I have met Anthony. I just wanted to say that he is my personal hero. I have never met someone so passionate, so real, so down-to-earth, so funny, so serious, and so engaging. He was amazingly humble about his accomplishments and he never complained about the mass entourage that accompanied him everywhere he went. He has inspired me as no other singular person has. His passion, his drive was so abundant and amazing, that he gave me no choice but to embody it. He was so open and honest about everything. Especially with singing. He taught me that one has to LOVE singing and do it with pure passion and emotion...(and to connect your breath with your singing voice...duh). He sang Halloween and the Kite Song for us then we all huddled around the piano and we sang Seasons of Love. It was the best moment of my life. I just wanted to get out how much that meant to me. And to thank him for his insightful advice and patience. I honestly feel that without receiving the emotional drive that he imparted on us, there is no way I would have done so well in my audition for Snoopy. After I found out I was cast, I ran up to him and announced my part. He gave me a hug and congratulated me. I then proceeded to tell him that he was my inspiration. His reply, "You guys inspire me too."

Why do I love Ant? Like everyone here, there's so many reasons! He is so passionate about everything . . . his singing, acting, etc. He is his own person and it doesn't bother him what others think. No matter what he's in, he develops the character to exactly what I am looking for in a character. But Anthony's real: he is believable as a person. And, of course, I JUST HAVE TO ADD he's so adorable!! -Tara

How do I love Anthony? Let me count the ways...1. The way he really cares about his fans, and what he does...he seems like such a friendly, compassionate and sincere person. 2. He is open about being queer, and makes a great role model for kids having trouble dealing with their sexuality. 3. The way he was truly the glue of Rent, the living embodiment of Jonathan...he was the first and (in my opinion) the best Mark. 4. His voice. I'll admit I haven't been a fan of his since the prehistoric ages (Adventures in Babysitting); only since Rent. Before I ever really knew anything about him and all I had was that reddish-green picture on the front of the Rent CD, I used to love listening to him. 5. His acting ability. He's got a great voice, but really, he's not so much a singer as an actor. Great range! He can even portray a complete jerk (which must be a stretch)! (School Ties) 6. Forgive me on this one--he is so incredibly cute! -Ellen

I love Anthony because whenever I hear his voice my heart stops (it starts again a second later), and my day brightens. I love him because of the way he is so open and honest about who he is. I also love the way he dances because he dances like I do, and I don't feel so stupid dancing anymore. Whenever I'm down, all I have to do is listen to Charlie Brown or RENT and I know my day will be better. The way he is so open about his sexuality is inspiring, because of the risks that can be involved with being open about one's sexuality. He is truly a good role model. Did I mention that I really love his voice? -Sarah

I think that Anthony is an amazing person. He is talented and absolutely adorable! He is also such a role model and a real person that even if you never met him you could feel like you've known him forever. His acting skills are unmatched in my opinion and I will never ever forget him as Mark. He is the one and only true Mark Cohen and nobody will ever be able to out do him there. I hope that someday I will get to meet him (I won't get my hopes up too high) and let him know how he has impacted my life. I love you Anthony! -Jessica

Anthony Rapp has impacted my life in a way that is so profound that I can't explain it. His voice cuts into your soul almost, and who else can portray Mark Cohen any other way? His talent and (of course) his adorable face have gotten him to a point where people respect him just for what he is! -Sarah

Well, the reasons are so much more then obvious, but here goes. When someone's name is mentioned or you hear them or see them, and your eyes light up like fire and you smile from ear to ear, it can be one of two things: Love or revenge. When someone has changed your life as significantly as he has changed mine, you can only give them your love and tell them how much them how much they have done for you. Anthony really is the most down to earth actor I have ever met, Broadway or film. He cares about what he does and it really means a lot to him to see people enjoy what he does as much as he does.

