NAME: Matthew James Morrison
DOB: October 30, 1978
HAIR COLOR: Sandy Blonde
EYE COLOR: Hazel
SIBLINGS AND THEIR AGES? Only child

WHAT COLOR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING? Grey Sweat Pants
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? James Taylor
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Baby Back Ribs
LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Aunt Kathy from Arizona

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Silver
THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX? Face
DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT YOU THIS? Sometimes!!!!
ARE YOU SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT? Yes I am

FAVORITE DRINK? Jack and Ginger, Root Beer
FAVORITE SPORTS? Soccer
FAVORITE MONTH? December...lot of days off and quality family time
FAVORITE FOOD? Soul Food
FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Late Dec. 31 into early Jan. 1
FAVORITE RELAXATION SPOT? In front of the TV
FAVORITE SMELLS? grass and leaves

SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter
HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses
RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS? Relationships
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate
MONOPOLY OR LIFE? Monopoly

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No...scared of them
WHAT'D YOU DO LAST NIGHT? Did a show and then drank vodka with some Russian friends
FIRST TEENAGE OR PRE-TEEN STAR CRUSH? Alyssa Milano
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS? 2 bedroom Apt.
WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Hooked on Dan Brown books right now.
CAN YOU TOUCH YOUR NOSE WITH YOUR TONGUE? Yes I can!
WHAT INSPIRES YOU? Watching talented people perform.

What’s your favorite musical?
My favorite musical...it used to be when I was growing up, Miss Saigon, but I don’t know, I don’t really like it anymore. You know, my favorite musical is Assassins. I really enjoyed the recent production of it at Studio 54. It was originally produced by Playwrights Horizons. It’s a Stephen [Sondheim] musical, it’s all about a bunch of assassins through history.

Do you have an advice for the aspiring actors out there?
I'm really bad at giving advice. I have to say though, if you're good at something else, do that. This business is so cutthroat and unglamourous, no matter how amazing it looks. I'm not really good at anything else so this is why I do this. I just try and toss aside all of the crap that goes on. I don't mean to sound so bitter, but I just want to be honest about what it's really like. If this is what you really want to do then get ready for soaring highs and devistating lows. And good luck!!

What do you think about the current status of Broadway?
I don't really like the trend of movies turned to musicals...isn't that funny since the 3 shows I've been in have all been movies! But I think that that is what is keeping Broadway alive. It's sad that there is just a lull in original work. A lot of it is producers not wanting to take a risk on new ideas.

In general, what do you think a show needs to survive?
I just think that a show needs to be worth the money. I can't believe that tickets cost as much as they do, but if I'm going to pay $100 it better be worth it!!

Do you think there's such a thing as a theater celebrity anymore, like Ethel Merman or Carol Channing?
No I don't. It's sad. Bernadette is kind of one and Nathan Lane, but in today's media you have to do much more than just theater. Today it's about a couple shows here, a few movies there...and then maybe you can be lucky enough to bless the pages of Us Magazine!

What’s your musical background? As in...what was your first play?
One summer I went to go visit my grandma, my aunt and cousin in Arizona. And they wanted to keep us busy so they put us in this musical theater camp and we were there like all day. I totally loved it. So when I went back to California, where I’m from, I told my parents I wanted to go into theater. They’re both like from medical backgrounds, so yeah...

What is your ideal role?
My ideal role... I think I’m playing it right now (Link Larkin). I always wanted to be like a heartthrob and originate a part on Broadway. But now, I guess, having done this I want to play a villain next.

Do you write your own music?
Not really anymore, I think I’ll get back to it a little bit, I’m starting to take guitar lessons again.

If you could improve one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?
Mah’ sex driiiiiiive (laughs) No... I’d say... I wish I wouldn’t beat up on myself as much. I’m very hard on myself. I am my own worst enemy - and it takes away from me appreciating things like what I’m doing right now. I’m always about the business. Now I’ve got to do this or I messed up on that instead of taking it all in and enjoying where I’m right now.

