Tons of new photos up from the opening night of Krysten’s play “All New People.”

Since making the move from modeling to acting, Krysten Ritter has enjoyed a steady rise, graduating from quirky TV guest spots (Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls), to big screen best friends (Confessions of a Shopaholic, She’s Out of My League) to a jaw-dropping turn as a junkie on AMC smash Breaking Bad. During a summer vacation from the screen, Ritter has returned to Second Stage Theatre, where she appeared in Rajiv Joseph’s All This Intimacy, to play a quirky British real estate agent in Zach Braff’s All New People. The 29-year-old actress recently chatted with Broadway.com about her humble beginnings, love affair with New York and shark-like approach to the entertainment business.

What brought you back to the stage?
I have a pilot that got picked up [the forthcoming ABC sitcom Apartment 23] so I had a summer window and thought, “You know what would make me happy? Going to New York and walking to a theater every day.” So we scoured the land for a good play.

What about this script appealed to you?
My manager said, “You’re gonna love this, she doesn’t stop talking for the first third of the play!” My character, Emma, has a really interesting past and a great dramatic arc. Great scene partners, a great arc, drama and comedy? There’s not much more you can ask for.

What do you like about doing theater?
It’s the rehearsal process, it’s New York in the summer, it’s walking to the theater, zoning out, listening to headphones. There’s something sexy and romantic about it. It’s not about anything except the work, the play, and getting back to basics. It’s a nice break from Hollywood.

Are you an L.A. girl full time now?
I’m wherever the work is, really, so I’m probably only there two or three months out of the year.

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Krysten Ritter has appeared on television in such series as Gossip Girl, Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, and, most notably, Breaking Bad, in which she played Jane Margolis. She will soon be seen on the big screen in L!fe Happens, an indie-comedy she co-wrote with Kat Coiro, Amy Heckerling’s comedy Vamps, and the indie drama, Refuge, based on the stage play of the same title. This fall, she’s starring in the upcoming ABC comedy series, Apartment 23, in which she plays a New York party girl.

As if that isn’t keeping her busy enough, she is currently appearing in Zach Braff’s play All New People at Second Stage Theatre alongside Justin Bartha, Anna Camp, and David Wilson Barnes. TheaterMania spoke with Ritter about the play and her upcoming projects.

THEATERMANIA: How did you hear about All New People?
KRYSTEN RITTER: My pilot, Apartment 23, got picked up and I missed out on a few things because my summer got cut short. So, I thought, maybe I can do a play. I emailed Second Stage thinking they might have something for me. They sent me this script, and I flew myself to New York to audition. I was one of the first people to audition. It’s a fun and dramatic role.

TM: You previously appeared at Second Stage Theatre back in 2006 in All This Intimacy. What appeals to you about this theater company?
KR: They are so nice and have open arms to people who want to be here. I didn’t go to NYU or Yale, so it’s harder to get into theater. They gave me a shot.

TM: You play an eccentric real estate agent who is trying to rent a beach house. What can you tell us about your character?
KR: My character doesn’t have money and is living in bum-fuck nowhere.. She has a very traumatic past, and had to make big decisions in her life. She was raped when she was younger, and she had her rapist murdered, so she cannot go back to England. Yet, she always tries to find the positive in things and is fun, very energetic and eccentric, which is polite for a little crazy.

TM: How would you describe the relationships among the four characters in the play?
KR: I feel like it’s the ghost of the Christmas story. It’s about people who don’t have friends and meaningful experiences. By the end, the characters have new experiences. All New People — get it?

TM: How different is doing theater than film or television for you?
KR: I share a dressing room with Anna Camp and we do our own hair and makeup. It’s humbling. My character never stops talking and I have monologues that are pages long; I sit back and say that I know 90 pages of this play! In film and television, you shoot one scene, and it takes forever. With theater, you get to develop your character and dig deeper into the material. You are always finding new things night after night.

TM: In addition to all of your acting projects, you are alsothe lead singer and guitarist in theindie rock band, Ex Vivian. When did you realize you had an interest in music?
KR: When I was younger, I thought I would be a rock star until I realized I hated performing in front of people. I come from a musical family. I came to New York and was modeling, doing this on the side, writing music, creating a body of work. I take my guitar everywhere. It’s relaxing. I get to express myself creatively everyday, but this takes it to another level. I play when I can.

TM: Is it true you are also a fashion designer?
KR: Yes, I recently designed a dress for a charity that I work with, and I will be designing a shoe for Alice + Olivia. The goal is to design stuff that I want but can never find.

TM: Is a Broadway debut in your future?
KR: I sure hope so. That’s the goal, that’s the idea. I hope the right thing comes along, and I do a good job here, and get that call for Broadway!

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There’s no release date yet, but I’ve added 6 HQ stills up in the gallery from Krysten’s upcoming movie, Vamps.

” L!fe Happens,” which screens June 18 and 21 at the L.A. Film Festival, is about two best friends whose lives change when one of them gets pregnant. It was born from the friendship between actors and co-writers Krysten Ritter (“She’s Out of My League,” “Breaking Bad”) and Kat Coiro (“Murdering Mama’s Boy,” “Idiots”). The writing partners were driving through L.A.’s Rampart district with Coiro’s baby in the back seat when inspiration struck. Recalls Ritter, “These guys pulled up next to us, and we’re silly and we’re kind of making eyes at them, and then the baby cries. And we’re like ‘Oh, my God, that’s it!’ So [Coiro's] real-life baby really inspired this whole story and journey in our lives.”

Ritter and Coiro had been trying to create something in the vein of “Swingers” for women. Ritter says, “We were finding a lot of double standards where you can’t have girls running around acting slutty.” So they wanted to create something to fill that void and create content they wanted to see. “I love when the girls get to be funny,” Ritter says. And the collaboration was a great energy source. “I loved being involved in the creative process. I love development and I love getting involved from the ground up. So this was honestly like the most heavenly experience. I got to do it all.”

Ritter says creating the content and starring in the film was an amazing and unique experience. While they were writing, Ritter says, they had her in mind for the role of Deena (played by Kate Bosworth in the film), but they always wanted to do whatever was best for the film. As the project progressed and Ritter evolved as an actor, they decided she should play the lead, Kim. “I was essentially able to pull from what Kat was going through and watching her and seeing her have a baby, and I was the godmother,” she reveals. Although she admits that at first it was weird hearing Bosworth say the lines Ritter and Coiro wrote for Ritter, she says, “Kate is amazing in this role, and now I couldn’t see it the other way around.”

Ritter says the biggest challenge wasn’t the role—or wearing multiple hats as writer-actor-producer—it was working with a real baby. She says, “We had these mellow little babies [twins] who were really cooperative, but when you have an actual baby in your hands and a diaper bag and all of these things that you have to manage, that’s really challenging. I think it lent itself to an authenticity that we were trying to capture. So it ended up being the most challenging part but also the best part.”

Ritter and Coiro cast the project. “We both had these amazing relationships with actors,” Ritter says. Rachel Bilson came in to read with her for the 2011 Amy Heckerling film “Vamps,” and as soon as Bilson opened her mouth, Ritter thought she would be perfect for the character of Laura. Ritter used their mutual contacts to get in touch with Bilson, who read the script and signed on. Coiro and Ritter approached the other actors, many of whom they had worked with before, to round out the strong cast, and from there the project took off.

Ritter says she “learned how hard it is to make a film but also how accessible it really is” and that “it’s good not to be afraid of big challenges like that. You can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

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