Warning: This article contains spoilers for the series finale ofYounger.
Youngerhas come of age.
We chatted with Foster about saying goodbye to the show and how she felt about Liza’s ending.
Sutton Foster on ‘Younger’.Nicole Rivelli/2021 ViacomCBS
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How are you feeling now the last episode is out there?
It’s this wonderful thing.
It really is genuine.
Sutton Foster and Peter Hermann on ‘Younger’.Nicole Rivelli/2021 ViacomCBS
We really do like love each other.
I love everybody so much, and I’ll just miss all the goofiness.
I had just come off of doingBunheads, which was Amy Sherman-Palladino’s ABC Family show.
Sutton Foster and Peter Hermann on ‘Younger’.Nicole Rivelli/2021 ViacomCBS, Inc.
I was still reading young I was 39.
I thought maybe I could pull this off.
I could hear myself saying the lines, and I liked that it was about a woman reinventing herself.
I felt like I was doing that at the same time because I was in L.A.
It felt like the right fit.
I auditioned and was really going for it.
I really wanted this job.
Are we going to buy it?"
I remember turning to my husband going, “I think it’s working!”
He was like, “I think so too!”
This show was a slow burn.
We didn’t come out of the gate as this hit show.
We had a soft opening.
Then it grew and we grew viewership as the show went on.
I think in many ways that to our advantage because we never got ahead of the show.
People are still discovering it.
I love being a part of the little engine that could.
I think that’s also why the environment of the show just stayed a super-healthy environment.
Obviously Darren Star is a TV legend.
Did working with him surpass your expectations of how it would be?
It’s so crazy because you’re like, Darren Star!
and then you meet him and he’s just a normal guy.
Did you text Darren and let him know?"
I just never think to.
He doesn’t need me to say, “Good job!”
My husband’s like, “Being a writer, I think he would appreciate it.”
It’s fantastic."
Darren would always write me back and be like, “Oh my gosh, thank you, Sutton.
That means so much.”
He wants someone to tell him he’s doing a good job too.
I think we all do.
He was a wonderful boss.
I felt like he never led us astray.
Every script and every story line felt true to the characters and always fun to do.
It was a dream.
And always so relevant.
The show did so well at staying ahead of the curve.
They really incorporated a lot of what was happening into the story lines, which was cool.
It all felt true.
It didn’t feel forced.
I was always impressed with the spoofs on all the books.
That helped them stay ahead a little bit.
Honestly, everyone was always trying to get me to pick a side.
I really never, never did.
I finally needed to see that through, so I was happy to see that happen.
I could never really choose.
I don’t think she ever even when she was with Charles, she was still confused.
I will say that I loved the way it ends.
I love that she has another moment with Charles.
I do think it’s super-rewarding.
It’s a perfect ending for the show.
Josh is the reason that Liza does all this stuff.
He was the catalyst.
How delighted were you with the very last scene being a throwback to Liza and Josh’s first meeting?
It was Nico’s last day, so emotions were already so high.
So Nico was a disaster.
He was bawling and we barely made it through.
It was a real gift to be able to go back.
Seven years ago we had just met each other, and so much has happened in our own lives.
It was a really special way to tie up that story.
When I read the script, I went, “Oh yeah, that’s it.”
It couldn’t end any other way.
Yup, just back at the bar where they met, waving a shoe at the bartender.
I think by season 7 it was a Prada shoe.
In season 1 it was a flip-flop or something; now she wears Prada.
That was what the whole show was about.
I was really impressed that the writers never lost sight of that.
And then that’s how it ends.
And I was like, “Yeah!
And same for Kelsey too.
I’m so glad her focus was her career and not some mediocre guy she was dating.
Yes, and that she’s going off to be the boss of her company.
I also love that Charles is now reinventing himself.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the writers' room.
They’re all super-passionate about these characters, and nothing is done without enormous debate.
What was the final scene you shot?
It was the musical in the finale.
That was our last day.
It was so cool to have Broadway people on the stage performing.
We were watching just being entertained.
There’s a nice “I love you moment,” at least.
I would go seeScammers: The Musical, though.
What’s your overall takeaway from this show?
And what do you hope is the message fans will take away from the series?
It’s never too late to reinvent yourself.
It’s never too late to start over.
It’s never too late to pursue your dreams.
That’s what I’ll remember.
It’ll always just be a very special part of my life.
