Why Was King George Spitting So Much During Hamilton This Weekend

Hamilton debuted this past weekend on Disney Plus.

I couldn't wait. The world couldn't wait.

And the numbers look good for Disney. Really good. I mean they paid $70 million for it so they should get a big return on their investment right?

According to Variety, the Disney+ app was downloaded 266,084 times domestically (513,323 times globally) from Friday through Sunday. Compared to the last four weekends in June, this marks a 72.4 percent increase in U.S. downloads. Worldwide, app downloads shot up 46.6 percent higher than the average.

And the performance has been picked apart and judged on so many levels. Folks talking about the 2 deleted utterances of the "F-bomb", the camera placement, the conductor's head popping up in the front of the stage.

Overall, the filmed performance has been receiving rave reviews.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

But I have a question. And when I saw it, I wondered if it was part of the performance or not.

Did Jonathan Groff, who plays King George, really mean to do all that spitting while in character. I mean it completely fits during that first appearance on stage (NO, DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!)

via GIPHY

Turns out that even though that all that spitting might just go along with the "madness" of King George, it's just a thing that the actor does and is known for on Broadway.

Groff’s tendency to spit while he’s performing is a feature of his stage presence, one that long predates Hamilton, both in the film and on-stage. He addressed it in a 2009 Vulture interview, noting that “I actually don’t think about it too much, unless I’m in a good scene with someone and I can see it hitting their face. (Daily Dot)

Tony-nominee Groff has previously referenced his ‘spitting’ habit. “I spit a lot onstage,” he told Variety last year. “I’ve always been a spitter … I start sweating. I just get wet when I perform onstage. It is just what happens.” (RadioTimes)