‘Smash’ star Robyn Hurder dances her way through dual roles of Ivy Lynn and Marilyn Monroe: ‘This is the top of the mountain for me’

Let her be your star! Robyn Hurder has been blazing a trail on New York stages for 20 years with celebrated turns in shows like A Chorus Line, Chicago, and Moulin Rouge! Now, the Tony-nominated actress is tackling her biggest role to date in Smash, the Broadway adaptation of the NBC series. Hurder sat down with Gold Derby to discuss how this production demands the use of every skill she has honed in her storied career.

Gold Derby: Marilyn Monroe is a central figure in Smash, and I heard that you are a long time admirer of her. Do you remember what it was about her that first captivated you?

Robyn Hurder: I think it was actually Madonna’s “Material Girl.” And my family was like, oh, she's doing Marilyn Monroe. And I think that was the first image I had in my head of this gorgeous blonde who was just floating, just floating through men in this beauty. And every angle was so perfect and I fell in love with the song. But really it's all kind of a blur. She's always been an inspiration to me. In my college dorm, I had her photos. I had them up in my childhood room, but I mean, I had postcards of all of her iconic photos on my walls. She was always burned into my whole aura, and then I just started using her as inspiration.

Your role is quite meta. You're playing actress Ivy Lynn, who is cast as Marilyn, but then goes super method and becomes Marilyn. So how do you make those character distinctions in your performance?

It actually takes the pressure off me a little bit because I think people have been waiting to see Marilyn Monroe on Broadway, and that's very daunting. That's very intimidating because she is the most iconic, fabulous female of our time. And it was really important for me not to do an impression of her. I didn't want this to look like it was a Vegas moment or anything like that. I wanted to encapsulate her sensuality, her energy, her whole vibe, the way she spoke, her mannerisms, the way she moved her mouth. I took all those little things, but I reminded myself: "you're Robyn Hurder, who's playing Ivy Lynn, who's playing Marilyn Monroe." So you get more freedom that way and more leeway, and it's made it really fun for me. It's released some of that pressure because I'm like, alright, I'm basically Robyn on stage when I'm Ivy Lynn. She's very empathetic, she's strong, she's the hardest worker. People want to work with her because of her heart. She's a good person, she's a leader. And I kind of look at myself the same way. I feel like I relate a lot to Ivy. The one thing that I think is different is that Ivy went cuckoo and she got this book and she just went completely deep end with this method book. Robyn Hurder as an actress would never, ever do that.

You are in an incredible cast of comedians. What is your favorite part of volleying with the likes of Brooks Ashmanskas or Kristine Nielsen?

There are so many moments. I really love the "Mambo" montages where we're going through the rehearsal days because that's where you really see the progression of Marilyn, of Ivy going deeper and deeper into Marilyn as time is passing, but also it's all timing and that's what comedy is. It's so fun every night, it's class to me. Brooks and Kristine Nielsen are literally my little masterclasses I get every single night because they are comedic masters. I'm a goober in real life. People are like, Robyn's funny, but I've never really had a moment to exercise it on stage and this is a playground for me. I love it so much. However, it is hard because Brooks is so funny and he has these beautiful blue eyes...and one little twist in the eye and we're like, 'keep it together! Keep it together!' But it's incredible.

You've performed many principal roles on Broadway before, but Ivy feels like the biggest role you’ve ever originated. How does this experience feel different for you?

Every single day I wake up and I'm like, okay, we're going to do this show again. It’s so incredibly hard, but I'm so grateful and I'm so proud of myself because this is the top of the mountain for me. This is a new invention, if a gal who likes to sing, dance, and act, it's like, here you go! There's nothing like it out there. And I don't think I'll ever do anything close to this because it's too hard. And I'm not getting any younger. I've been climbing. I've been on Broadway for 20 years this month and I've just been working to get up to this point, and it's exactly what I would want. Even though this role wasn't written when I made my Broadway debut 20 years ago and I said one day I'm going to be a Broadway star. I had no idea this was going to be it, but it couldn't get any better than me getting to show the world singing and dancing and acting and being a comedian. There's nothing else more than this moment. And I'm very, very proud of myself that I worked this hard to get there.

Every production number in Smash feels like a high energy workout. During “Let's Be Bad,” you're belting like crazy while the ensemble is throwing you through the air. How do you sustain yourself for a number like that?

I have to compartmentalize. Even though I'm trying to do my through line of Ivy Lynn as Marilyn, this whole crazy arc, it's like I'm in a marathon and I have my markers. Because when I'm not on stage, I'm backstage changing. And that's a whole other choreographed show that sometimes might be even more difficult than what I'm doing on stage because sometimes changes are like 11 seconds. But I have to just do it one moment at a time. I have to keep extreme focus because I've choreographed every single breath between a word or a dance step. You have to choreograph every single breath to keep oxygen going into your muscles and to sustain six minutes of dancing. You have to pace yourself and it’s such a process.

Dance has clearly been a core part of who you are as an artist. What is it about that specific form of expression that speaks to you?

When I was a really little girl, I was like three, and my Mom saw me. I wouldn't stop dancing around the house. And it actually drove her so crazy that by the time I was six, she just threw me in a dance school. And she's like, all she does is dance, and it's crazy. Just organize it. So this is something that I think clearly I was born to do...I mean, I was the girl at four years old at the family restaurant and if a band was playing, I was up on the dance floor dancing by myself. Then no joke, I'd go to people for tips. I saw Cats and I was like, I want to do that when I grow up. And that's when I really took dance very seriously. And then once I saw Damn Yankees, my first Broadway show with Bebe Neuwirth, I was like, alright, all bets are off. This is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. There's no changing. And I never ever changed my mind. I was hyper-focused from that moment on. And obviously dance was where I started. That was my comfort. And then it just went up from there.

Is there a dance role that you've yet to perform that you still have on your bucket list?

When I saw Bebe Neuwirth come up out of that elevator [in Damn Yankees]...I was just like, I really would love to play Lola in Damn Yankees...But I am really enjoying being a comedian and singing and maybe giving you a leg. I'm 43 years old and, knocking on wood, I'm feeling great. I don't feel like I'm 25 anymore, but I am very, very content with my dance career. And I would love to just move more towards, let's just belt a bunch of funny songs and make people laugh and make people feel good! And then maybe I'll do a chaîné and whack my face.

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