She was told she “wasn’t pretty enough” for film and TV.
Actress Lea Michele has spoken about the pressure she has faced to look a certain way in show business.
In a recent interview with Town & Country, Lea brought up the topic while reflecting on landing her dream role – playing Fanny Brice on Funny Girl.
“Honestly, it’s all been one incredible dream on top of an incredible dream,” she said. “People would tell me to get nose jobs, that I wasn’t pretty enough for film and television.”
Earlier this year, ahead of returning to Broadway, Lea discussed allegations of bullying from various members of the Glee cast.
“I have an edge to me,” she told the New York Times. “I work really hard. I leave no room for mistakes. That level of perfectionism, or that pressure of perfectionism, left me with a lot of blind spots.”
Lea also touched on a viral rumour that she cannot read, and suggested that if she were a man, that rumour would not have circulated.
She said: “I went to Glee every single day. I knew my lines every single day. And then there’s a rumour online that I can’t read or write? It’s sad. It really is. I often think if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn’t be the case.”
In other Glee news, we learnt last week that The Price of Glee, a three-part documentary on the popular show, will air on Monday 16 January.
“Glee was a once-in-a-generation cultural phenomenon that bravely pushed up against social norms and generated groundbreaking discussions around sexuality, race, disability and family. Each music-filled week brought joy to so many people, but sadly, even one of the happiest shows on television couldn’t escape the dark underbelly of Hollywood and the frenzy of burgeoning social media,” said Jason Sarlanis, President of Crime and Investigative Content, Linear and Streaming.
Related links:
- The release date of the Glee documentary is here
- Lea Michele addresses Glee cast bullying claims
- Glee star Becca Tobin welcomes baby boy