Tell us one thought or story about the following things:

NYU
One thought or story about NYU... Alright. (devilish smile). My sophomore year, I was living with this guy Ed, who I still live with now. He’s one of those guys who we would have never been friends but the computer system put us together. We’re best friends now. And we lived down in Water Street. We were the first class there when they opened the dorms. We were on the 30th floor, amazing apartment. So we became friends with the guards and everything and developed this system of how to throw the ultimate party. And we...in our dorm room we had about 150 people in there and just rocked the place OUT. And the cops came and broke it up. And people went under the beds and in the closets. And then when the cops left, all the people came out and we started the party all over again and it was crazy. But to this day, I get...my roommate said that one of his friends is an R.A. there, and they have in their Water Street rulebook- that they describe our party and talk about how to prevent it. (laughs) And so we like rewrote the rulebook for RAs. So, I thought that was pretty cool. That’s my greatest memory at NYU, I hated the school. (chuckles)

Footloose.
My big break. You know...my first...my dream come true of being on Broadway.

Fresh Step
(laughs) Well... My close friends to me, um they all call me Matty Fresh. And this is a reference to Fresh Step. And I’ve taken on the name Matty Fresh which is so funny I love it when people call me that. (laughs) The experience was just amazing. I mean, because that’s the thing that got me Footloose because AC choreographed both, and I just felt so cool because all the other guys in the band were already in Footloose and it was cool being part of something like that. And it was so much fun. We had a blast. It was just stupid.

Starmites or Dirty Dancing or both.
Starmites... It was cool because it was the first reading, and it was a big reading and I was the lead. So that was a cool thing for me to put myself out there in front of a lot of people. Dirty Dancing. Always wanted to learn how the Fox Trot and the Salsa, so that was cool choreography, and fun stuff. (laughs)

"Sex and the City"
Ummm... Sarah Jessica Parker. We had this whole scene together and they cut, I don’t know if you know this, but they cut a lot. We had two or three other lines. I don’t even remember what I said... “Will anyone be joining you?” or something like that...
The thing I remember the most is if you watch it and I leave, ...this is funny... There wasn’t really a door for me to go into--it was just a little cubby hole and if you look closely--if you look at a reflection on the glass you see me leave but you can still--I I had to stop right there--so you see my ass in the...I don’t know if anyone else noticed that but me. But you see my ass in the window, it’s kind of cool.

Rocky Horror.
Rocky Horror. It was like the greatest thing and... not the worst thing in my life. It was great cause I originally got the part of Rocky and that was a huge thing for me, but then the stupid fucking boy band...[LMNT caused him to pass up the part of Rocky] ...but Rocky was my ticket. I kind of reevaluated myself after I left the band and I didn’t have to audition because they already heard me sing. They asked me if I wanted a part and I said yeah. It was good to get out of something so bad and go do something I love again. And to do a show like that where you don’t give a shit about anything and every night putting on stupid makeup and walk around in a dress, it was cool.

Hairspray.
(Sighs) All my hard work paid off. Definitely the ultimate dream come true. I used to sit in my room as a kid and listen to musical theater cds and just like try to imitate these people and I’d look up to them. And it’s always been my ultimate dream to originate a part, to be on an original cast recording. To do that, like, to think about 20 years from now when they are doing this show in high schools and some kid like me out there will have my role in a high school production and buy the cd and listen to my voice ... I can’t really put it into words. It’s, it’s such an amazing thing.

Originally, the producers thought about hiring a name for the role of Link. Do you think the show would have worked as well with someone from 98? or Joey McIntyre? How did that prospect affect you as an understudy?
I think that the part would have lacked some major things, but it still would've worked. Jack O'Brien can get the best out of anyone. That is his amazing gift. It's always frustrating as an understudy. I don't think that I could ever do it again honestly. I was just lucky that the creative team saw something in me and were willing to take the chance.

If you were the first ever “president god” what would you outlaw and why?
Outlaw? Ummm... I don’t know how to say this, but I hate stupid people. (laughs) Umm...It’s just, people drive me nuts. I mean, I can’t sit and listen to them... look my eye starts to twitch when I think about stupid people. (laughs) Um that’s my answer. Take it however you want.

What do you like to do when you’re alone?
Well.... (laughs) No, I -- You know, sometimes when I’m alone- I’m alone a lot, I’m such a loner, I’m an only child, and I find myself most comfortable when I’m alone. So sometimes I’ll just sit and watch movies, but there are times--this will sound really weird--when I’ll light candles and just sit on my couch and just think and I’ll start crying. I’m such an emotional person and I never really show it to people... being alone for me is like getting my shit out.

