The "Younger" cast features plenty of well-known faces from Broadway and TV -- and we bet you'll
be shocked to find out where you've seen them all before.
Sutton Foster plays Liza Miller on "Younger," the show's central character. If you're a
fan of musical theater, you probably already know all about Foster's impressive stage resume.
Her career really took off in 2000 when she starred as Millie in "Thoroughly Modern Millie."
She went on to star in numerous other stage productions including "Funny Girl," "Chess,"
"Little Women," "Shrek the Musical," and "Anything Goes."
In 2021, prior to pandemic-related Broadway closures, she was set to star in a revival
of "The Music Man". As she told Shondaland, it would be her first return to the stage
since 2014.
If you aren't a fan of theater, you may still recognize Foster from her TV work. In 2012,
she starred as Michelle in the short-lived ABC series "Bunheads." As Foster told BuzzFeed
News, "Younger" was the perfect project to take its place. Speaking about the similarities
between Liza and her "Bunheads" role, she said,
"What was great about Michelle Simms on 'Bunheads' is she was holding on to her lost youth and
so I understood what that way. In a way, with this character, playing someone who is revisiting
her youth ... was something that I could understand and wanted to explore."
Hilary Duff is perhaps one of the most recognizable faces on "Younger." She plays Kelsey Peters,
a young editor who befriends Liza when she joins the ranks at Empirical Publishing.
Just about everyone with a television set will know about Duff thanks to her career-defining
turn as Lizzie McGuire on the Disney Channel. She then released a series of pop albums,
and starred in films like "A Cinderella Story," "Cheaper By The Dozen," and "Cadet Kelly"
in the early 2000s.
Duff's acting career continued on with a recurring role in "Gossip Girl" as Olivia Burke and
guest roles in "Community," "Two and a Half Men," and "Law & Order."
It's safe to say that Younger marked Duff's second-biggest role to date. As Duff told
Time, it wasn't easy for her to break away from Lizzie McGuire. She said,
"There's definitely a stereotype because of my past, starting so young and people growing
up with me."
By the sound of things, Duff has managed to move to a new phase of her career thanks to
"Younger." In 2021, she was announced as the star of the "How I Met Your Mother" spinoff,
"How I Met Your Father."
Nico Tortorella stars as Josh on "Younger," a hot young tattoo artist who becomes a major
love interest for Liza.
Viewers may remember Tortorella as Jacob from "The Following," as Trevor from "Scream 4,"
or as Felix from "The Walking Dead: World Beyond."
In addition to their roles on screen, Tortorella has also made headlines for identifying as
gender fluid, polyamorous, and using they/them pronouns.
As they explained to Attitude in 2020, they met their wife in college and the pair have
supported each other as they both explored their sexualities.
They're also the author of a book of poetry called "All of It Is You." They said in an
interview with "Byrdie,"
"The book is about falling in love with yourself in its entirety — the good, the bad, and
everything in between."
Peter Hermann plays Charles Brooks on Younger, the head of Empirical Publishing and the older,
more sensible love interest for Liza.
Hermann has enjoyed a long career; he landed his first professional role in 1997 as Dr.
Michael Burke in "Guiding Light." He then went on to appear in many other TV shows,
including "Bored to Death," "Law & Order: SVU," and "Blue Bloods."
Despite his steady career, Hermann hasn't always felt secure as an actor. As he told
Fox News,
"I think because we're all, I think, sort of vaguely traumatized by the long audition
process and so many 'nos' that we have gotten throughout our career, we've developed a pretty
thick skin [...] But we just keep on trucking along."
Miriam Shor plays Liza's boss and Empirical's Head of Marketing, Diana Trout.
Shor may not immediately look all that familiar, but as fans of musical theater will know,
she made history as the original Yitzhak in the off-Broadway production of "Hedwig and
the Angry Inch". She also reprised the role for the film.
As Shor told the Chicago Tribune, her theatrical training helped her embody the role of Diana,
particularly when it comes to the importance of costuming in defining a character. She
said,
“Coming from the theater, I’ve always felt that on such a basic level. You literally
figure out what shoes your character is going to wear, because it changes how you move through
the world. [...] I’ve worn some incredibly heavy jewelry for this character and I’ve
bled and I’ve been bruised just because it’s so right for Diana.”
