Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff & Lindsay Mendez Take Lie Detector Tests

I feel like we're ganging up on you.

[ominous music] I agree.

I feel safe, but I would literally

not do this interview with any other people on the planet.

[interviewers laugh] That's a lie.

Oh! Oh!

Daniel, Hello.

Lindsay, Hi.

Jonathan.

We've brought you here to take a lie detector test.

One of you will be hooked up to the machine

while the other will ask the questions.

And then, you'll switch.

And then, switch again.

Right.

So, who wants to be in the hot seat first?

I kinda would.

Great. Yes, Dan.

That's perfect for us. Right?

[wires buzzing] [switches clicking]

[Judd] Lean forward. [others laugh]

Slowly, slowly, hands up.

Hands down?

[Judd] You can put 'em down.

[Velcro ripping]

Don't move around,

answer everything yes or no with no explanations.

All right.

Daniel, to calibrate the machine,

I'm going to ask you some straightforward questions.

Please answer honestly.

Fine, maybe.

[Jonathan] Is your full name Daniel Jacob Radcliffe?

Yes.

Are you from London, England?

Yes.

[Lindsay] Are you about to take a lie detector test?

Yes.

[Jonathan] Are you the best dancer in the group?

[laughs] No.

He's telling the truth.

[Lindsay] [Daniel laughs] Great.

Let's get started.

I love that the best dancer in the group

was one of the calibration questions.

[all laugh]

[whoosh]

[Jonathan] All right, let's get started.

You starred in the revival of this show.

[Jonathan] Can I just take a quick look

at the evidence again?

You wanna take that home with you, actually?

I'm just gonna, [laughs].

Me and my friend Lorenzo.

Save this for later.

What were you thinking while this was happening?

I think, the note I was given

by our director for that scene was,

Dan, I need you to [beep] his back.

So probably something along those lines. [chuckles]

Wow.

Okay, moving on.

Wow, you got real quiet.

[laughs]

[Lindsay] Let's move on.

Okay.

As a fan of the theater.

[Lindsay] Have you ever pretended you've seen a show

you've never heard of just to seem cool?

Yes.

He's telling the truth.

Oh! What show?

I actually, the show,

it was with a group of actors and I was,

I did that thing of like,

I had heard something about this show that was done

and I was like, oh yeah, that happened there.

I like talked about it,

and then they asked follow up questions.

I was like immediately like

I got nothing, and I had to immediately come clean

that I hadn't seen it and it was,

I still think about it.

I still think about it, a decade later.

[Jonathan gasps] Wow.

That stressed me out.

[Lindsay] Okay, have you ever met this man?

Yes, yeah.

Both in person and on Zoom.

[Lindsay] Could you see the resemblance?

I think that me and Elijah Wood,

that the idea of us is the same.

We are both short, pale,

brown haired actors with blue eyes,

[Jonathan and Lindsay laugh]

but we don't actually look that alike

when we're next to each other.

But just like conceptually, we are the same.

[Jonathan] Okay.

Do you ever get annoyed when people mistake him for you?

No, I think it's very funny.

He's telling the truth.

I imagine he would get annoyed

that people mistook him for me once,

because I was a 12 year old child when he was playing Frodo

and that would've been annoying.

[all laugh]

Do you ever tell people that you are him?

No, but I have signed, I've signed photos of him.

I've witnessed that.

He's telling the truth.

[all laugh]

I got a, a message, a letter the other day

from somebody that I'm pretty sure

is a troll, but it's a really good one.

So I'm gonna write back to it,

with a picture of him from Sin City

and it was just like, I loved you in Sin City.

It's one of my favorite movies.

Can you please sign this and send it back to me?

And you're gonna do it?

Yeah, absolutely.

But like, I'll sign my name.

Like, this is Elijah Wood.

Now you've lived in New York City for a decade.

Do you think that makes you a New Yorker?

Yes?

He's telling the truth.

[Jonathan] Can you do a decent New York accent?

