Let me tell you something you might not expect: Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster were spotted at an In-N-Out Burger in San Fernando, California. Now, this isn’t just any casual hangout. These two costarred on Broadway in The Music Man, and they arrived at the fast-food spot in a Range Rover. Here’s the kicker—they kissed passionately in a parking garage after getting out of the car. It’s a moment that speaks volumes about where they are in their lives right now.

Here’s the thing: Hugh, 56, and Sutton, 49, didn’t take this lightly. Out of respect for their families, it’s taken them a long time to go public with their love. Their connection began during the 2022 to 2023 run of their Broadway show. A few months after it ended, Hugh made the tough decision to file for divorce from Deborra-Lee Furness, the mom of his two adult children and his wife of 27 years. That’s not a decision anyone makes easily, trust me.

A little over a year later, Sutton and her husband, screenwriter Ted Griffin, with whom she shares a daughter, Emily, 7, decided to part ways. It’s clear that both of them were ready for changes in their lives. “Hugh and Sutton were both ready for changes,” an insider exclusively tells Closer. “Unfortunately, sacrifices had to be made. They did give up a lot, but they feel that time will reveal that it was worth it.”

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Let’s be real here: this relationship is not a fling for either of them. They’re in it for the long haul. “It’s tough navigating the end of a marriage and the start of a new romance, but Sutton’s clearly in love with him. You can see it in her face and body language,” says the insider. “Hugh is harder to read because he always wants everyone to be happy, but it’s an exciting time for him.”

Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster: A Broadway Bond

Both Hugh and Sutton have found incredible success in films and television, but their hearts belong to the stage. Sutton recently starred in a revival of Once Upon a Mattress, and she explains her love for live theater: “I love the challenges of live theater. I love collaborating with others. It’s a special kind of magic that happens on stage.”

Hugh shares that sentiment. “People always ask me, ‘What do you prefer, the theater or movies?’” he says. “And I always say, ‘I love them both. But if you had to give me one, it would be the theater.’” There’s something about the immediacy of theater that speaks to their souls.

Sutton Foster Hugh Jackman — Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

It’s no surprise that these two Broadway veterans have known each other casually for years. In 2002, when Sutton starred in her breakthrough role in Thoroughly Modern Millie — earning comparisons to a young Carol Burnett and Mary Tyler Moore — Hugh visited her backstage. They remained friendly acquaintances until they teamed up to play Harold Hill and Marian Paroo in a revival of The Music Man. The show opened on February 10, 2022, after being delayed by the COVID outbreak.

“He’s now become one of my best friends, which was a surprise because you usually go into these things thinking, ‘Well, I hope we get along,’” said Sutton later that summer. “We just spent Memorial Day with our families. It’s really fun to meet new friends after 40.”

Starting Over: Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster’s New Lives

Neither of them expected to fall in love. Hugh and Deborra-Lee enjoyed one of Hollywood’s longest marriages, meeting on the set of an Australian TV show and tying the knot in 1996. Sutton thought she’d found her happy ending with Ted, a screenwriter responsible for 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven, with whom she adopted daughter Emily in 2017.

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“Hugh and Sutton are good people who didn’t want to hurt anyone,” says the insider. “But I think both Deborra-Lee and Ted were blindsided. They were all close friends, and Hugh and Sutton certainly had chemistry — but who knows who knew what.”

There have been heartbreaking truths shared and many tears shed over the past two years. “Breaking up with Deborra-Lee was one of the hardest conversations Hugh’s ever had,” says the insider, adding that the couple’s marriage had been on the rocks for some time. Still, “Hugh misses her dearly. He misses their conversations, her smile, her playfulness, her sense of humor, the supportive way she always treated him, and her positive outlook on life.”

In recent months, they’ve not been in touch very much. “Hugh and Deborra-Lee are trying to be amicable, but she’s still hurt,” says the insider. “They’ve been a couple and best friends for decades, but Deborra-Lee needs her space. She and Hugh have decided not to communicate for now unless it has something to do with the children.”

Deborra-Lee admits it’s been an adjustment but calls herself “strong and resilient.” “Change, transition, evolution is a little frightening, and we are all a bit scared of it,” she says, “but I think it is probably our greatest gift.”

The couple’s kids, Oscar, 24, and Ava, 20, are trying to stay neutral because they love their father, but it’s hard. “They’re handling it OK, but they’re also heartbroken for their mom,” says the insider, calling the divorce “devastating” for the entire family.

Sutton, meanwhile, has also made difficult decisions, including selling the 1895 Dutch colonial in Tuxedo Park, New York, that she once called her “forever home” in her divorce from Ted. “Sutton will get primary custody of their daughter, Emily, but Ted will co-parent,” explains the insider, noting that Emily has already changed schools. “Sutton is a great mom, so I’m sure she is handling the changes in Emily’s life very carefully.”

Explaining it all to her daughter has been incredibly tough, but Sutton wants to be honest with Emily. She has always wanted to be a role model for her daughter. “I want to be there for her,” says Sutton, “and I also want to be an example of someone who’s living her dream.”