Talk about suffering for your art.
In 2019, Shor directed an episode of "Younger," which marked another big step in her career.
As she told Harper's Bazaar, the confidence she has to bring to Diana's character actually
helped her take the leap.
On "Younger," Debi Mazar plays Liza's old friend and roommate, Maggie, a queer artist
from Brooklyn who lives a decidedly bohemian lifestyle.
Mazar couldn't be better cast in the role. In fact, she's well-known for playing similarly
acerbic and bold New Yorkers.
After working as a dancer in music videos for the likes of Madonna and The Doors, Mazar
got her first big break on screen in Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas." She went on to star
in films like "Empire Records" and the TV shows "Singles" and "Entourage," as well as
several Spike Lee joints.
As Mazar explained to NYCGo.com, Maggie felt like the perfect role for her. She revealed
that she took some inspiration for the part from a real-life friend of hers named Yvonne
who unfortunately passed away before production on "Younger" began. Mazar recalled,
"She was a beautiful, Cuban lesbian who was an artist and the most incredible dresser
[...] I channeled her every morning on my way to the studio."
Molly Bernard plays Lauren on "Younger," the young, social media-obsessed friend of Kelsey.
Bernard may not be a household name, but she's certainly not new to acting; she landed her
first role in 2000 as Molly in "Pay It Forward." Since then, she's appeared in "The Intern,"
"Transparent," and "Chicago Med."
The actress is the granddaughter of Joseph Bernard, an actor who operated his own acting
school, with whom she began studying at the tender age of 6. Bernard went on to continue
her studies at Yale Drama School.
For Bernard, "Younger" was a huge surprise, with her winsome performance helping to elevate
her character from a recurring role to the main cast. We have to say, we can't imagine
anyone else filling her shoes!
In 2017, Charles Michael Davis joined the cast of "Younger" as Zane, a young editor
who becomes Kelsey's competitor and love interest.
Davis will be a familiar face for fans of "The Vampire Diaries" spin-off "The Originals,"
on which he played Marcel. You might also remember Davis as Blair from "Chicago P.D.,"
as Dr. Jason Myers from "Grey's Anatomy," or as Kwan from "The Game."
It turns out, Davis might just fit a certain type. As he told Assignment X, his character
on "The Originals" is, quote, "charming and diabolical and he has a lot of tricks up his
sleeve." Is it just us or could that also be a description of his character on "Younger?"
Luckily for Davis, he got to play these two charming young men at the same time. As he
shared with Collider,
"It's just a trip for me, being an actor and going from one series to the other, in between
breaks. I'm a series regular on two different shows, which is really cool because I remember
when I wasn't a regular on anything."
It would be pretty hard to have a television in 2021 and not recognize Phoebe Dynevor.
Shortly after appearing on "Younger" as Josh's Irish love interest Clare, she went on to
star in Netflix's smash hit "Bridgerton" as Daphne. You may also recognize this actress
for her work in "Snatch," "The Village," or "Waterloo Road".
For Dynevor, "Bridgerton" was a life-changing role, but she never got to experience the
fame that came with that first season due to pandemic-related lockdowns. She confessed
to Glamour,
"I still don't quite believe the show is as big a success as it is."
While she didn't get to revel on red carpets, she got straight back to work after "Bridgerton"
with the final season of "Younger" -- which was of course filmed according to strict COVID
safety protocols. She told Deadline,
"It was a really strange experience. I didn't see my character's new boyfriend's face until
we were filming a scene together, which was really bizarre."
Tessa Albertson plays Caitlin on "Younger," Liza's college-aged daughter.
"Younger" is probably Albertson's biggest role to date, although she has appeared in
"The Good Wife," "Law & Order," and "Instinct."
Fans of Sutton Foster have probably come across her before. It turns out, Albertson played
the teen version of Fiona in "Shrek the Musical" on Broadway back in 2009, alongside the woman
who plays her mother in "Younger" — Foster played the adult version of Fiona. It's pretty
adorable to think that "Younger" saw these two reuniting after working together years
earlier.
Albertson also appeared in an episode of "Generation" on HBO Max in 2021 — we can't wait to see
what else she does next!
Chris Tardio plays the lovable plumber Enzo who eventually marries Diana on "Younger."