Gimme something to say.

This is gonna be bad.

Go down to the deli and pick up some bagels and lox.

Oh God.

Do I just do Reg?

[Jonathan] Yeah.

Go down, no, it's this gonna be American.

[crosstalk]

Go down to the-

Go down to the deli and get some bagels and lox.

I'm going to- Yeah, that was good, Dan.

That was pretty good.

[Jonathan] It was subtle.

I can do it better.

Gimme time with a dialect coach.

If anyone needs me to do this for work, I can.

[Jonathan laughs]

I love that, that's why you're a brave man.

Do you, do you think you did a good job just then?

No. [all laugh]

[Jonathan] I did an English accent

as King George in Hamilton.

Did you ever hear it?

Yes, I must have.

I saw the show. [chuckles]

I'm so glad it was memorable.

Would you say I have a better English accent than you?

No. [Jonathan laughs]

But it must have been good in the show,

because you did it earlier today

and it was very bad. [Jonathan laughs]

But you can't have been doing that when you were in a play.

I don't think you were.

I don't think I was either.

Was I your favorite part of Hamilton?

Yes.

He's telling the truth.

Aw, Dan! Aww!

I love that song.

[Lindsay] He really loves you.

You never told me that.

Didn't I?

I'm sorry.

Well, this is why we do this.

[all laugh]

This is so special for us.

[Jonathan] Do you ever Google yourself?

Yes.

Aw, Dan, so honest.

I mean, there's no point [beep] lying,

is there, Judd?

No, there isn't. [all laugh]

[Jonathan] Have you ever read fan fiction about yourself?

Yes, aloud, on TV.

Wow. Whoa.

What's the weirdest story you read about yourself?

Well, there's like a lot of,

I'm obviously aware there's a lot of like shipping

of Harry and Draco as characters together.

So I've read some of that.

What is shipping?

Shipping's like when you want two characters

to get together, for a relationship.

And this is the kind of thing I know

from being in a franchise film [chuckles]

of which people are funny about.

But yeah, so that,

but in terms of like stories about me,

the weird, what's the weirdest story I've read about myself.

That I had the SAS walk my dogs,

that I had special beer brewed for myself by monks

in a monastery in Belgium.

That I used to get my assistant to hold my script

in the mirror so I could read them

while I was having makeup done.

Even though that doesn't make sense,

'cause I wouldn't be able to read mirror writing.

[Jonathan laughs] And yeah,

there's a long list.

What a life, Dan. Wow, my god.

What a fucking life.

[Lindsay] Did you start the Wolverine rumor?

No.

So you just got buff for no reason?

Yes. [laughs] [all laugh]

I got buff, you know, yeah,

because I am obsessive and I want to, you know.

You've seen my parents,

they're like insane fitness people.

So that's just been passed on and, and yeah,

but no, no Wolverine.

Flattered, but no.

This is way less fun than I thought it was gonna be.

[Daniel laughs]

Because I have like, I don't want to expose Dan.

I know, me too.

Thank you.

You feel so vulnerable in the chair right now.

[Lindsay] Yeah, yeah.

And I feel like we're ganging up on you.

I agree.

You're not, you're being nice.

[Jonathan] Okay. Yeah.

[Jonathan] I mean, I know that's the point.

I feel safe.

I would literally not do this interview

with any other people on the planet.

[all laugh]

Judd?

That's a lie.

Ah!

I mean, what?

[all laugh]

Drag him, Judd. [laughs]

Wow, Dan.

Yeah, you'd probably do it with-

We're gonna have a talk with you later.

Of course you'd do it with like, people that you love.

You would do it with any person.

I guess, you know, but like, I don't know.

You are high on the list.

Pretty good.

Oh, my God. Okay.

Is there anything else we should ask him?

No, I feel like we need to have a talk.

[Jonathan] Release him from his seat.

[all laugh]

[Lindsay] Release him from his chair.

Great job, Dan.

