Jonathan Groff sees every day as a "gift".

The stage star turned 40 in March but he feels "privileged" to be around to get older and though his feelings around ageing can be "complicated", his overwhelming emotion is gratitude.

Discussing his role as singer-and-actor Bobby Darin in Broadway musical Just in Time, he grew emotional as he told People magazine: "There's a line at the end of the show that I say: 'Every breath we take is a gift we get to open.'

"I'm realising that to get older is a privilege. Aging is complicated, and can be confronting. But to be here now is a gift. Every day is a gift."

And Jonathan has pledged to use his future birthdays to express his gratitude for life, rather than "make a wish" for the things he wants.

He said: "I was with my family, they were singing 'Happy Birthday,' and I was about to make a wish. And then I thought, 'No more wishes.'

"It's just 'thank you,' now. That's it. I don't need for anything. I don't wish for anything. I'm just really grateful to be here."

Jonathan is nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Musical at the Tony Awards for Just in Time and making the shortlist means a lot to him because he has been involved with the production from the beginning.

He said: "It's meant so much. We've been developing this Bobby Darin musical for eight years now. So to get six nominations for the show was just phenomenal and incredible. It's been such a long road to get here, and every night at the theater feels like a gift.

"I've never been involved in something from its inception. So there's this extra energy of 'We all made this together,' and the nominations were extra sweet."

Mack the Knife singer Bobby suffered chronic health issues and died in 1973 aged just 37, so Jonathan feels the production has an important message to impart.

He said: "His life is operatic. He was told he was going to die by the time he was 16 when he was eight.

"And the way we're kind of weaponising his story in our show is: He accomplished a lot in a short period of time because he had this ticking clock.

"What we're hoping to give the audience is this message: Life is short. Live it to the fullest while you can."