Tardio is pretty much perfect for the role of the Italian-American Enzo; in fact, he
has a long history of playing Italian New Yorkers.
His very first role in 2000 was as Sean in "The Sopranos." Tardio then appeared in several
well-known New York-based shows including "Sex and the City," "Law & Order," and "CSI:
NY."
One of Tardio's biggest roles was in the 2015 Marvel series "Daredevil," in which he played
Detective Blake. After that, he appeared on "Ray Donovan" and then, of course, "Younger."
Acting isn't the only thing that takes up Tardio's time. He also pursues writing, painting,
and photography. In 2020, Tardio presented an exhibition of his photography work. Talk
about a multi-talented guy.
Lauren Benanti joined the cast of "Younger" as the billionaire Quinn Tyler. While she
may not be everyone's favorite character, it's hard to fault Benanti's performance.
"I didn't get into the three-comma-club by helping other people realize their dreams."
"That's not exactly the rallying cry I expected." "Rallies don't work."
You've probably come across Benanti before in other roles. On screen, she's taken on
guest parts in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "The Good Wife," "Nashville," and "Supergirl."
You may also remember Benanti for her portrayal of Elsa in the 2013 live TV broadcast of "The
Sound of Music", or for her comedic portrayal of Melania Trump in sketches on "The Late
Show with Stephen Colbert."
"My fellow Americans…"
Of course, Broadway fans will also know Benanti as a star of the stage. Her credits include
Maria in "The Sound of Music," Cinderella in "Into the Woods," Claudia in "Nine," Eliza
in "My Fair Lady," and more.
She also told Broadway World in 2019 that she's shooting several movies, and excited
about the future. Sounds like we'll be seeing a lot more of her after "Younger."
Dan Amboyer appeared in the first few seasons of "Younger" as Thad, Kelsey's boyfriend.
After Thad's death, he reappeared as Thad's twin, Chad.
While "Younger" is probably Amboyer's biggest screen role to date, you may also remember
him from the popular 2011 Hallmark movie "William & Catherine: A Royal Romance," in which he
portrayed the future king, Prince William. The actor has also appeared in a few theatrical
productions over the years.
But these days, Amboyer seems to be focusing more on directing. He spoke to Playbill in
2019 after making his directorial debut with off-Broadway play "Whirlwind," telling the
outlet, "I've never been so nervous for a first preview in my life."
Michael Urie plays Redmond on "Younger," the sassy author's agent who pops up periodically
throughout the show.
"I can sell Edward LL --" "Craigslist could sell him! Get over yourself."
You may recognize Urie for some of his other TV roles; most notably, he starred in "Ugly
Betty" for four years as Betty's nemesis, Marc St. James. He's also had ongoing roles
in "Partners" and "The Good Wife."
Urie is also well-known, like much of the "Younger" cast, for his stage work. His turn
as Arnold Beckoff in the Tony Award-winning "Torch Song" on Broadway is particularly popular
amongst theater fans. Urie also starred in the shows "How to Succeed in Business Without
Really Trying," "Celebrity Autobiography," "Pride Plays," and "Grand Horizons."
The actor has spoken out about the uniquely rewarding quality of performing on stage versus
acting on television. Speaking to Interview Magazine in 2017, the actor said,
"The theater is a place that doesn't always but can reward hard work and tenacity, unlike
television [...] I ended up on 'Ugly Betty' because it was a just a good match, not because
I'd earned it."
Whether he feels like he earned it or not, we're definitely glad he fit right into his
role on "Younger."
Jennifer Westfeldt appeared on "Younger" as Charles' ex-wife, Pauline. Initially, she
and Liza struck up a friendship as Liza was editing her book, but their friendship soured
when she found out about the budding relationship between Liza and her ex-husband.
Westfeldt may look familiar to many viewers as she's appeared in dozens of other films
and TV shows. Most notably, she starred in a series of her own films that she wrote and
acted in: "Friends with Kids," "Kissing Jessica Stein," and "Ira & Abby."
She also appeared in both "Grey's Anatomy" and "24". Like many of the other "Younger"
cast members, Westfeldt has also done her fair share of theater work in New York.
Until 2015, she was also in a relationship with Mad Men actor Jon Hamm, a celebrity pairing
that lasted nearly two decades before coming to an end.
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