If you’re reading this now, chances are you just may be just as obsessed with Lea Michele, star of the surprise smash Glee, as the rest of the country. (The show, which started last summer and garnered a whopping 19 Emmy nominations in its freshman season, has been recently renewed for a third season. Who knew musical theater could be so cool?) That success is due in large part to Michele’s pitch-perfect portrayal of the ultra-ambitious, extra-talented Rachel Berry.

The 23-year-old actress plays it so well, in fact, that it’s easy to assume she might have a lot in common with her plucky character. But aside from considerable musical gifts, the two are as different as Julie Andrews and Liza Minnelli. (Well, maybe not that different…but still—they’re hardly carbon copies.) Take, for instance, Michele’s penchant for tattoos. While Berry would never disfigure her body—it might take her out of the running for future roles!—Michele has nine of them, her favorite being the two notes on her shoulder, snippets from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” “I love tattoos because they tell stories and they’re reminders to me of things I love and that are important to me,” she told us, although she wouldn’t reveal what—or where—her next ink will be. Berry’s also a bit of a control freak, where Michele knows how to let things go—especially in the beauty realm. “I completely leave my hair and makeup to the pros. That’s why I love working with Mark,” she told us. “He helps push me in new directions, but I still feel comfortable and like myself.”

As for today, we can be sure that Berry is pining away for life beyond William McKinley High School. Michele, on the other hand, is living in the moment—for now, anyway: “My hope is to just continue to do a good job on Glee…and hopefully do a film in the future.”