Lea Michele has reflected on her journey from Broadway to Glee.
The actress began her career on stage but achieved worldwide fame after being cast as Rachel Berry in Ryan Murphy’s hit musical series Glee in 2009.
Speaking to Glamour, Lea explained that while Broadway remains her greatest passion, she is “proud” of her time on Glee.
“Look, I love Glee, I love Rachel Berry. I’m so proud of the work,” she said. “But nothing could really prepare anyone for what that experience was like – massive, and it occurred during your most memorable years.”
The Scream Queens star added that she feels “grateful” to have starred in the show and then returned to her Broadway roots.
“I’m beyond grateful for that journey and for everything that I’ve learned and the fact that I’ve made my way back to New York and that it was Funny Girl that really kind of solidified my return back to Broadway,” she said.
“Like I said, I’ve only ever planned to be here and do shows, but the universe brought me there and now it’s brought me back home. It’s all connected.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the 39-year-old revealed that she “never tried to be on television”.
“I met Ryan Murphy when I went out to LA (during the run of) Spring Awakening and he wrote Rachel Berry for me,” she told the publication. “I never expected it. I never thought that that was going to be a part of my life.”
She added, “I only ever wanted to do Broadway, and then I was in California for 15 years.”
Lea played Rachel from 2009 until the series ended in 2015. She later returned to the stage, appearing in Broadway productions including Funny Girl in 2022 and Chess, which opened earlier this month.