Sweet, thank you, guys.

Final question.

Did you lie at any point during this lie detector test

and we didn't catch you?

I don't think so?

No.

He's telling the truth.

Felt like the easiest way of getting through it.

Wow, Dan.

Who's going next?

Okay.

Oh, that one's kind of intense.

I'm just gonna make her a little bit more nervous

by taking some more time.

Stop it!

Lindsay.

To calibrate them machine,

I'm gonna ask you some straightforward questions.

Please answer honestly.

Is your full name Lindsay Michelle Mendez?

Yes.

[Daniel] Are you from Norwalk, California?

Yes.

[Daniel] Are you about to take a lie detector test?

Yes. [Jonathan laughs]

Judd, are we good to go?

[Judd] Good to go.

[Daniel] Thank you, Judd.

[whoosh]

[Jonathan] Okay.

Are you the best dancer in the group?

Yes.

She's telling the truth.

[Lindsay laughs] Yeah, it is.

Oh, Jonathan's offended.

I mean, I was a Broadway dance captain,

but I guess- Show off.

So was I, so was I.

Do we need to-

You were a dance captain?

No you weren't.

Yes, I was.

Everyday Rapture.

[laughs] Oh my God, I forgot.

Okay.

Is it true you attended the Orange County

School of the Arts?

Yes.

Another alum of that school is this man,

Pedro Pascal.

Would you consider him a daddy?

Yes?

[all laugh]

Do you find the term Daddy,

let's, let's go into the word daddy

and your feelings about the term Daddy.

Do you find the term daddy to be kind of gross?

Yes.

Which of us, [both laugh]

Now I'm gonna vomit in my mouth.

Which of us do you think is a bigger daddy?

Dan.

She's telling the truth.

[laughs] No offense.

Is that because I'm an actual father?

Yeah, yeah.

[Daniel] That makes sense.

You were Elphaba for the 10th anniversary

of Wicked on Broadway in 2013.

[laughs] This is good.

Dan, do you wanna ask the second?

Yeah, that's good.

Where is the weirdest place you found green makeup

after the show?

Oh.

In the pores of my skin.

I had green moles for like-

Green moles?

Yeah, because the makeup goes

like in your skin and like after,

you know, eight times a week.

And so like, even long after I was done with Wicked,

I would still have like green, like makeup like in my pores

that I would have to like try and get out.

It was pretty gnarly.

That's so hot.

[Lindsay] Yeah, so hot.

[Jonathan] Is it true there are

forbidden riffs for Elphaba?

None of mine were forbidden.

[all laugh]

I dunno, I don't think there are forbidden riffs.

I think that every person

makes choices and then they're told yes or no

to that choice, yeah.

You won a Tony for best featured actress

in a musical for Carousel.

Was that the best night of your life?

No.

So, what you're saying is performing with us

is better than winning a Tony?

Yes.

That's a lie.

[all laugh]

I could've told you that.

[Lindsay] Dammit!

I'm saving a lie for her.

We sent each other video messages

to get to know each other better, early on,

for Merrily We Roll Along.

Was there ever a video message from us

that you pretended not to get?

No.

That was quick.

She's telling the truth.

I have a follow up question to that.

Did you ever not watch a whole video?

Yes. [Jonathan laughs]

Okay.

Just confirming that.

Who sent the best video message to you?

Between the two of you?

[Jonathan] Yeah.

I, that's really tough, I don't know.

'Cause you both send, you both give great message.

She's telling the truth.

You and I both worked with this man,

[laughs] Lynn Manuel Miranda.

Are you jealous that I was in Hamilton

and you were only in 21 Chump Street?

No.

She's telling the truth.

[Jonathan] [laughs] Wow.

So confident.

Do you consider 21 Chump Street to be his definitive work?

No.

[Jonathan] Then what is?

At this point, Hamilton.

She's telling the truth.

Which is harder: performing in a play or a musical?

A musical.

By like, a million miles.

Is that because you can't remember your choreography?

