diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/utilities/growableArray.hpp b/src/hotspot/share/utilities/growableArray.hpp
index 0697f03b5ad..1823a2ba861 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/utilities/growableArray.hpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/utilities/growableArray.hpp
@@ -116,6 +116,12 @@ protected:
 
   ~GrowableArrayView() {}
 
+protected:
+  // Used by AOTGrowableArray for MetaspaceClosure support.
+  E** data_addr() {
+    return &_data;
+  }
+
 public:
   bool operator==(const GrowableArrayView& rhs) const {
     if (_len != rhs._len)
@@ -297,11 +303,6 @@ public:
     }
     tty->print("}\n");
   }
-
-  // MetaspaceClosure support.
-  E** data_addr() {
-    return &_data;
-  }
 };
 
 template <typename E>
diff --git a/test/hotspot/gtest/utilities/test_metaspaceClosure.cpp b/test/hotspot/gtest/utilities/test_metaspaceClosure.cpp
index 74397757b0d..c98b38b8c3c 100644
--- a/test/hotspot/gtest/utilities/test_metaspaceClosure.cpp
+++ b/test/hotspot/gtest/utilities/test_metaspaceClosure.cpp
@@ -95,6 +95,9 @@ public:
     }
     return false;
   }
+  int visited_count() {
+    return _count;
+  }
 };
 
 // iterate an Array<MyMetaData*>
@@ -185,7 +188,6 @@ TEST_VM(MetaspaceClosure, GrowableArray_MSOPointer) {
   EXPECT_TRUE(closure.has_visited(&x)) << "must be";
   EXPECT_TRUE(closure.has_visited(&y)) << "must be";
   EXPECT_TRUE(closure.has_visited(&z)) << "must be";
-  EXPECT_TRUE(closure.has_visited(*array->data_addr())) << "must visit buffer inside GrowableArray";
 }
 
 // iterate an AOTGrowableArray<MyMetaData>
@@ -214,7 +216,6 @@ TEST_VM(MetaspaceClosure, GrowableArray_MSO) {
   EXPECT_TRUE(closure.has_visited(&x)) << "must be";
   EXPECT_TRUE(closure.has_visited(&y)) << "must be";
   EXPECT_TRUE(closure.has_visited(&z)) << "must be";
-  EXPECT_TRUE(closure.has_visited(*array->data_addr())) << "must visit buffer inside GrowableArray";
 }
 
 // iterate an AOTGrowableArray<jlong>
@@ -226,5 +227,5 @@ TEST_VM(MetaspaceClosure, GrowableArray_jlong) {
   closure.finish();
 
   EXPECT_TRUE(closure.has_visited(array)) << "must be";
-  EXPECT_TRUE(closure.has_visited(*array->data_addr())) << "must visit buffer inside GrowableArray";
+  EXPECT_TRUE(closure.visited_count() == 2) << "must visit buffer inside GrowableArray";
 }