Pretty Woman's Brennin Hunt on His Emotional Debut, 'Big Break' in Rent Live! & More

Brennin Hunt may be making his Broadway debut as Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman, but he's no stranger to the stage. Known for being a country music singer-songwriter and playing Roger in Fox's Rent Live!, Hunt has unknowingly been preparing for his Broadway debut long before he thought possible. "I've been on stage performing my whole life, but this is a whole new thing," Hunt told Ryan Lee Gilbert in a recent interview on Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "I'm addicted to it now. It's like a drug to me being in front of people and performing. [Broadway] is something I've always loved and appreciated, but I never thought I would do it. I grew up watching movie musicals like Mary Poppins and Singin' in the Rain. It's funny that I never really pursued it; but it was in my bones."

Making his debut is special for Hunt, but the fact that it is at the Nederlander Theatre makes it magical. "Rent was my first Broadway show and it played at the same theater," he said. "I still pinch myself daily that I got to perform in that musical for Rent Live! I even pinch myself now that out of all places, I'm making my Broadway debut at the Nederlander. It's very strange."

The full-circle moment was so surreal for Hunt that it even caused him to have an affecting first performance. "The first two scenes were a blur for me," he said. "There was a moment when I looked up to the very back row of the balcony, where I sat in 2006 to see Rent, and I had this moment of 'There may be another young guy back there like me,’ and I got emotional. I had to look away because it wasn't an emotional scene, but it really got to me."

It's obvious that Rent plays an important piece in Hunt's life, but he had no idea that the piece was going to get even bigger. During the live broadcast of Rent Live!, ther performer injured his foot and was forced to perform in a wheelchair for the remainder of the show. "What I took away from that is the love and community that the Broadway world has," he said. "When I broke my foot, 350 people on that crew surrounded me and showered me with love, and I will never ever forget the way that felt. That was a big break for me, pun intended. That was my big break for me in my career to get that job and I was literally in tears on the floor. I just felt so supported and for the first time in my life, felt like I belonged. That type of acceptance and love, paralleled by the fact that the musical we were doing is all about acceptance and love. [The composer's sister] Julie Larson and I joke about it being [Rent composer] Jonathan [Larson's] ghost that pushed me off that day."

Hunt's Broadway debut is a limited-run due to Pretty Woman announcing its final performance will be on August 18, and he is already brainstorming what's next. "There's a lot of wheels spinning," he said. "I'm definitely going to be pursuing acting and Broadway. I'm already toying around with writing my own musical. There are a few things I've been thinking about for a couple of years and my background is writing songs anyway. I know these things take years, but I'm excited to dive into it."

Be sure to catch Hunt in Pretty Woman through August 18!

Watch the full #LiveAtFive interview below!