwards, Jonathan was linked to his fellow Broadway actor Gavin Creel, and his love life in the intervening time has included Star Trek star Zachary Quinto.

Jonathan first shot to fame on Broadway in the 2006 musical Spring Awakening opposite rising starlet Lea Michele.

Lea and Jonathan reunited when he achieved TV notoriety during his recurring guest run on Glee, where she was part of the principal cast.

Since then he has made his presence felt in a number of high-profile projects including the Disney film Frozen and the original Broadway cast of Hamilton.