‘Needy’ Sutton Foster and her Music Man costar Hugh Jackman made no attempts to hide their affection backstage – before enjoying double dates with their respective spouses, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Hugh, 56, and Sutton, 49, starred together in Meredith Wilson’s musical on Broadway from December 2021 until January 2023.
Soon followed rumours that the pair had struck up a romance, with fans questioning what was behind Hugh’s shock split from his long-time wife, Deborra-Lee Furness.
Now, an insider from the musical has laid bare details of their behind-the-scenes chemistry, years before they finally confirmed their romance earlier this month.
‘At intermission, Sutton and Hugh would stand and hug for a minute, two minutes in front of the entire cast coming up the stairs,’ they said.
‘The cast had to climb four flights of stairs to get to the dressing rooms. And they would stop on Hugh’s floor and just hug in their costumes.’
Music Man costars Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman are said to have made no attempts to hide their closeness – before enjoying double dates with their respective spouses
The costars became close friends on set while Hugh, 56, was married to Deborra-Lee Furness, and Sutton, 49, was married to Ted Griffin (Hugh pictured with Deborra-Lee in May 2023)
Sutton, who was married to screenwriter Ted Griffin at the time, previously said they would ‘hang out’ in her dressing room, which was on the floor above his, before every show.
Although the insider never saw the duo in there, they did notice their ‘long embrace’ which would take place ‘every night’.
‘It was odd,’ they continued. ‘In a way it was uncomfortable.
‘As the entire cast is trying to get to their dressing rooms upstairs, we all had to pass the two of them hugging.
‘They didn’t even hide it! It was a long embrace… and it was weird.’
When asked why Hugh and Sutton would behave like that in front of everybody, the insider described the Anything Goes actress as looking as if she was ‘needy.’
‘I thought she was just a needy actress,’ they said. ‘That’s the way it appeared to me – the needy actress needed the hug from the big superman,’ the source said.
Hugh and Sutton, who have known each other since 2005, played Harold Hill and Marian Paroo, respectively, and were required to ‘passionately make out on stage’ as part of the performance.
‘At intermission, Sutton and Hugh would stand and hug for a minute, two minutes in front of the entire cast coming up the stairs,’ the insider said (Hugh and Sutton on stage in 2022)
The insider claimed they would enjoy these long hugs ‘every night’ which some cast members found ‘uncomfortable’
‘It was a doozy of a kiss,’ the source said. ‘It’s many measures of music long, and even in rehearsal, it was very passionate. But, it’s supposed to be for their characters.’
After the show, the insider claimed that Sutton and Hugh would always leave separately, although Sutton would be ‘waiting for Hugh to go to his car, and then she would go to her car.’
Other times they would go on ‘double dates’ together.
‘They had dinners with each other’s spouses and Sutton and her husband Ted were invited over for dinner with Hugh and his wife Deborra-Lee,’ the source added.
DailyMail.com has reached out to reps for Hugh and Sutton for comment.
Foster filed for divorce from her estranged husband Ted, 54, in October after 10 years of marriage. They share adopted daughter Emily, seven.
Meanwhile, Hugh and Deborra, 69, were married for 27 years before they announced their separation in September 2023.
In a statement, they told their fans that they were ‘shifting’ and as a result had decided to ‘separate to pursue our individual growth.’
Sutton was married to screenwriter husband Ted, 54, at the time, with the pair often invited over for dinner with Hugh and Deborra-Lee, 69 (Sutton and Ted pictured in February 2018)
The insider said Hugh and Sutton are a good match because they’re ‘both big nerds’ and ‘goofy'(pictured together in June 2022)
They confirmed their relationship earlier this month when they were snapped passionately kissing as they made their way to popular burger joint In N Out
They have two adopted children, Oscar, 24, and Ava, 19.
Despite Hugh and Sutton’s ‘very friendly’ demeanor, the insider made clear that they ‘never suspected anything was going on’ because of how ‘solid’ Hugh’s marriage was with the Australian actress.
‘Hugh talked about Deb all the time, and she supported him so much,’ they said. ‘To give an example, if we were talking about menopause and being hot on stage, he was like, “Oh, I know Deb is going through the same thing.” She’s like, “Turn the heat off.”
‘And when Hugh started the show, he was getting skinnier by the minute and talking about the fact that he was so skinny.
‘He went, “I know Deb’s killing me [about losing weight].” He’d say things like that.’
When asked why they believe Hugh and Sutton’s chemistry took off, the source described them both as ‘big nerds’ and ‘goofy.’
‘I think he is a musical comedy nerd more than anything,’ they said. ‘You think of him as the most secure man in the world because of Wolverine and Les Mis, but really, he just wants to be on stage.
‘And I think he’s enamored by her talent.’
Hugh and Sutton’s romance was previously dubbed ‘Broadway’s worst-kept secret,’ but sources have previously told DailyMail.com that there was never any overlap with their respective marriages.
However, Deborra-Lee raised eyebrows in November when her private Instagram account ‘liked’ a video from gossip blogger Tasha Lustig which claimed Hugh was ‘running off with the mistress’ and planning a ‘soft launch’ of his new relationship to test reaction just one month after they announced their split.
Adding credence to the claim was her friend Amanda de Cadenet, who commented on the same post: ‘You are on point with this one. My beloved friend Deb is about to have her glow up any moment fyi!’
Last week, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that the longtime couple, whose joint fortune is around $250 million, have yet to file for divorce.
‘One of the biggest reasons why they haven’t yet filed is that they never had a prenup,’ an insider revealed.
‘When they got married, they thought it would be forever. Who doesn’t? At the time, neither of them expected Hugh’s career to get as enormous as it has.
‘Because there was no prenup, and he made a fortune during their marriage, this divorce is not going to be cut and dry. It may even get messy because the stakes are high.
‘A lot of moving parts need to be worked out and there is a huge amount of money involved.’
Deborra-Lee appeared to brush off her ex’s antics as she enjoyed a day out at the Australian Open with her daughter Ava
The insider insisted they both want to ‘make this as easy as possible,’ but that after three decades and one partner becoming a massive A-list star, ‘it’s not quite that easy.’
Meanwhile, Sutton’s divorce is still ongoing in New York. One month after the actress filed for divorce, Ted filed his response along with a counter-claim in November.
She then responded two weeks later, however, the documents are sealed from the public, so details are unknown.
Since Sutton and Hugh’s relationship has gone public, they haven’t been able to keep their hands off of each other, with the pair snapped passionately kissing last week near a San Fernando In-N-Out.
Deborra-Lee appeared to brush off her ex’s antics as she enjoyed a day out at the Australian Open with her daughter Ava.
The actress met Hugh back in 1995 on Australian TV show Correlli, when she was a major star, and he was enjoying his first role fresh out of drama school.
He proposed four months later, telling Today in 2018 that he knew two weeks into meeting Furness that they were ‘going to be together for the rest of our lives.’
They were married in Melbourne, Australia, in April 1996.