I love Anthony because he is so talented and cute!! He has a major passion for what he does and the role of Mark and his fans. He kind of relates to Jonathan in a way only he can tell you.. He has an amazing voice and HE IS THE BEST MARK!!! He is the sweetest person and he has time for everyone. He is not conceited and he is open about everything. He isn't ashamed about him and Josh. He is the best!! I miss you ANT!!!! - Samantha

In RENT, Mark Cohen "pretends to create and observe when he really detatches from feeling alive." Anthony is the exact opposite of the character he brilliantly portrays. Anthony is changing the world in dynamic ways through his honesty and compassion. He uses his fame to reach out to gay youth during a very confusing time in their life. He is also shedding a positive light on "untraditional" lifestyles, and is breaking a deafening silence in many oppressive environments. Anthony is my role model as a human being! -Tim

I think he is extremely talented. I also admire him for being open about his sexuality, there aren't very many role models for queer youth, and he is someone who can help us realize that it is ok to be who we are. He is also very polite, when I saw RENT at the Shubert theater in Chicago, he signed my program and let me get my picture taken with him (by the way, when the picture gets developed, I will probably get it blown up into poster size and put it on my wall). :-) One more thing, he is soooo hot! :-) -Jason

I like Anthony because he is a nice person, I sound like him, he has a definate positive personality, and by what I have heard about his childhood we have a lot in common.

The first time I heard about Anthony was when I received the Rent recording for Christmas in 1996. I enjoyed his singing very much and from what I heard of his acting, I thought he was pretty cool. But it wasn't until I saw Adventures In Babysitting in July of 1997 that I realized just how cool he was!! I was already on my way to NYC to see Rent in August, and immediately my focus shifted from meeting Adam Pascall to meeting Anthony (which was good, because Adam wasn't even there when I went!). Shortly thereafter I decided to begin my own web page on him: Anthony Rapp . . . Ya Think? By just compiling information for the site I learned more and more about him and became completely enamored with the man. He is a fabulous role model who has done so much for so many different people. The things he has done for queer kids across america are simply amazing. He definitely deserves all of our respect. -Brian

I love Ant because: Do I really need to say why??? Well....I think just because he's such a sincere guy, he has no complexes, and he really understands the extent of what he can do with his star power. -Lisa

O.k....here it goes. This is going to be hard for me, because there are so many reasons....they are so clustered..I'll try to make them sound o.k. 1. The cap'n crunch dance 2. The way he doesn't care what people say about him and Josh. 3. The way he is so intellegent and well thought. Whenever you hear him speak it is like hearing words of wisdom. 4. The way he pays respect to friends and family who died in very symbolic ways (claps) 5. I just love him......everything about him (even his wardrobe) I know there are more I just can't think of right now. -Randi

Why do I admire Anthony Rapp? Let me count the ways, he is intelligent, good looking, talented, and comfortable with who he is. And to be more serious, I have never heard anyone sing with such passion and emotion. He throws himself into the character of Mark to make it come alive. I have never before heard anyone sing like he does. -Ellen

I admire Anthony because he is a remarkable human being. He is honest and extremly pleasant to be around. He has a great talent and he's not afraid to bare himself to the world. He accepts everything with open arms and on top of all of this he doesn't have a swelled head in the slightest. To tell the truth he's more down to earth then most people I know. That's what I admire about Anthony Rapp. - Ariana

I love Anthony's willingness to take risks and be out there. He is so full of energy that when he is singing RENT you want to jump up there and back him up and when he sings Halloween all you want to do is give him a big hug. I also love the fact that his talents go beyond RENT. He excells in all forms of theater, film, and television. Every time I watch him do a role it is fully developed and different from his last, and yet he always has that spark fueling him. I look forward to seeing him in many more projects. -Jer

Anthony is an amazing and natural actor. I see how he has made Mark Cohen his own. I love his voice and I think that his talents are endless. He has helped so many people by being openly queer. The constant work that he does by going to schools shows how much he cares about others. I think that he is a beautiful person, both on the inside and the outside. -Lindsay

I like him because he is extremely talented. He has one of the best voices I have ever heard. He is intelligent and everything he says sounds like some words of wisdom that everyone should listen to. He is so open about his sexuality and uses his fame to help queer youths in that confusing time in their lives. Oh yeah, he is also very cute! -Erin

I love Anthony for three great reasons. One is because he portrayed RENT's Mark Cohen the absolute BEST!!!! No one can ever do it as great as he did. Another is because the has probably one of the best if not THE best voice I have ever heard! The last and coolest reason I love Anthony is because in Dazed and Confused, he looked EXACTLY like my dad did when he was in high school in the 70's!!! Pretty cool huh?!?!?!?!? - Jeannette

If you would like to contribute your thoughts about Anthony to this section, e-mail me at mimiofrent@aol.com