Top 10 Behind-the-Scenes Facts About Glee

It’s no secret that Hollywood often casts much older actors as high school students, and “Glee” was no different, as various actors portraying the students of McKinley were only a few years younger than Mr. Schue. Matthew Morrison was born in October 1978, making him nearly 31 years old when the extended pilot aired in September 2009. Harry Shum Jr. was born in April 1982, and Cory Monteith in May 1982, making them all less than four years younger than their fictional teacher. As if you couldn’t tell.

Kristin Chenoweth seems like a lovely person, so it’s comforting to know that she is just as cool as she seems. When the cast attended Paleyfest, Amber Riley admitted that Kristin Chenoweth was everyone’s favorite guest star. And this show had a lot of freaking guest stars! Amber revealed that Chenoweth was always very energetic and happy and that she often brought gifts for her fellow actors. She has the voice of an angel, she’s beautiful, she’s a great actor, and she’s seemingly a fantastic and encouraging person to be around. Is Kristin Chenoweth the perfect person?

When it comes to filming, why not stick with what works? We imagine that this is what Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan figured when it came to their actors Lea Michele and Chris Colfer. Lea Michele auditioned for “Glee” by singing “On My Own” from “Les Misérables,” while Chris Colfer auditioned with “Mr. Cellophane” from “Chicago.” In the pilot, Rachel sings “On My Own” for her New Directions audition, while Kurt sings, you guessed it, “Mr. Cellophane.” It’s a neat little case of art imitating life, even if it was planned.

Everyone remembers their first proper drink. Well, maybe not everyone. Some nights get a little wild. During Paleyfest in 2015, the cast revealed some behind-the-scenes secrets from their five-plus years of filming. During the discussion, Chris Colfer revealed that he had his very first drink while filming “Glee” at Kevin McHale’s apartment. At the time, he was with Amber Riley and Jenna Ushkowitz. Before you jump to any conclusions, he doesn’t reveal WHEN during filming he had the drink. If it was during Season One in 2009, however, then that would’ve made Colfer only 19 years old.

Heather Morris’ Brittany was one of the show’s breakout characters. Her role began rather small, but her ridiculous statements, unbelievable stupidity, and hilarious monotone delivery made her an instant fan favorite. And to think, this may never have been. At the time, Heather Morris was a professional dancer who had danced with Beyoncé during her Beyoncé Experience world tour in 2007. “Glee” choreographer Zach Woodlee took notice, and Morris was brought on to teach the cast the “Single Ladies” dance. It just so happened that the producers were looking for a third Cheerio, and Morris showed interest. She landed the gig and the rest is history.

Have you ever received a phone call stating that you start at your new job the very next day? How about, like, several hours before? This was the case that Dianna Agron found herself in. The producers had an immense amount of difficulty casting Quinn, and they still didn’t have an actress the night before filming was set to begin. Dianna Agron auditioned and got the role, and she was quickly shipped off to set the following day. To make matters worse, her first day of filming involved making out with Cory Monteith, and Agron was so nervous that she couldn’t focus.

Sometimes we all wish we could go back and do things a little differently. While talking with The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan Murphy admitted that his cast could never keep it together and that “to this day, [he’s] devastated by everything that happened with that show.” Murphy states that he regrets the way he treated some of his actors and that various cast members left the show and Murphy on less-than-ideal terms. He also feels that he didn’t handle the personal drama between actors particularly well and that Cory Monteith’s death had a major effect on both him and the cast.

Now this is like something out of a movie. In a special feature of the Season One DVD, Lea Michele admits that she was in a nasty car accident right outside the Fox studio. According to Lea, she totaled her car and was literally pulling glass from her hair as she stepped into the audition room, prompting everyone to ask if she was alright. Apparently, she was, because she totally nailed “On My Own” and secured the role of Rachel, totaled car, glass hair and all.

It’s amazing how many breakout characters came about through sheer luck. Like Heather Morris and Brittany, Darren Criss’ Blaine was one of the show’s biggest breakout stars, and arguably the best post-Season One addition to the show. However, Criss originally auditioned for the role of Finn, although he admits that it was a long shot and that he wouldn’t have cast himself in the role. Luckily for Criss, the casting director remembered his audition and thought that he would be perfect for the new role of Blaine. Criss auditioned for Blaine on a Friday, got the role, and started work the next Monday.

What can we say? Young adults will be young adults. According to Ryan Murphy, he had to implement a “no hookups” rule on set, which meant no sex in the trailers. According to Murphy, the rule was implemented to stymie any awkward hookups and resulting drama, stop potential romances from developing, and to maintain professional discipline on his set. Unfortunately, some actors didn’t adhere to the rule, with Murphy stating that “they’ve broken that rule on many occasions.” Although he never revealed who had been hooking up, he admitted to feeling like a father on set from trying to control a bunch of what was like hormonal teenagers.