‘Glee’ Alum Opens Up About Landing Spot On Broadway At 8

Glee star Lea Michele gleefully recounted the events of when she asked her parents to let her audition for Les Misérables with just a day’s notice back in 1995, which ultimately led to her Broadway debut at age 8.

Lea sat down for an interview with Elle and talked deeply about it.

“There was an open call for the Broadway show Les Misérables, and my friend wanted to audition,” she said. Things weren’t as simple during that time. “The night before her father had a heart attack. Her mother called my mom and said, ‘Please.’ You have to take her on the audition.”

Despite the scary situation, Lea visioned the opportunity to showcase her talents that her parents didn’t know about.

“I said, well, I’m going to try out too if we’re taking her, I’m gonna go to. My parents said ‘Well, you can’t sing,’ but they didn’t know. I hadn’t ever sung before.” She said.

Lea then said, “I practice in my room a song I sang Angel of music from Phantom of the Opera.”

She auditioned for an open call, and the casting directors were captivated by her.

“When we left, they said to my mom, ‘Who are you?’ Does she have an agent? I have no headshot or anything, and when we left, I said to my mom, ‘I think I’m going to get this,’ and she said, ‘Things like this, don’t happen to people like us.’” Lea recounted.

About two weeks later, things turned around. “Two weeks later I was performing on Broadway,” she added.

As of now, the actress is set to star in Chess, which would be her sixth Broadway show at the exact location where she performed in Les Misérables.

“I’m so grateful I can’t imagine being anywhere else in my life. This is where I feel like I am meant to be,” Lea explained.

When asked about her childhood friend that she audition with in 1995 she provided updates.

“She’s OK,” Lea mentioned that the two are still friends to this day.

The star is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2017, she appeared on the Emmys red carpet, where she mentioned a world romance with her now-husband, along with close connections, such as Ryan Murphy.

“So Ryan is like my family, one of my greatest friends in the world, that I have, so when my boyfriend got the seal of approval from Ryan Murphy, that’s it, my parents, friends, whatever, but Ryan Murphy done deal, sealed the deal,” she recalls.

Click here for more stories from Digital Media Generation.