It is a weird thing, right? Watching a woman who is clearly in her 40s try to convince a room full of Brooklyn hipsters that she just graduated from college. If you've ever fallen down the rabbit hole of the hit TV Land (and later Paramount+) series, you've probably asked yourself: who plays Liza on Younger, and how on earth did she make that lie feel so believable for seven whole seasons?
The short answer is Sutton Foster. But the long answer is a lot more interesting than just a name on a call sheet.
The Broadway Legend Taking a TV Gamble
When Darren Star—the mastermind behind Sex and the City—decided to adapt Pamela Redmond Satran’s novel, he didn't go for a typical Hollywood starlet. He went to the theater. Sutton Foster is basically royalty on Broadway. We’re talking two-time Tony Award winner. She’s the person people pay hundreds of dollars to see belt out showstoppers in Thoroughly Modern Millie or Anything Goes.
Foster was cast as Liza Miller in late 2013. At the time, she was actually 39, almost exactly the same age as her character. It was a brave move. Most actresses in their late 30s are trying to look 25 for real; Sutton was doing it as a plot point.
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Honestly, the show shouldn't have worked. The premise—a 40-year-old divorcée from New Jersey fakes being 26 to get an entry-level publishing job—sounds like a recipe for a cringey sitcom. But Foster brought this specific, frantic "I’m drowning but I’m smiling" energy that made you root for her. You wanted her to get away with it. You wanted her to keep the hot tattoo artist boyfriend, Josh (Nico Tortorella), even though the age gap was a ticking time bomb.
Why Who Plays Liza on Younger Matters for the Show’s Soul
The genius of casting Sutton Foster wasn't just her talent; it was her face. She has this incredibly expressive, elastic way of moving. When she’s around her boss Diana Trout (Miriam Shor) or her best friend Maggie (Debi Mazar), she looks like a woman who has seen some things. She looks like a mom. But then she’d put on a snapback or a weirdly expensive flannel shirt, hang out with Kelsey (Hilary Duff), and her whole vibe would shift.
It wasn't about looking like a flawless 26-year-old. It was about the performance of being 26.
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The Age Controversy
Let’s be real for a second. Some fans on Reddit and Twitter have spent years arguing that Foster didn't look 26. And they’re right! She didn't. But that was kinda the point of the show, wasn't it? The satire lies in the fact that people in the corporate world are so obsessed with "youth" and "relevance" that if you wear the right shoes and use the right slang, they don't even see the crows' feet. They see what they want to see.
Sutton’s Real-Life "Second Act"
Interestingly, Sutton Foster has talked about how much she related to Liza’s struggle. Before Younger, she’d done a show called Bunheads that was critically loved but got canceled way too soon. She felt like she was at a crossroads. Coming back to TV at 40 to play a woman starting over? That’s art imitating life in the most stressful way possible.
Beyond the Lie: The Cast That Made It Work
You can't talk about Sutton without mentioning the people she was lying to. The chemistry between Foster and Hilary Duff is what actually kept the show grounded. It turned from a show about a lie into a show about female friendship.
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- Hilary Duff (Kelsey Peters): The "actual" 20-something who became Liza's work-wife.
- Debi Mazar (Maggie): The only one who knew the truth from day one.
- Peter Hermann (Charles): The silver-fox boss who made the "lie" much more complicated when romance entered the chat.
The Actionable Truth About Younger
If you’re just starting the series or re-watching it in 2026, keep an eye on how Sutton’s physicality changes. In the early seasons, she’s trying so hard to be "young." By the final season, she’s much more comfortable in her own skin, regardless of what the birth certificate says.
What you should do next:
If you want to see the "real" Sutton Foster, go watch clips of her 2011 Tony performance of Anything Goes. Seeing her tap dance for eight minutes straight while singing perfectly will make you realize why she was able to pull off the marathon of lies that was Liza Miller's life. It takes a certain kind of stamina to pretend to be someone else for seven years, and Foster is the only one who could have made us believe it.
The show wrapped in 2021, but the "Liza Miller" effect is still a massive topic in discussions about ageism in the workplace. Sutton Foster didn't just play a character; she started a conversation about why we’re so afraid of getting older in the first place.
Check out her studio albums like Wish or Take Me to the World if you want to hear her voice without the "millennial" filter. It’s a good reminder that while Liza was a fake, Sutton’s talent is about as real as it gets.