Daniel Radcliffe moves Jonathan Groff to tears with Tony Awards speech

Daniel Radcliffe brought his Merrily We Roll Along co-star Jonathan Groff to tears with an emotional acceptance speech at the Tony Awards on Sunday night (16 June).

As the Harry Potter star took home his first ever Tony Award for Featured Actor in a Musical category for his role as Charley Kringas in the Broadway production, he told Groff that he will “never have it this good again”.

Glee star Groff, in the audience, looked overcome with emotion as Radcliffe reflected on their time working together.

“I’m going to talk fast and try not to cry,” Radcliffe said at the New York City ceremony.

“Thank you so much to our cast, everybody on that stage,” he said. “It is an honour to be on stage with you every single night, and I will miss it so much.”

He continued: “Speaking of missing things, Jonathan, Lindsay [Mendez], I will miss you so much. I don’t really have to act in this show, I just have to look at you and feel everything I want to feel. I will never have it this good again.”

Giving his speech on Father’s Day in the US, Radcliffe mentioned his own dad and thanked his parents, saying: “I love you both so much. Thank you for playing in the car and, you know, loving me.”

Radcliffe also thanked his partner, Erin Darke, stating: “My love, Erin, you and our son are the best that has ever happened to me. I love you so much. Thank you so much.”

Later in the night, it was Radcliffe’s turn to be moved to tears when Groff also accepted his first Tony award for his role in the Stephen Sondheim musical, and called his co-stars his “soulmates”.

Groff, 39, thanked his family for "always allowing my freak flag to fly without ever making me feel weird about it”.

Through tears, the actor also addressed his castmates Radcliffe and Mendez, saying: “You are more than old friends – you are soulmates. And I’m looking forward to watching each other change for the rest of our lives."

The actor had previously been nominated for a Tony award for his work in Hamilton and Spring Awakening, but this was the first time he won at the awards ceremony, which is dedicated to recognising achievement in Broadway theatre.

In Merrily We Roll Along, Groff plays musical composer Franklin Shepard who is joined by his two lifelong friends as they chase their theatrical dreams. It is set across nearly two decades and told in reverse chronological order.

The show, written by Sondheim in 1981, was first revived by this cast for a two-month off-Broadway run in November 2022. It later transferred to Broadway at the Hudson Theatre, where it will continue to run until 7 July.

In its first week of previews, Merrily grossed $1.3 million (£1m), breaking the venue’s house record, according to Deadline.