Sutton Foster has revealed the simple act that she and Hugh Jackman would do each night before taking the stage together in the revival of The Music Man.
In a resurfaced interview on Live With Kelly and Ryan from 2022, Foster, 49, said she and the Aussie actor took part in an intimate pre-show ritual called ‘carpet chat’.
She explained: ‘We hang out in my dressing room before every show and just catch up.’
‘Somehow we ended up sitting, maybe because my dressing room’s a mess, but we sit on the carpet.’
She said this private moment was a ‘wonderful thing’ that brought them closer and helped turn them into ‘really good friends’.
‘That’s been one of the best parts of the whole thing, that I’ve made this wonderful new friend,’ Foster said.
Jackson and Foster also 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.
Foster and Jackman finally went public with their relationship earlier this month.
The couple were seen locking lips beside their car at an In-N-Out burger restaurant in San Fernando, Los Angeles.
Jackman – who split from his wife of 27 years Deborra-lee in September 2023, embraced Foster as she stroked his face.
Their outing comes after the Logan star attended a performance of Foster’s production of Once Upon A Mattress in Los Angeles and the pair were seen holding hands on a date in Santa Monica.
Foster filed for an uncontested divorce from her husband Ted Griffin in October of last year.
She had been married to the 53-year-old Ocean’s screenwriter for 10 years.
Foster and Jackman have been beset in recent months by rumours that an affair between the two scuttled their marriages.
Fans had remarked on how close they appeared to be in their off-stage interactions while they appeared together in The Music Man.
Furness seemed to lend credence to the rumours when she liked an Instagram post in October from a gossip blogger who claimed that her husband was ‘running off with the mistress’ and planning a ‘soft launch’ of their relationship, according to Us Weekly.
A source told DailyMail.com in October that Furness had her suspicions of an affair, but she was still ‘blindsided when she found out’.
They described the romance as ‘Broadway’s worst-kept secret,’ adding that ‘Deborra-Lee was the last to know.’
According to a RadarOnline report, Furness was particularly upset over the behaviour of Jackman’s close friend Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively because they allegedly ‘kept quiet’.
‘They kept their lips sealed out of loyalty to Hugh,’ a source claimed to the publication.
‘Now she is seething with rage over being the last to know, Deb feels blindsided. She has a memory like a steel trap and isn’t afraid to use it.
‘Debs feels cheated by all three because someone could have told her what was happening and they all chose to keep their mouths shut,’ they added.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Furness and Reynolds’ representatives at the time for comment.
Following Jackman and Furness’ split, the former couple shared a statement addressing the breakup.
‘We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth,’ they announced.
‘Our family has been and always will be our highest priority,’ they continued. ‘We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.’
