A new season of Smash brings new characters, including new heartthrob Jeremy Jordan as Jimmy, who will be stealing more than one heart this season. Spoilers ahead.

The Tony-nominated actor has had his success on the Great White Way, most recently in Newsies, but he’ll be making his way to TV screens everywhere when Smash returns for its second season. He talked to Playbill.com about Jimmy Cooper – an angsty songwriter from Brooklyn who makes up half the creative team behind new musical Hit List.

“Yeah, he’s very angry,” Jordan told Playbill of his character. “He’s very passionate as well, and he doesn’t trust anybody except for maybe his best friend Kyle, played by Andy Mientus, until Karen comes in — Kat McPhee’s character — and she starts to open him up a little bit.”

Jimmy has had a tough life, the actor revealed, and sometimes avoids reality by using drugs and alcohol.

“I think that Jimmy has had a history with drugs, and it’s sort of his go-to when he doesn’t understand or know how to deal with things. I wouldn’t say he’s a drug addict, by any means. Maybe he was at one point, I don’t know…but he definitely has that sort of crutch. It’s what gets him through tough times.”

Despite his hardened exterior, there’s something about the bad boy that attracts Karen (and his best friend Kyle, who is “secretly in love with him”).

“It’s like there’s that sort of unspoken connection between [Karen and Jimmy] from the moment they meet,” Jordan said. “There’s something that draws them together — that sort of unspeakable energy — [but] each one keeps getting in the other’s way. It’s like this constant tug and pull, and just when you think something might happen with them, something gets in the way. Life, circumstance and themselves are not making it very easy for them to be romantic with each other in a consistent manner.”

He may have several flaws, but Jimmy has even more talent. His musical, Hit List, will be making it big very quickly. What’s more, the cast of Hit List will be made up of “the new people plus a couple of the returning characters” and Karen, who “migrated to the cool, young group,” Jordan confirmed to Playbill.

Why would Karen leave Bombshell for Hit List? We’ll find out more in five days!

Smash returns to NBC with a two-hour season premiere at 9 p.m. ET Feb. 5. The first hour of the season premiere is online now for your viewing pleasure. Plus, check out stills from episodes one, two and three to whet your appetite for a new season of the Golden Globe-nominated musical drama.