Before Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster started dating in 2024, they portrayed one of the most iconic theatrical couples.
Jackman and Foster were cast as Professor Harold Hill and Marian Paroo, respectively, in the 2022 revival of Broadway’s The Music Man, where they instantly hit it off and became friends offscreen.
“Hugh and I actually have [a pre-show ritual],” Foster said during a July 2022 appearance on Live With Kelly and Mark. “We call it ‘carpet chat.’ We hang out in my dressing room before every show and just catch up. At some point, we ended up sitting on the carpet.”
She gushed, “It’s such a wonderful thing, and we’ve become really good friends. We talk and catch up on our days. That’s been one of the best parts of the whole thing is that I’ve made this wonderful new friend.”
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The two actors were each married to other people at the time. Jackman and wife Deborra-lee Furness had been together for two decades before they separated in 2023. Foster, meanwhile, filed for divorce from husband Ted Griffin in October 2024. One month later, Us Weekly confirmed that she had moved on with Jackman.
Keep scrolling to look back at Jackman and Foster’s connection in their own words:
‘An Explosion of Awesome’
Jackman teased The Music Man, and Foster’s performance specifically, via Instagram in December 2021.
“There are hundreds who’ve made this moment happen. But there’s one, in particular, I pay tribute to — @suttonlenore, this show is nothing without you,” he wrote. “You’re an exceptional talent and friend. Your joy brings the entire company of @musicmanbway to life. I can’t wait for the world to see you as Marian. They are in for an explosion of awesome.”
Where It All Started
Also in December 2021, Jackman looked back on March 2020 during their rehearsal process.
“On March 10, 2020 @suttonlenore and I took these photos. We were just starting our first workshop for @musicmanbway,” he captioned a pair of selfies. “Little did we know what was lurking around the corner … I’m beyond excited to share these photos as we pack up from the rehearsal space and make our way uptown to the great white way at our new home at the #wintergarten [sic]. Deliriously joyful, grateful and petrified all at the same time. Wouldn’t want to be standing beside anyone else but Sutton and this extraordinary cast and crew.”
Side by Side
“This man. An honor to be by your side. You. Are. The. BEST,” Foster wrote via Instagram in February 2022, sharing pics from the official opening night of Music Man.
Birthday Wishes
In the middle of the Music Man run, Jackman made sure to celebrate Foster’s birthday.
“Happy birthday to a great friend and the best onstage partner in the world,” he wrote via Instagram in March 2022. “@suttonlenore you make the world a better place. I’ve booked a table for 50 in River City tonight and, the mayor is paying.”
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‘A Dream’
Speaking on CBS Mornings in April 2022, Foster called the costarring experience “a dream.”
“Hugh is a dream [and I’m] just having the time of my life,” she reiterated. “He’s always a dream. … One of the best things that happened is, because of COVID, we ended up sharing a room at the rehearsal space because we were trying to keep everything safe. We would have a check-in every day and we became really close. When we moved to the theater, we each had our own dressing rooms and we were like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m going to miss you.’ So, we come together for a half-hour before every show. It’s pretty cool.”
‘Having the Time of My Life’ on Stage Together
“I’m having the time of my life playing opposite this guy,” Foster said during a joint appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers in May 2022. “It’s a dream come true.”
According to the two-time Tony winner, she was intimidated by Jackman when they first met.
“Very much so, I mean, [he’s] Hugh Jackman,” Foster added. “Then, our names are really big on a giant billboard and I was like, ‘Oh, God, that’s gonna cost a lot of money when they have to replace me because that’s real big. It’s a lot of pain.’”
A Dancing Match
Jackman was initially wary about dancing alongside Foster in Music Man.
“I’m not a dancer,” he told Vanity Fair in September 2022. “It’s not in my bones. But I can learn it. I can get there. So I thought, having all this time, there’s no way I’m going to waste it. She can learn a new dance in three hours, and she’s the best dancer you’ve seen on Broadway.”
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