Smash's Megan Hilty on the New Ivy: Is She Heading Back to Bombshell?

When we first met Ivy (Megan Hilty), she was a ruthless Broadway chorus girl who'd do anything to get ahead. A drug problem, philandering boyfriend and major career upset later, Ivy's now returned to Smasha different woman.

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"It's funny, she goes through so much change in Season 2 to the point where she's even questioning whether or not she wants to stay in the business," Megan Hilty told TVGuide.com. But don't worry, Ivy fans, the diva will be on stage again soon!  "There are several different shows that come into play and she's a part of them," Hilty revealed.Unfortunately, one of those shows isn't Bombshell — at least for now. In the premiere, Karen (Katharine McPhee) had her former rival fired "to protect the work," but the new Marilyn seemed to immediately regret her actions. Does that mean it's possible Ivy could return? "There is a chance," Hilty teased. "You know nothing is set in stone until they open on Broadway."But even if Ivy and Karen aren't directly competing for Marilyn anymore, don't expect things to settle down between the pair. "It's really interesting how they figured out how to keep that roller coaster ride of a relationship going even though they kind of start to take different paths," Hilty said. "They do have some really fun and beautiful moments together, but they will always be pitted against each other professionally and sometimes personally."

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And now that Karen's the one with the career to protect, expect to see the former ingénue toughen up. While Karen doesn't go as far as the hyper-manipulative Ivy last season, Hilty reveals the Iowa girl "does have more of a backbone this season." Speaking of backbone — what the heck happened to Ivy's? Everyone's favorite bad girl seems to have lost her edge this season. While it is nice to see her more vulnerable, we don't watch Smash for moral inspiration. We watch it for the songs and drama! "It's always gonna be in there," Hilty said of Ivy's dark side, "but she's making a real big effort to turn things around and be seen in a different light."So while we sit around waiting for Ivy to find her inner bitch again, don't hold your breath for her inner addict to resurface. Last season's finale left off with the recently-demoted Ivy holding a handful of pills, considering an overdose (though as we all learned, it's not a good idea to end a musical with a suicide).

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We now know that Ivy never took the pills and has (far too easily) overcome her drug problem — and it's all thanks to Karen? "The way [Ivy] describes it ... she heard how fantastic [Karen was as Marilyn] and it made her think about how petty all of it was and how dramatic she was being. So it has a lot to do with Karen," Hilty said.Do you like the new Ivy or are you hoping for the bad girl to resurface?Smash airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.(Additional reporting by Kate Stanhope)