Idina Menzel says she was too young to play Lea Michele's mum on Glee
29 September 2021, 12:50
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"She was 26, and I probably should’ve been her older sister"
Idina Menzel has opened up about playing Lea Michele's mum on Glee and says she wishes that she had played her sister.
Gleeks will remember that Idina Menzel had an iconic role in Glee. The beloved actress first appeared in Glee season 1. She acted the role of Shelby Corcoran, the coach of New Direction's rival show choir, Vocal Adrenaline. However, it was later revealed that Shelby was also Rachel's (Lea Michele) biological mother. Idina starred in 12 episodes of the series.
Fans consider Idina to be one of the show's best guest stars but now Idina has revealed that she had issues with the part.
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How old was Idina Menzel in Glee?
Discussing her work on Glee with InStyle, Idina explained: "The scene that was the most memorable was probably singing ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ with Lea Michele." She then added: "She was 26, and I probably should’ve been her older sister but I don’t have a chip on my shoulder about that." Idina was 40 years old at the time that she filmed season 1 with Lea.
Idina then explained: "The gig came three months after I popped a baby out so I felt fat as all hell, and I was Lea Michele’s mom - like, could I just be her older sister? She wasn’t as young as she was playing so it was like, really, I’m her mom?" Idina continued: "So it wasn’t good for my ego, I’ll be completely honest. I had to get over myself a little bit.”
In spite of their real-life age difference, Lea was playing a 16-year-old in Glee at the time and Idina was playing her own age. In other words, even though Idina would have been too young to be Lea's mother, she wasn't too young to play Rachel's mum.
