Thomas Sadoski

Age: 28

Currently: Playing three roles in the MTC production of Craig Lucas' Reckless, including the nervously murderous onstage hubby to Mary-Louise Parker's perky, but quirky Rachel.

Hometown: Sadoski was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but grew up in College Station, Texas where his father taught at Texas A&M University.

Something Rotten With This Part: Sadoski kicked off his career at a young age, playing the title role in his school's third grade production of Paddington Bear. "I just remember thinking it was the greatest thing that could ever happen to anybody," he recalls. Less than ten years later, Sadoski's acting drive survived the challenge of being "kicked out of class" by his "absolutely horrid" high school theater teacher, and the actor found himself playing Hamlet at the age of 17. "They say that the thing with the part is that it's not a part at all," he says of the formidable Shakespearean character. "It's the unplayable part. But they also say that it's also a disease. That it gets into your head. I didn't really believe it at first and then of course, everything I've done since then has been in reference to it."

Youth-ful Dreams: After moving to New York to attend Circle in the Square's drama program, Sadoski landed his first professional role in director Mark Brokaw's off-Broadway production of This Is Our Youth, understudying future Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo. "He's a genius," Sadoski says of the critically lauded artist. "He's one of those once-in-a-generation actors that come along and really change the face of the art. When I first walked into the show, I met this kind of shaggy haired, unshaven, unkempt guy…who was seriously one of the sweetest human beings I've ever had the good fortune of running into. And I thought, 'Wow, what a sweet guy.' Then I went and saw the show and I said, 'Holy shit.'"

Big News: While on a cross-country tour of new baseball stadiums with his father-in-law last summer, Sadoski was called back to New York to audition for This is Our Youth director Mark Brokaw. After two auditions, he received a call from his manager, who informed the shocked actor that he would make his Broadway debut in Reckless opposite Tony-and Emmy-winner Mary-Louise Parker. "My head spun around eight or ten times and I started screaming," he recalls animatedly. "I was literally running around my apartment going, 'What do I do?' My cats were going nuts and my manager was just like, 'You're going to calm down and you're going to call your mom.'"

Fries With That? "When I heard the cast list and saw the resumes, I thought, 'Jesus Christ. What the hell am I doing here?'" Sadoski laughs. He describes Parker as "a goddess" and marvels at the devotion that another well-known cast mate, Rosie Perez, shows for the audience. "She really cares about the people that are out there and is really working for them, which is something that I'm learning from every day," he says. "And every night I'm standing next to an actress the caliber of Debra Monk, dressed up like a giant chicken nugget."

Great American Theater: Sadoski was not familiar with Craig Lucas' oft-produced play and avoided watching the big-screen version, though he laughs that "of course, halfway through rehearsals the damn thing came up on Showtime On Demand!" But despite performing the it every night, he still has trouble explaining the tightly wrapped layers of plot and numerous characters. "People ask me, 'So what's the show about?' And I'm just like, "Man, you've gotta come see it! But I do know that to watch one of the great actresses, one of the great directors and one of the great writers of the American theater all get together and flesh out this thing was something that was…it's just hard to put words to it."