American Idiot’s Michael Esper Has the Time of His Life in His Backstage Digs

As American Idiot’s unmotivated stoner Will, Michael Esper spends much of the show lounging on a couch neglecting the world around him. That may sound comfortable and all, but the character must also deal with his girlfriend’s unexpected pregnancy and the departure of his two best friends—so it’s no surprise that Esper adorned his dressing room at the St. James Theatre with upbeat keepsakes from friends and family. “It’s really homey,” the actor says of his space. Esper recently invited Broadway.com backstage to point out some of his musically inclined items. Come on in!

Photo by Jenny Anderson for Broadway.com



"This is a poster of the Oblivions. They’re one of my favorite bands. I just love it so much and I got to see them this year."


"This is the key I wear in the show, which means a lot to me. I was looking for stuff for Will with [costume designer] Andrea Lauer and told her I had a thing for old keys. She had this hanging up on her wall, so she made a necklace out of it and it became part of the character."


"I’ve got a bunch of records all over the dressing room from artists I love like Billy Childish and Alex Chilton, who died this past year, which was very sad because I’m a huge Big Star fan. I don’t have a record player in here though, so they’re just for decoration."


"I got this card on opening night from [Green Day frontman] Billie Joe Armstrong, his wife Adrienne and [director] Michael Mayer. It says, 'I want to cuddle with you.' I keep it up on the mirror just to remind me of their support."


"This is a film still of From Here to Eternity autographed by Montgomery Clift before his accident. It’s an amazing movie, and he’s one of my favorite actors of all time. My parents got this for me on opening night. I don’t know where they got the autograph—they would not disclose that information!"