When it comes to the Tony Award for this year’s best leading actor in a musical, Lea Michele may have a tough time figuring out whom to root for.
The actress, 38, is good friends with two of the actors up for the 2025 Tony: fellow Glee alumsJonathan Groff and Darren Criss.
When Criss, 38, was asked by Parade what Michele may be thinking as the June 8 awards show at Radio City Music Hall approaches, he jokingly replied, “She wants us both to lose! That’s what I heard. She has it out for us — always has!”
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
On a more serious note, he said, “Oh gosh, I don’t think I can answer that. I tell you what, whatever the right answer is, that’s what I’m saying. It doesn’t matter what I say. People are gonna believe what they want to believe.”
The actor, who was Tony-nominated for his performance as a robot named Oliver in the new musical Maybe Happy Ending, is up against Groff, 40, who received a nod for playing Bobby Darin in the musical Just in Time.
In reality, both actors have nothing but love for one another. In fact, Criss revealed to Parade that he has a group chat with his former Glee pals, Groff included.
Michael Hull, Aurora Rose/Variety via Getty Images
“We got a whole group thread going, man,” Criss said. “It’s the nice thing about working on Broadway. We’re all on the same campus. We’re all within several blocks of each other. We all know each other. We all know each other’s work. We’ve all, you know, been in rooms together before. We’re not all separated. There’s a real fraternity there, and that’s not just some canned line. It’s true. We’re all working [in the] same village. It’s such a fun, amazing thing. We all grew up loving this so much. The fact that we get to do it is already such a huge ‘W,’ so getting to be in a category together for a fancy party is just a fun little bonus.”
Criss and Groff are among the Tony nominees features in Parade’s exclusive cover story celebrating Broadway’s big year.
Related: Once Upon a Time, They Considered Giving Up. Now They’re 2025 Tony Nominees (Exclusive)
Though the stars are celebrating quite the high point in their career, they each reflected on tougher times in the entertainment industry.
“As somebody who has a very young family, I’m finding myself pushing through all the time, like right now,” Criss admitted. “I’m sort of hanging on [by] a thread with sleep.”
Still, he said, “I’m very happy to be here,” adding: “I believe in discipline and staying the course.”
Hosted by Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, the 78th Tony Awards will celebrate excellence during Broadway’s 2024-25 season.
Related: See Every Photo of the 2025 Tony Award Nominees From Parade’s Cover Story (Exclusive)
They will air live on CBS and can be streamed on Paramount+ (live for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).
For more interviews with your favorite Tony-nominated stars, check back to Parade until the Tony Awards airs live Sunday, June 8, on CBS. And follow Parade on Tony Awards night for live updates from the red carpet, press room and afterparties.