Q&A with the Stars of Glee
Hundreds of Gleeks—avid fans of the hit TV show Glee—turned out for the stars' first Oprah Show appearance. In this Oprah.com exclusive, fans get answers to their burning questions. When will Sue Sylvester get her solo? Will Puck and Rachel rekindle their romance? Find out!
Q: Do any of you have a role model in your life—like Mr. Schuester—who encouraged you and believed in you?Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina): I think we all had role models who led us in the right direction. ... You can't stop, and you can't ever let anybody tell you that you can't do it until it's done.
Dianna Agron (Quinn): In school, my English professor was very encouraging of everything that any kid had to do, and it was so inspiring. Everybody goes and visits him again. And, then, I would say [show creator] Ryan Murphy for this ride. We would all say that. We can't call him Dad because he's not old enough.
Q: What was your favorite episode to shoot?
Amber Riley (Mercedes): It's really hard for us to remember what episode is what because ... we could be doing two or three episodes at one time. But the Madonna episode was really amazing.
Cory Monteith (Finn): Incredible.
Lea Michele (Rachel): And we're going to do an episode—a Lady Gaga episode—coming up too.
Q: Do any of you ever suggest your own material? Do you ever get to pick a song that you feel passionately about?
Amber: What you do is you hang around Ryan Murphy and start singing it a little bit, and if it sounds good, it may or may not get in the next script.
Q: I'm a sophomore theater major at Northwestern, and I was wondering if you had any advice for aspiring musical theater actresses.
Lea: Keep going. You don't stop. You go to school. You take classes. You do things you enjoy and you love, and you find what it is you love—if it's singing and dancing, if it's just singing, if it's acting. Find what you do best. If it's comedy or drama, if it's what you love, you go for it. ... I never did it to make money or to make anyone happy. I did it because it made me happy above anything else.
Amber: What you do is you hang around Ryan Murphy and start singing it a little bit, and if it sounds good, it may or may not get in the next script.
Q: I'm a sophomore theater major at Northwestern, and I was wondering if you had any advice for aspiring musical theater actresses.
Lea: Keep going. You don't stop. You go to school. You take classes. You do things you enjoy and you love, and you find what it is you love—if it's singing and dancing, if it's just singing, if it's acting. Find what you do best. If it's comedy or drama, if it's what you love, you go for it. ... I never did it to make money or to make anyone happy. I did it because it made me happy above anything else.
Q: For me it's refreshing to see someone who's not able-bodied, as it were, on TV. I'm curious about the reaction you've gotten from viewers in terms of your character [Artie].
Kevin McHale (Artie): I'll reference a story that happened last weekend. A woman came up to me and she was saying her 16-year-old son is in a wheelchair, and he became obsessed with the show. She's like, 'I started reading books after the 10th time [he watched] the pilot episode, because I was over it. ... Me being the mom, I couldn't figure out why he liked the show so much.' It was the first time that her 16-year-old son had seen somebody in a wheelchair, representing his people, on TV. He'd watch the show and be like: 'That's my boy. That's my boy.' That right there, that's what it's all about. We are all playing somebody that somebody can relate to, and it's great. I'm so honored and proud to play that part. And they do an incredible job writing it, and it's just fun to sit back and do what they say.
Q: I have a question for Jane Lynch. When are we going to hear you sing?
Jane Lynch (Sue): Well, my days of singing around Ryan Murphy directing episodes have paid off. I'm doing Madonna's "Vogue" video with Chris and Amber and Naya [Rivera] and Heather [Morris]. I also do "Let's Get Physical" with Olivia Newton-John.
Q: Do you guys incorporate your own experiences into certain scenes?
Chris Colfer (Kurt): The truth is, the storyline of "Defying Gravity," where Kurt wasn't allowed to sing [the solo because he's] a guy actually came from my high school experience, so it really just depends on who's near Ryan and who's talking to him. He incorporates whatever he hears into the writing.
Kevin McHale (Artie): I'll reference a story that happened last weekend. A woman came up to me and she was saying her 16-year-old son is in a wheelchair, and he became obsessed with the show. She's like, 'I started reading books after the 10th time [he watched] the pilot episode, because I was over it. ... Me being the mom, I couldn't figure out why he liked the show so much.' It was the first time that her 16-year-old son had seen somebody in a wheelchair, representing his people, on TV. He'd watch the show and be like: 'That's my boy. That's my boy.' That right there, that's what it's all about. We are all playing somebody that somebody can relate to, and it's great. I'm so honored and proud to play that part. And they do an incredible job writing it, and it's just fun to sit back and do what they say.
Q: I have a question for Jane Lynch. When are we going to hear you sing?
Jane Lynch (Sue): Well, my days of singing around Ryan Murphy directing episodes have paid off. I'm doing Madonna's "Vogue" video with Chris and Amber and Naya [Rivera] and Heather [Morris]. I also do "Let's Get Physical" with Olivia Newton-John.
Q: Do you guys incorporate your own experiences into certain scenes?
Chris Colfer (Kurt): The truth is, the storyline of "Defying Gravity," where Kurt wasn't allowed to sing [the solo because he's] a guy actually came from my high school experience, so it really just depends on who's near Ryan and who's talking to him. He incorporates whatever he hears into the writing.
Q: This is a question for the writers. Can we expect anymore Puck and Rachel or "Puckleberry" moments in the show?
Ryan Murphy (Glee co-creator): Yes, we actually just shot a romantic scene between them. We did. But it was like we said, we shot the first 13 [episodes] and we had finished them before they aired. So then, when it aired, it's fun to see what you guys like, what couples you want to be together. And we do listen. We do read those comments. But I think she'll always have a thing for Finn.
Q: Do you guys still get nervous when you're performing up there?
Cory: I'll speak for myself, but that was the first live performance I've ever done singing in my life. I'm serious. That's the first time I ever sang out, so I was really, really nervous just then.
Lea: We were all nervous. I learned a lot from Amber because you have to have confidence to go along with your talent or it won't work. Amber will just sing, and it's so amazing. I've never been able to just freely sing, and so I learn a lot from her because I always get very, very, very nervous.
The complete Glee character guide
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Ryan Murphy (Glee co-creator): Yes, we actually just shot a romantic scene between them. We did. But it was like we said, we shot the first 13 [episodes] and we had finished them before they aired. So then, when it aired, it's fun to see what you guys like, what couples you want to be together. And we do listen. We do read those comments. But I think she'll always have a thing for Finn.
Q: Do you guys still get nervous when you're performing up there?
Cory: I'll speak for myself, but that was the first live performance I've ever done singing in my life. I'm serious. That's the first time I ever sang out, so I was really, really nervous just then.
Lea: We were all nervous. I learned a lot from Amber because you have to have confidence to go along with your talent or it won't work. Amber will just sing, and it's so amazing. I've never been able to just freely sing, and so I learn a lot from her because I always get very, very, very nervous.
The complete Glee character guide
Are you a Gleek? Test your knowledge!
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