Gay Actor Jonathan Groff Praised for Straight Role on Netflix's Mindhunter

Jonathan Groff is proving audiences will embrace openly gay actors playing sexually active heterosexual characters with his much-praised role on Netflix's Mindhunter.

After starring as a gay man seeking romantic and career fulfillment on HBO's acclaimed but short-lived Looking, Groff is now getting some of the best reviews of his career with Mindhunter. Groff plays Holden Ford, a real-life, 1970s-era FBI agent interviewing serial killers to better understand why they kill (similar to Jodie Foster's character in The Silence of the Lambs). Ford has a girlfriend on the show (played by Hannah Gross), which includes explicit sex scenes.

Since premiering Friday, the David Fincher- and Charlize Theron-produced Mindhunter has received near universal praise, holding a 96 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Social media has lit up about the show, and specifically the performance of the out actor, who's also established a Broadway career with Spring Awakening and Hamilton.

Groff recently discussed how he once worried coming out could harm his career: