Amidst the dazzling choreography and impressive rap, one thing in particular sticks out on Disney+'s Hamilton - King George (Jonathan Groff) spits a lot. Unlike an average Broadway production, the filmed version of Hamilton includes lingering closeups on the performers' faces, which officially immortalized Groff's excessive spitting. Let's break down why King George spits so much.
Hamilton chronicles the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda). The show spans decades, following Hamilton as a young man all the way to his death. Hamilton features the greatest hits of the founding father's life, such as his rise out of poverty, fighting in the Revolutionary War, climbing the political ladder and more. All the while, King George III follows Hamilton's work and the birth of America from England.
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King George's commentary is offered through three songs in Hamilton - "You'll Be Back," "What Comes Next," and "I Know Him." For at least a portion of all these numbers, the camera stays on Groff's face, capturing a lot of spit, which hasn't gone unnoticed by viewers, with Groff's spitting becoming a surprisingly big talking point online. Some have argued that the spitting is a deliberate character choice, but the fact of the matter is that Groff simply has a habit of spitting while he performs. However, that does have end up unintentionally benefitting the character of King George.
Groff's reputation for spitting while performing has followed him for years. During the show's original run, Miranda regularly tweeted about the Twitter-less Groff, referring to him as "Groffsauce." Thanks to the Disney+ version of the show, Hamilton fans can now understand why that is - Miranda was teasing Groff for his tendency to spit on stage. Groff himself is well aware of this habit, as his reputation for spitting while performing has followed him for years. He has good-naturedly laughed about it and shrugged it off in previous interviews, simply stating it just happens when he's on stage. But despite the fact that it's unintentional, Groff's spitting as King George ends up amplifying the intensity of his character.
King George was known to be quite mad. Throughout the production, his commentary shows that he's completely shocked and aghast that anyone would ever want to leave his country. Miranda puts this characteristic on display during Hamilton as King George fervently sings, "I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love" to the subjects that dared to leave him. Groff's spitting habit pushes King George's misguided passion over the edge to complete madness. That madness from Groff's King George provides over-the-top comedic relief, making him one of the most memorable characters from Hamilton.