Morrison told Playbill.com, "I didn't want to audition for [the role] for the longest time because I didn't think I could do it because the music was so difficult plus the accent. They kept asking me to come in [and audition], and I kept saying no because I wanted to be in L.A. and do stuff out there.

"Then I thought, 'What the hell?' I went in, and it was just that thing [where] they kind of knew and I kind of knew. It was just kind of magic at the audition. It was really great."

Matthew Morrison received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for his role as Link Larkin in the original cast of Hairspray. His other Broadway credits include Footloose and The Rocky Horror Show as well as the national tour of Footloose. His screen credits include "Marci X," "Primary Colors," "Simply Funky," "Sex and the City," "The Journey of Allen Strange" and "Hack."

Morrison will also be seen in the upcoming ABC remake of "Once Upon a Mattress." Co-starring Carol Burnett and Tracey Ullman, the TV movie is set to air Thanksgiving weekend 2005.