Smash Star Megan Hilty on Covering Wicked Songs and Sharing an 'Angry Duet' with Jennifer Hudson for Season Two

NBC’s Broadway-tinged drama Smash has gone through a revolving door of cast changes since the first season ended. While Raza Jaffrey, Jaime Cepero, Brian d’Arcy James and Will Chase have departed, the additions of Broadway stars Jeremy Jordan, Andy Mientus, Krysta Rodriguez and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson had show star Megan Hilty ready to party.

“I wanted to celebrate meeting new people and kicking off the new season,” Hilty told The Hollywood Reporter of the recent dinner party she threw for her new cast members. “We're going to have a whole new energy in the show. Andy is a really good friend of mine, so I'm really excited to be working with him. I don't know the other new faces and that's kind of why I wanted to host this dinner, so that we could all get together to get to know each other a little bit and share a drink or five.”

The addition of Hudson, as Tony-winning actress Veronica Moore, however seems to have Hilty’s creative juices flowing the most. “I hope we have an angry duet,” Hilty revealed. “I'd like to really duke it out with her. If I know anything about Ivy, other people's success is a threat to her, especially the women in the business. So if I had to guess, I'd have to say that they probably don't get along very well.”

While her character Ivy may be threatened by strong women, Hilty wouldn't mind if Smash covered tunes from a Broadway musical all about brave girls: Wicked. “I feel like Wicked would be a really fun idea, especially as a little theater inside joke,” she said of the musical, which she previously starred in as Glinda. “Even something like a 9 to 5 cover, and have a little mini-reunion. I've been trying to get [9 to 5 co-star] Allison Janney on the show. I think she would be fantastic. If we got her and Stephanie Block, we could all do something fun.”

Smash returns for its second season in 2013.