Entertainment

Blonde audition

Megan Hilty as Ivy Lynn

Megan Hilty as Ivy Lynn (Mark Seliger/NBC)

Art seems to be imitating art these days for “Smash” star Megan Hilty.

In the splashy television drama — which pulls the curtain back on the dirty business of Broadway — the 31-year-old theater veteran plays a second-generation musical actress vying for the coveted role of Marilyn Monroe in the gestational production of “Marilyn.”

And come Wednesday, Hilty will tackle another aspect of the legendary and tragic Hollywood bombshell’s career— playing airheaded gold digger Lorelei Lee in the Encores! production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” at New York City Center.

“I don’t know who came up with the idea [of casting me], but it was offered a few months ago,” says Hilty, dressed for rehearsals in a bubble-gum pink hoodie, with her golden hair pulled in a ponytail.

“And I was totally onboard because it’s one of my favorite musicals,” she chirps before carefully downplaying the mega-meta moment of slipping into the skin of Monroe in two simultaneous incarnations.

“The two roles are very different because in ‘Smash’ I’m playing Ivy Lynn playing Marilyn, and in this one, I’m playing Lorelei Lee, who was played by Marilyn,” she says.

Wrap your head around that one!

The Lorelei Lee role was played by Carol Channing in the 1949 stage production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” but was cemented in pop culture history when Monroe portrayed the showgirl in the 1953 film adaptation.

The movie’s most famous song, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” later inspired Madonna’s retro “Material Girl” video.

The performances — one of three annual Encores! presentations — will have a seven-show run, culminating May 13. Being tapped to participate is a virtual rite of passage for stage actors. Past participants have included Nathan Lane, Sutton Foster and Hilty’s “Smash” co-star and Debra Messing paramour Will Chase.

“It’s very prestigious, and an honor to be a part of it,” gushes the first-timer.

And to think, the Washington state native doing Marilyn double time didn’t care much for the tragic star as a kid. “I actually grew up thinking it was so cliché for blondes to love Marilyn,” explains the cutie. “But that is before I knew who she was.”

Hilty read the memoirs of one of Monroe’s former husbands, playwright Arthur Miller, which revealed the many layers of the tragic screen siren.

“I came across the part about their extremely tumultuous relationship and became fascinated by her,” she says.

Hilty’s own love life has attracted less attention — until now. For years, she dated “Once” star Steve Kazee, but has recently been linked to her 19-year-old “Smash” guest star Nick Jonas. The teen idol told E! that the two are “just friends.”

It seems unlikely the actress even has time for dating these days, as she gets set to put her own stamp on Lorelei — distinct from the performances of both Monroe and Channing.

Hilty, who starred in “Wicked” and “9 to 5” on Broadway, admits she’s nervous to make it her own, but points out that she’s made a living out of stepping into roles made famous by other women.

“Kristin Chenoweth made Glinda famous and Dolly Parton made Doralee iconic. Norma Jeane [Baker] made [her alterego Marilyn] Monroe iconic. A long time ago, I realized that I’m not going to please everyone,” she says, adding that with her newfound fame has come with sometimes unkind opinions.

“I get a lot of comments on my weight. I was sitting with a friend, and some guy came up and said, ‘Congratulations on losing all that weight,’” she says with a good-natured giggle. “I said that I hadn’t lost any weight, but he insisted, ‘No you’re much thinner in person.’ I literally said, ‘What a strange thing to say to a woman.’ This is what you get when you have a normal-sized person on television,” says the 5-foot-3 performer, who embraces her natural curves.

“Marilyn had a real woman’s body,” Hilty proclaims.

Whether Hilty’s Ivy will be the one to go on filling out Monroe’s most memorable costumes on “Smash” is to be decided with the season finale, airing May 14, a day after she wraps up her Encores! run. She’s up against the superstar Rebecca Duvall, played by Uma Thurman, and the ingenue Karen, played by Katharine McPhee.

But it won’t matter to Hilty, because her dream roles are born in the mind of Stephen Sondheim.

“I want to play Mrs. Lovett in ‘Sweeney Todd,’” she says with a hopeful grin. “And the witch in ‘Into the Woods.’ ”