I wasn't even gonna ask that,

'cause that's so not true.

That makes no sense, I'm the best dancer

of the three of us.

Judd?

She's telling the truth.

[laughs] Just to really bring it home.

If this lie detector was a musical,

what would you sing?

Sing your subconscious, right now.

[singsong] I hate this. [all laugh]

I am terrified.

Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm sweating.

This is nerve wracking for me.

Is it nerve wracking, Judd?

It's nerve wracking.

[laughs] I can feel my heart going.

You helped found Acting Therapy,

a five week training experience for young actors in NYC.

Between the two of us, who needs the most acting therapy?

Definitely Jonathan.

[all laugh]

So you're saying Daniel is a better actor than me?

That's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying from a therapeutic standpoint, I think that,

you know, we could have some private sessions.

[all laugh]

Judd?

She's telling the truth.

[Lindsay laughs]

All right, final question.

[Lindsay] Thank you.

[Daniel] Did you lie at any point

during this lie detector test and we didn't catch you?

No.

[Judd] She's telling the truth.

Yes, Judd! You nailed it.

[whoosh]

Cough?

What?

[Lindsay] Now cough?

[Jonathan coughs]

They're gonna [beep] come for me, I can feel it.

I don't feel nervous right now.

[Judd] You will.

Jonathan, to calibrate the machine,

I'm gonna ask you some straightforward questions.

Please answer honestly.

Oh, don't meditate.

Not now. [laughs]

Don't use that trick.

I know, stop it.

Is your full name Jonathan Drew Groff?

Yes.

[Lindsay] Are you from Lancaster, Pennsylvania?

Yes.

[Lindsay] Are you about to take a lie detector test?

Yes.

Are you actively trying to beat the lie detector test?

Yes. [laughs]

[Daniel] Judd? Good luck.

[all laugh]

Growing up, you appeared multiple times

in the Strasburg, Pennsylvania Halloween parade.

Would you consider that the height of your career?

In some ways, yes.

That's a lie.

[all laugh]

Really?

[Judd] Really.

I mean, I like, when I was Peter Pan,

well, I guess, okay, so I was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz

and then I was Peter Pan in Peter Pan,

and then I was a chimney sweep in Mary Poppins.

And I was upset that I wasn't Mary Poppins.

Yeah, 'cause you went down from that number one posish.

Yeah.

Yeah, you didn't like that.

No Yeah, okay.

You've worked with this person.

Yes.

Idina Menzel.

So, now, be honest.

Do you prefer her Elphaba or mine?

I've never seen your Elphaba.

Thank God. [laughs]

You once played J. Pierpont Finch

in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Do you think that you did better than that person,

Definitely. In the role?

Yes, definitely.

He's telling the truth.

Whoa!

If yes, it says,

prove it. Prove it!

I have the VHS.

Yeah, yeah.

[Lindsay] Great, we'll watch the receipt.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Lindsay] You originated, oh, here, lemme get this out.

Oh, my god, Dan.

[Lindsay] You wanna keep that, too?

I do, yeah.

Can you put this for my, in my phone?

Yeah, I'll put it in your pile.

Yeah, sure.

You are a notoriously spitty singer.

Yes?

Is that because you wanna make sure everyone can see

how hard you're singing? [laughs]

No.

How many times do you think you've spit on us

during the production of Merrily We Roll Along.

A lot.

Like numbers?

I mean, I think every day.

[Lindsay] Every day.

Yeah.

What's your secret to staying so hydrated?

Seriously? Yeah.

I get wet when I-

[Both] No, no.

Say something else.

Please, say something else. [laughs]

Try again.

What was, can you repeat the question?

What's your secret to staying-

How do you stay so hydrated?

I get wet when I-

No. [all laugh]

Stop, say it another way.

Oh, how do I stay hydrated?

Yes.

Okay, I drink water?

There you go. There it is.

The end.

Great, here we go.

Do you ever look at your Instagram fan account?

