Landon Beard

Currently: Making his New York stage debut as Luke, the self-styled "ghetto" member of off-Broadway's Altar Boyz.

Hometown: San Diego, California

Working for a Living: Given Beard's energetic, endearing portrayal of Luke, it's surprising to learn that he started his career not as an actor but as a studio singer and back-up vocalist. "My first gig was at age 3," he recalls. "I was in a Kodak commercial, and after that I would sing jingles. I've been lucky to do a lot of studio work, a lot of commercials. I never had to wait tables, thank God." Beard earned a degree in musical theater from Cal State, calling college "the hat trick of training—you learn so much." After graduation, he landed a job with the original Jersey Boy himself, Frankie Valli. "It got me out of studio work and into live performing, which was wonderful," he says. "We got to tour all over. Frankie's a great guy, and he's been totally supportive of me."

Getting the Calling: Two weeks after auditioning for Altar Boyz "on a whim," Beard was on a plane relocating from L.A. to New York. "It was one of those situations where they're like, 'We need you now.'" Being dropped into a long-running show can be traumatic, but Beard says the process proved to be painless: "I was rehearsing eight hours a day, so it really helped that I could see the show at night and make sense of what I'd just been working on." He also has high praise for his co-stars. "You're working with only four guys—not like the cast of A Chorus Line or something with lots of other people—so you get to know them well. I'm 2,500 miles from home, and it's great to have talented guys I can hang out with. We all go bowling together. We go to movies after matinees."

Luke & Landon: "He's a small-town boy," Beard says affectionately of his on-stage persona. "He's enamored with MTV and hip-hop culture, but he doesn't understand it. He knows what's cool, but he doesn't know why it's cool. He's passionate, but he's not the sharpest tool in the box." When asked if he sees any similarities between himself and his character, Beard says, "Most of the time, I would say no. We both share optimism and a sense of innocence. Luke's not an experienced guy, and I grew up in a small beach community, so I know where he's coming from."

Beware of Boy Bands: "I'm definitely of the age where boy bands were popular as I was growing up," Beard reminisces, admitting that he once joined an L.A.-based singing group himself. "It was five guys, and I was the only white guy; we were multicultural. We did well locally, but we were hurt by the whole boy band stigma, even though we were more of an R&B act. By the end, I hated the boy band idea—and here I go getting cast in a boy band show!"

Off-Broadway, Baby! "Enjoying New York is a given," Beard says of his Big Apple life. "I'm having a blast. And I'm very proud of the show. I think there's natural comedy in religion, and I love that Altar Boyz isn't offensive. I'm religious myself, and for all the people who laugh at the show, plenty are moved too, because it has a sweetness and an innocence." As for his life post-Boyz, Beard's not ruling out anything: "I'd like to look into TV, film, the East Coast music scene; I feel like this is a new starting point, and I want to see what's out there. It's all up in the air right now."