Sutton Foster on Getting Glam, Being 26 Again & Not Singing in Her New Sitcom Younger

Tony winner Sutton Foster and the cast of her newest project, TV Land’s Younger, shared a sneak peek at the pilot episode of the fresh and funny sitcom on September 19 at New York City’s Soho House. The show, which Foster previously described to Broadway.com as “Tootsie but with age,” follows 40-year-old Liza, a single mom who passes herself off as 26 in order to land a job in publishing. 

The Broadway favorite, who begins filming the new series on September 22, says she was excited about the show from first blush. “Usually when I get a script, I look at a couple of pages and then whatever,” Foster says, “but with this I sat down in my kitchen and read it all in one sitting. I remember thinking, 'This is great: She’s kind of dorky and awkward and is trying to reinvent herself...I can do that!’”

Foster's having a ball channeling her inner 20-something. “When I was 26, I was in rehearsals for Millie,“ she says. “I was gratefully working in my 20s, and I never really thought of myself as hip, so this is really fun. The cool thing about it is that I get to keep all of the maturity and intelligence that I have as a 40-year-old."

The other cool thing is how much she's enjoying getting decked out for the part. "Let’s just say this is the polar opposite of Violet," Foster says referring to her most recent Broadway appearance. "I get to be dressed by Patricia Field; my wardrobe is insane. I’m wearing a lot of makeup, and my hair is glammed and highlighted. I get to live vicariously through Liza.”

Will Foster show off her triple-threat skills on the show? “No karaoke episodes,” she laughs. “With Bunheads, I had the outlet to sing and dance, but this is a totally different thing. I get to show a different side of myself. I think Liza’s tone deaf, so maybe you’ll hear some tone-deaf singing.”

Younger, which features Hilary Duff, Miriam Shor, Debi Mazar and Nico Tortorella in addition to Foster, will premiere on TV Land in January.