The Glee star made his Doctor Who debut in this week’s Regency-set episode.
*Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who Episode 6, Rogue.*
Jonathan Groff made his long-awaited first Doctor Who appearance in last night’s episode Rogue – and it likely won’t take long for fans to begin clamouring for a return thanks to the Glee star’s electric performance in the Regency-set outing.
Although his bounty hunter character Rogue appeared to sacrifice himself to save Ruby (Millie Gibson) at the end of the episode, the door was left firmly open for a return by his final remarks: telling the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) to “find me”.
And Groff himself certainly seems open to reprising his role in future episodes, as he made clear on the latest episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed.
“I hope we’re seeing Rogue again,” he says. “Rogue tells the Doctor at the end of the episode to find him, so it’s totally up to the Doctor. So, the ball is in his court, so to speak!”
That keenness to return will surely come as a boost for fans desperate to see further developments on what seemed like a budding romance between Rogue and the Doctor, so lets keep our fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, speaking about taking on the role, Groff revealed that he found inspiration from one of sci-fi’s most beloved characters.
“Rogue is basically an alien bounty hunter. So I’ve been thinking a lot about Han Solo in Star Wars,” he said.
Elsewhere in the interview, he picked out his dancing scene with Gatwa as the highlight from his time on set.
“The choreography was very much about the connection forming and vibing between the two characters,” he explained. “The day that we performed the dance is so far my favourite day on set.
“There’s a moment in the dance where the lights go out and it’s a spotlight on the two of us dancing, and I… there was no one else in the room but Ncuti.
“It was really transformational and took me to a completely different place with him. Like we were in the stars together dancing.”
For his part, it certainly seems Gatwa will be keen to reunite with Groff in future episodes, with the star calling him “an incredible actor”.
Meanwhile, showrunner Russell T Davies revealed that he was initially sceptical that Groff would appear in the show at all.
“You have those moments where they say, ‘Shall we send the script to Jonathan Groff?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, go on, waste my time,” he said. “And he read it and loved it. A superstar of a man!”
On Rogue and the Doctor’s dynamic in the episode, he added: “This is a chance for the Doctor to sizzle. We don’t often do this, but it’s like he meets someone who is just on the same… I mean, first of all, they’re enemies, then they’re friends – that classic… they go through classic romcom structures.
“The meet-cute and the arguing and the falling out, then the coming together and then the sacrifice.”
Let’s just hope this is a romcom that has a sequel…
The Frozen and Mindhunter star takes on a key role in this week’s episode, Rogue.
American stage and screen actor Jonathan Groff made his name as the star of Hamilton, Frozen, Mindhunter and Glee — but now he’s about to enter a different universe (or Whoniverse) as a mysterious character called Rogue in Doctor Who.
In a break from the Regency dancefloor, Radio Times and other press caught up with Groff during filming of the new episode to find out why he chose Who as his first foray into British TV.
Jonathan, what made you switch from Broadway to south Wales?
“I was familiar with Russell T Davies’s work from Queer as Folk and It’s a Sin. I’m still crying about It’s a Sin years after watching it. Russell has meant a lot to me as a gay actor through the years. So, when he wrote me a letter to invite me on the show, that drew me into it.
“When I read the script, I hadn’t yet seen an episode of Doctor Who and I had never shot anything in the UK. But the script really grabbed me. I was quite breathless reading it. I’ve been getting an education on Doctor Who ever since.”
Were you aware of what a big deal Doctor Who was before you got the part?
“When they announced the casting of this episode, my phone was blowing up with people reaching out to me from all over the world, telling me, ‘Oh my God, you’re in Doctor Who. I’m freaking out’ – almost more than anything. So I am now starting to comprehend the epic-ness of the show.”
Doctor Who is preparing for the event of the season, as the Doctor and Ruby head for Regency era England in upcoming episode ROGUE. Fans can expect a ballroom full of BRIDGERTON references, exciting and terrifying new villains – and a curious new face in the Whoniverse, played by star of stage and screen, Jonathan Groff.
We spoke to Jonathan Groff, playing the eponymous Rogue, about joining the Whoniverse and what else he got up to while filming in Cardiff…
HOW DID THE ROLE COME ABOUT?
Oh my god! I got a very exciting text message from Russell T Davies, and I’m a huge fan of his work, especially ‘It’s a Sin’Â – I still haven’t recovered from it! So I was very excited to hear from him. He just wrote to me and told me that there was this role that was available on the show and asked me to play it.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER ROGUE?
Rogue is an alien bounty hunter and a man of mystery. When we meet Rogue, and he first meets the Doctor, we’re in a Regency Era. Rogue is not necessarily who he appears to be when you meet him.
HAVE YOU ALWAYS KNOWN OF DOCTOR WHO OR BEEN A FAN OF IT? OR WAS THIS YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH THE SHOW?
I had known of Doctor Who and how much of a big deal it was in the UK, but I had never seen an episode of it. But Russell sent me about five episodes of Doctor Who from throughout the years, including the first episode that ever aired in black and white. So, I had a very quick crash course before I started.
WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING OR UNEXPECTED THING ABOUT PLAYING ROGUE AND STEPPING INTO THE WHONIVERSE?Â
I would say the biggest challenge would be trying to understand and fit into the tone of the show – when you’re coming in as a guest star, jumping into a world, and Doctor Who is such a specific thing! In the episodes that Russell showed me, and in the experience of playing a role in it, Doctor Who has such a fascinating tone. It’s big, and it’s larger than life, but it’s also quite real and even though it’s fantasy, there is depth to the storytelling and to the relationships. I’d say the biggest challenge was coming in and trying to digest the tone as fast as possible, and to really articulate the character in the proper way in the world of the show.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE ACTING ALONGSIDE NCUTI AND MILLIE?
Ncuti and Millie were both so warm and welcoming! Big smiles and full of laughs and embraces, they could not have been more warm. As an outsider, coming into the Whoniverse for the first time, they were the greatest hosts! They took such good care of me and everybody, truly everybody on the set, the crew, everyone! I spent most of my time with Ncuti and I am obsessed with him. I think he is such a star. He’s so unpredictable and thrilling to act with because you never see the same thing twice. He’s so spontaneous, and yet so deeply connected to what he’s doing. He really cares. He’s really in it fully, and he’s got this force and positivity that is completely unique to him. It’s just phenomenal. I just adore him. I think he is one of the most exciting actors working today.
DID YOU HAVE ANY UNIQUE EXPERIENCES OR MEMORIES FROM FILMING?Â
IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE IN TIME AND SPACE, WHERE WOULD YOU?Â
This is less of a fantasy one. But my grandfather died on my 10th birthday. March 26, 1995. Â And I was really into ‘I Love Lucy’ at the time. And one of my gifts for my birthday was this VHS with an episode of ‘I Love Lucy’. I went into the living room and I watched my VHS instead of hanging out with my family in the kitchen where my grandfather was. So if I had to go back in time, I would go back in time and I would hang out with him so I could ask him questions before he died.
The wait is almost over… Jonathan will star as Rogue in the next episode of ‘Doctor Who’.
The Doctor and Ruby land in 1813, where guests at a duchess’s party are being murdered and a mysterious bounty hunter called Rogue is about to change the Doctor’s life forever.
#DoctorWho: ROGUE premieres on BBC iPlayer 8th June and Disney+ 7th June where available.
