Stephanie Hsu Received Susan Sarandon’s Blessing for ROCKY HORROR Role

Stephanie Hsu is taking on one of musical theater’s most iconic roles in the hit Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show. The actress is currently impressing audiences as Janet Weiss in the Sam Pinkleton-directed production, earning her first Tony nomination in the process. 

During a visit to TODAY, she also shared that she received a “soft, little blessing” from perhaps the most famous Janet of all, Susan Sarandon, who played her in the film version. “I met her at a play and I went up to her and I was like, ‘I’m so sorry, I never do this but I’m Stephanie and—’ and before I even finished my sentence, she cut me off and was like, ‘You’re about to be me,'” Hsu recalled, calling Sarandon a “legend.” 

In honor of API Heritage Month, Hsu noted her inspirations growing up, citing actors Lucy Liu and Sandra Oh and playwright David Henry Hwang. Also during her morning show appearance, the performer taught the hosts one of the show’s callbacks, a fan-favorite tradition that remains integral to Rocky Horror’s identity as a cult classic. Check out her interview now.

Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show has received nine Tony nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Choreography, and Best Scenic, Costume, Lighting, and Sound Designs, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical for Hsu, Best Actress in a Featured Role for Rachel Dratch, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Luke Evans. Check out the full list of nominations here.

Tony Award-winner Sam Pinkleton’s revival of The Rocky Horror Show is now running at Studio 54. The production opened officially on Thursday, April 23, 2026 and was extended with performances now scheduled through Sunday, November 29, 2026. Read the reviews for the production. 

The cast includes Rachel Dratch as “Narrator,” Andrew Durand as “Brad,” Luke Evans as “Frank-N-Furter,” Amber Gray as “Riff Raff,” Harvey Guillén as “Eddie / Dr. Scott,” Stephanie Hsu as “Janet,” Juliette Lewis as “Magenta,” Josh Rivera as “Rocky,” and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez as “Columbia.” The cast also includes Renée Albulario, Anania, Boy Radio, Caleb Quezon, Andres Quintero, Larkin Reilly, Paul Soileau, and John Yi.