TV Exclusive: BACKSTAGE WITH RICHARD RIDGE- Big Screen-Bound John Gallagher Jr.

Welcome to BWW's exclusive talk show, BACKSTAGE WITH Richard Ridge. Follow Richard as he visits the theater's best and brightest in their dressing rooms, on their stages and favorite hang outs to talk about their lives, careers and all of the things you don't know, but want to know. In the special interview below, Richard welcomes stage and screen star John Gallagher Jr., who leads the upcoming film, THE HEART MACHINE. Watch as they discuss the new movie, reminisce about his past stage roles and so much more. Check out the full interview below!

Tracking two parallel journeys that show how digital media complicates modern love, THE HEART MACHINE explores the evolving relationship between physical and emotional intimacy, isolation in the urban hive, and the seduction of hiding behind a screen. This modern mystery tells the story of Cody (John Gallagher Jr. - HBO's The Newsroom, SHORT TERM 12) and Virginia (Kate Lyn Sheil - House of Cards, YOU'RE NEXT), who fall in love online, despite the distance between them. Through an interrelated series of events, Cody suspects that Virginia might not actually live in Berlin and may even live in the same city as he does, and seeks to find the truth. THE HEART MACHINE questions love and intimacy in the digital age, and whether you can really trust whom you meet on the internet. THE HEART MACHINE opens on Friday, Oct. 24th.

Gallagher is perhaps best known for originating the role of Moritz Stiefel in Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's rock musical Spring Awakening, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He also played Johnny in Green Day's Broadway musical, American Idiot, and Lee in the 2011 Broadway production of Jerusalem. He currently plays Jim Harper in Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom on HBO.