What's Up, Tom Lenk? From Prom Prince to Buffy to Rock of Ages

California boy Tom Lenk is best known by fans for his run as lovable geek Andrew Wells on the cult classic TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But the actor, now appearing on Broadway in Rock of Ages, actually got his start in theater, training at UCLA before hitting the stage in shows like Amy and David Sedaris’ The Book of Liz and in the European tour of Grease. So what’s up with Lenk’s Broadway debut? We dropped in at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre to get the skinny on his new gig as the show’s outrageous, rabble-rousing German, Franz.

You and Rock of Ages director Kristin Hangii go way back.
Yes, back to the UCLA theater department. Kristin and I really bonded during our all-day Friday prop shop class—we’d sit there making faux finishes and pillows and reorganizing props. We’re both obnoxious and crazy and loved to gossip, so I’m sure we annoyed everyone. Then I eventually ended up doing the L.A. version of this play Anne E. Wrecksick [directed by Hangii].

You did that in a Mexican restaurant, correct?
In the basement of Cocina del Campo. They do a lot of drag shows. It was a spoof on Annie, and we were in our underwear. That’s where I first used The TWAT System: Tan it, Wax it and Tone it. The audience was eating burritos. I played this silly German character that kind of inspired the ones [book writer] Chris D’Arienzo wrote for [Rock of Ages], so I ended up playing [Franz] in the original L.A. workshop of the show. It’s interesting—years ago, I had such bad stage fright during musical theater auditions that I just gave up. And now I’m on Broadway. I was never thinking while we were playing the basement Mexican restaurant theater, “I hope we go to Broadway one day!”

How’s Broadway treating you?
It was rough at first, because I got the cold everyone on the show has; I spent the first two weeks exhausted, sick, trying to sing over all that junk. I totally got bitch-slapped by New York. But now I’m having a good time. And there’s always interesting people waiting outside the stage door.

Who would win a battle royale: Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans or Rock of Ages fans?
Here’s the thing: Buffy fans spend $30 per season on DVDs and they’re good to go. The Rock of Ages fans are spending lord knows how much on tickets, and some of them have seen the show 90 times! I was like, “Do you straight up have direct deposit to the box office? Are you a trust fund baby?” So the Rock of Ages fans would probably win, because it demands a lot more commitment to be obsessed with a Broadway show. But both Buffy and Rock of Ages fans are pretty badass.

This show is all about the '80s fashion. What was your biggest '80s fashion mistake?
My hair! I wish I could show you a picture. I’ve actually fashioned Franz’s hairstyle after my own. I couldn’t go to school without a wave of hair gel and hairspray. It was intense. Though my biggest 80s fashion faux pas was my pube-stache that no one told me shave. It was freshman year of high school, and I was approximately 3 feet tall with a bad mustache.

All Franz wants is to settle down and make candy. What satisfies your sweet tooth?
I love dark chocolate. I’m also a peanut butter and chocolate fanatic. That’s pretty much the greatest invention of the last century. Thank you, Mr. Reese’s, or whoever put that together. Not that I get to eat any of that stuff, because I wear a unitard onstage. You can’t really indulge in anything when you’re wearing a unitard. No bread, no beer, no anything delicious.

You and I are crowned '80s prom King and Queen. What song do we slow dance to?
“Eternal Flame” by the Bangles. That’s one of the greatest songs of all time. Side note, I was Prom Prince. My friend and I campaigned to be Prom King and Queen, and we got the rest of the non-popular people in the school to vote for us. We didn’t win, but we got Prince and Princess. My high school told us we would be presented at our reunion, and we were not! I wore a suit and made boutonnières and corsages for a gaggle of friends. Cut to everyone at the reunion in polo shirts and jeans. It was really devastating. So overdressed!