Meet Moritz: John Gallagher Jr.

Age: 22
Character: Moritz Stiefel

What are three words that describe your character in Spring Awakening?
Don't do sadness.

What are the top five most played tracks from any CD! on your iPod or CD player?
The entirety of Brand New's record, "The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me."
"Soldier's Things," by Tom Waits.
Any and every song by the Avett Brothers.
"It Makes No Difference," by The Band.
"Black and Blue" by Chris Garneau.

What do you always carry with you in your bag or pocket?
Things that one would normally put in a wallet because I ruined mine over the summer by dropping it in a lake and have yet to replace it. I'm a big procrastinator.

What's your favorite pig out food?
As contrived as it may sound, if you put exceptional pizza or Chinese food in front of me and I'm hungry, chances are I will eat more of it than I do most food.

Tell us a special talent you have besides singing, acting and dancing.
I used to be really skilled at making mix tapes for people but ever since tape decks essentially went extinct I have yet to master making mixes on these new circular, reflective things. I think they're called compact discs.

Name your greatest indulgence.
Pepperidge Farm Double Chocolate Milanos. Left to my own devices I will eat an entire bag by myself.

Do you have a pet? What kind and what's his/her name?
I don't have a pet but I dream of someday getting a pug dog whom I will name Croque Monsieur so that I may alternate between calling him Croque, Monsieur or his full name: Croque Monsieur. I'll more than likely only use his first and last name most often when he's been bad.

Who inspires you? Is there an actor that you look up to?
I'm inspired by stage actors like Denis O'Hare and Zeljko Ivanek. Their work is always varied in its tone but consistent in its integrity. They seem attracted to good projects and vice versa. Every time I see them in a play it always reminds me of how lucky and excited I am to be an actor.

What dressing room item do you consider essential?
My miniature electric guitar lamp.

If you were a super hero, what would your super power be?
I've been thinking lately that there really aren't enough hours in a day, so, if I were a super hero I'd probably be very boring and wouldn't offer any real service to the general public. However, I would be able to teleport without the threat of molecular redistribution so I could get as much done in one day as truly possible and also I wouldn't have to worry about subways or cabs or planes or staying out too late or being tardy and I could visit my folks much more often.

Which Hollywood star do you have a crush on?
I often seem to be crushing on talented female musicians such as Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, Feist and Joanna Newsom to name a few. But they're not really "Hollywood" per se, so let me dig deeper. For a while I was so infatuated with young starlet Elisha Cuthbert that I wrote a free form improvisational love letter ballad addressed to her with some friends while I was doing a show in London in which I professed that since I was performing in a West End play, her returned love for me should be a no-brainer. Of course within the context of the song her fictional response was that since I wasn't starring in a Broadway show, I wasn't worthy of her. Oddly enough, she still has yet to get in touch with me since Spring Awakening opened.

What's the most outrageous reaction you've had about the show?
People telling me they love me based solely on the show they just saw me in seems a bit extreme, but until Elisha decides to do the right thing I'll take what I can get.

Tell us your favorite…
Broadway show other than Spring Awakening!: Of all time? It has to be West Side Story.
Broadway star: Nobody has been keeping the idea of a Broadway "star" alive for me lately more than Michael Cerveris.
Movie: The Last Waltz.
TV show: I really don't watch enough TV to have a favorite show. Austin City Limits, maybe? Late Night with Conan O'Brien perhaps?
Musician or band: Elvis Costello and the Avett Brothers.
Celebrity: Bob Dylan.

What's the best part about being in Spring Awakening?
Having a job that you're thrilled to go to every evening.

How has being in Spring Awakening changed you?
A lot and yet not at all.