I hear you like to skydive.
Yeah, and I’m pissed. I’m pissed that it’s winter and there’s not much skydiving going on. I got into it when I did Footloose and I joined in the company in Seattle. There was this guy that was a huge fan of it and used to go every weekend and he asked me if I wanted to go and I was like yeah. He got me hooked. It’s like the closest thing I’ll ever get to God. It’s amazing.

In Rocky Horror, you had to wear heels, fishnets, panties and a corset. Did this experience help you get in touch with your feminine side?
Um. I guess, maybe. (laughs). I never really thought about it. It made me appreciate women who wear heels, those were a little extreme but it was just heels in general. I would like go home and practice just trying to just get comfortable in them. They hurt like hell, god. It made me appreciate what women go through.

What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
Extreme stuff. I really like living on the edge, like skydiving.

Was it hard to learn Italian and perfect your accent for Piazza?
Learning Italian wasn't too difficult because I already had a grasp on Spanish. They are very
similar, both being romance languages. But, it's not like I really KNOW how to speak Italian. I just know the dialogue that I say in the show. Our dialect coach, Ralph Zito, was instrumental in the results that you see in the show.

I didnt know you could sing like that! How do you warm up for the show?
I didn't know I could sing like that either!! It's funny, you do a show like Hairspray and people sort of pigeon hole you into that. Like that's all you can do. So it was important for my next job after Hairspray to be different. And I don't think I could have taken a bigger step away from it than Piazza! I do a 20 minute vocal warm up and a 10 minute dialect warm up before every show.

Are you superstituous? Do you have rituals backstage?
I have a lot of silly rituals...too many to mention actually. As a show progresses I usually pick up a ritual with every single person that I share the stage with. It's just a great way to stay connected.

Why do you strike a biblical pose at the end of Aiutami?
Well, during that whole song I'm asking God to "help me." The whole number is supposed to seem a little melodratic, so it was just a good button for the number. It gets a good laugh out of the audience most of the time.

Why are you leaving Piazza early?
I learned my lesson in Hairspray that it takes a certain kind of person to do a long run of a show, and that isn't me! My attention span isn't that large. I feel like I've stretched Fabrizio as far as he's going to go, and now I need a new creative challenge. But in actuallity, I'm not leaving the show early because the show was originally scheduled to only run through June12, 2005. So, I like to think that I actually left a little late!!

What was your tattoo on your arm of in Marci X?
I actually don't even remember. I just remember they had all of these ridiculous tattoos. Damon Wayons had one on his chest of a woman with her legs spread apart. I mean, c'mon!

When will Mattress air?
Once Upon a Mattress is slated to air around Thanksgiving time on ABC...check your local listings (I always wanted to say that!).

What was it like to be nominated for a Tony?
Being nominated was an absolute dream come true. And it also symbolized a lot of hard work being paid off. In a way, I'm thankful that I didn't win because it would have been too easy. Now I still have something to strive for. I WILL get that award someday!!!! (at least I really hope so!)

Do you have any voice teachers (acting classes, dance classes, etc) you can suggest for those of us coming to NY starting out?
Great voice teachers...Richard Lissemore! I think you can find him at richardlissemore.com. Also, Steven Cirillo is great, he's got ads running in Backstage. Broadway Dance Center is a great place to meet broadway choreographers and to just take some awesome dance classes. If you aren't going to be in the NY area, this guy Bob Rizzo has instructional dance dvd's that you can buy online that are really great. Yours truly even appears in a hip hop one.

How does one go about getting an agent?
There isn't a sure fire answer for this question. You can ask 10 different actors how they got their agent and they will give you 10 different answers.

Youve gone from rock/pop shows like Hairspray to the more classical Piazza and now into a play, Naked Girl. Is there a type of show or role you have not had the chance to try where we may expect to see you in the future?
Well, I'm achieving my goal at present, which is to keep everyone guessing! So, I guess you will see me next in the things that you aren't expecting to see me in. That's how I want the rest of my career to play out!

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