I guess what I was gonna say,

I don't think the spitting is from being hydrated.

What is it from?

That's why, okay, yeah-

[Daniel] Why do you think- Why do you think-

I get wet.

[Daniel] Why are you wet?

[Lindsay] Your mouth gets-

[Daniel] Why is your mouth so wet?

Everything gets wet.

Okay. What do you mean?

Jonathan, my God, we're trying to save you.

Have you seen it?

Everything gets wet.

What you mean by that is you sweat.

Your mouth-

And people won't know that,

'cause you just said everything gets wet.

Everything gets wet.

It isn't just sweat.

What? [all laugh]

Right?

The truth.

We know. [laughs]

[Lindsay] Trust me, we know.

Oh my God.

Do you ever look at your Instagram fan accounts?

I have looked at my Instagram fan accounts.

Not on my own, but people have shown me.

Does that mean you have a secret Instagram account?

I do not.

He's telling the truth.

Wow, that's so,

yes, thank you, Judd.

Oh shit! [laughs]

You were also in Hamilton with this person?

Ariana DeBose.

Do you know what she meant when she said

Angela Bassett did the thing?

Yes.

Do you know what the thing is?

Yes.

[Both] Have you ever done the thing?

Yes.

Right, Judd?

He's telling the truth.

Wow. Great.

[Jonathan sighs]

What is the thing?

Yes. [all laugh]

Well, this you're not gonna tell us?

Yes?

I guess he's not gonna tell you.

Okay.

Judd is so full of shit, too, by the way,

just for the record. [all laugh]

You once called the original run of Merrily We Roll Along

a famous flop.

Are you trying to lower expectations for our revival?

I mean, I would say yes and no.

I think it's facts, but also low expectations going in

is always a great way to have people go in.

[Judd] Telling the truth.

Although, we need to get a lie detector on Judd

because it's- Yeah.

Do you consider yourself a Broadway goat?

Greatest of All Time. Oh, greatest,

not greatest of all time.

He is lying.

[all laugh] Yes!

I think I'm the greatest of all time?

Do you think you should have won the Tony

both times you were nominated?

This is so stressful.

This is complex, because I do feel-

Unfortunately, this isn't the place for nuance.

[all laugh]

I do feel like the people that won the Tony's

deserve to win the Tony, but I also wanted to win the Tony.

[Judd] Well, that's true.

That's a honest answer.

Didn't answer the question, but it's true.

[all laugh] Drag him!

You claimed your most recent Spotify wrapped

had the song Old friends from Merrily in the top five,

between four Beyonce songs.

Would you say you were part of the Bey-hive?

That's such a good question.

I would like to know how, if that,

if like you have to become an official member,

how that happens.

Energetically, yes, but I'm not,

I didn't sign up on the list.

Right, is there a list?

I don't know.

Is there a list, Judd?

I have no idea.

Okay.

Who's a better lyricist, Beyonce or Sondheim?

Sondheim.

He's telling the truth.

I'm learning so much about myself

because I love and hate Judd.

[Daniel laughs]

And when Judd confirms that I'm correct, I love him.

And when he doesn't, I hate him.

[Lindsay] Right, Yeah.

Final question.

Did you lie at any point?

Oh, I don't want to be over.

Now, I'm really interested. [all laugh]

[Daniel] I mean, what do you wanna know about?

Okay, I'll ask you.

Merrily is about a 20 year friendship.

Which one of us do you wanna have a 20 year friendship with?

Pick.

[sighs] I can't pick.

Telling the truth.

And I feel like Judd was lying just then.

So in that moment he had my back.

'Cause I definitely have one, but I'm not gonna tell you.

Oh my God, that's so harsh.

[Judd] Yeah, he's telling the truth.

[Daniel] Did you lie at any point

during the lie detector test and we didn't catch you?

[Lindsay] No. Yes.

Was it the thing?

I, listen, it's over.

I finished. [all laugh]

[whoosh]