Josh Groban has lifted the lid on what it was really like to work with Miss Piggy, following news that she’s set to star in her own movie for the first time in her 50-year career.
The five-time Grammy, Tony and Emmy-nominated singer and actor — who has sold more than 35 million records worldwide — appeared in Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and ABC’s The Muppets (2015) — found himself caught in an on-screen love triangle with the famous hog and her on-off beau Kermit the Frog, in scenes that even required an intimacy coordinator.
“I actually have had quite a lot of scenes with Miss Piggy,” he told The Standard. “The Muppet show that they had on ABC, they wrote a story where Miss Piggy started to date me to make Kermit jealous.
“To be in a love triangle with Kermit and Miss Piggy was probably one of the most intimidating acting experiences I’ve ever had.
“I’m one of very few humans who’s actually kissed Miss Piggy — and there was a lot of intimacy coordinating that had to go on to do that,” he explained.
Groban — who will play his biggest UK show to date next year at the London O2 on April 1 — said he has been a lifelong fan of Jim Henson’s creations and found himself “super star-struck” in their presence.
“Working with them, and with the puppeteers — who are such artists and really make them come to life — is always so fun.
“I grew up watching The Muppets and I grew up watching The Muppet Christmas Carol. All of The Muppets’ movies — Muppets Take Manhattan — were favourites of mine from a very young age. So I am super star-struck when I get to work with them.”
He has also previously joked about the glamorous swine, telling the New York Post: “She was definitely the biggest diva I’ve ever worked with. She had her way with me and moved on, you know?”
Now Miss Piggy is heading back into the spotlight for real, with Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone set to co-produce a brand-new film centred on the iconic character.
Lawrence revealed the project on the Las Culturistas podcast, saying:
“I don’t know if I can announce this but I’m just gonna. Emma Stone and I are producing a Miss Piggy movie.”
She later told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the idea began during lockdown, and while she described Stone as the “Muppet head” of the duo, she dubbed herself “the ideas guy”. The script is being written by Oh Mary! playwright and actor Cole Escola, and could even see the Oscar-winning friends co-star for the first time.
Miss Piggy, who first appeared as a background character on The Muppet Show in the mid-1970s, quickly became the breakout star thanks to her razor-sharp wit, over-the-top glamour and on-off romance with Kermit the Frog.
Next year marks the show’s 50th anniversary, with Disney planning a one-off special featuring pop star Sabrina Carpenter and promising “a variety show filled with music, comedy and plenty of chaos.”
