Video: Robyn Hurder Shares SMASH Pre-Show Rituals and Bringing Marilyn Monroe to Life

Tony nominee Robyn Hurder is back on Broadway in Smash, the highly anticipated musical based on the NBC television series about the making of a musical. In the show-within-the-show, Hurder takes on the iconic figure of Marilyn Monroe, a character that she admits requires extensive preparation.

"I have to get to the theater two hours beforehand," the star shared on a recent visit to The View. "I have to start with a 20-minute vocal warmup, I do a 25-minute dance/cardio workout...then it's doing my makeup, getting the wig on, stretching out... It takes so much prep," she says, admitting that she also runs through the entire opening number by herself in her dressing room due to its difficulty. 

Hurder says the role is a dream come true and told a story about how the project connects to a tattoo that she got on her wrist after receiving an early rejection for Nini in Moulin Rouge! "I told my husband, 'I want to get some stars to remind myself to not let anyone take away your sparkle and that one day I will be a star,'" she recalled. "That was seven years ago, and it was already manifesting!" Smash is now in previews at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway, with an opening night set for April 10. Watch the full interview with Hurder here.

Smash features a score by Tony, Emmy and two-time Grammy winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote over two dozen songs for the television show, many of which will be used in the musical, in addition to new material they have written for the stage. With a book by two of Broadway’s most seasoned craftsmen, four-time Tony nominee Rick Elice and Tony winner Bob Martin, Emmy-winning and Tony-nominated choreographer Joshua Bergasse, who choreographed the television series, reprises his role for the stage adaptation.

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