There must be something in the West Village water, because for the second time today, a famous downtown girl is opening up to the press about her big public image and her even bigger insecurity over getting it wrong. This time around, it's Lea Michele—photographed and interviewed for September's Harper's Bazaar—who sat down to talk about sudden celebrity, what's next in line after her "Glee" graduation and close encounters with Ashton Kutcher's private parts.
Lea's nervousness over being recognizably famous is on full display (per her interviewer, she's even obviously anxious about asking for a warm-up on her coffee). But she's also hoping that fans will give her and the other stars of "Glee" some credit for being celebrity n00bs.
"People have to remember this is all new for us,” she said. "I’ve learned some lessons, but people are going to say what they want to say. I know who I am, and I’m not perfect."
But new or not, Lea had better get used to being in the spotlight—and fast, since she's got no intention of taking a break from her accelerating career. She's already appearing in the upcoming ensemble comedy "New Year's Eve," and she said, "I don’t stop. It’s my nature. People have to tell me to slow down. I plan on playing every role on Broadway. I want to do 'Evita'. I want to do 'Sweeney Todd' with Chris Colfer. We want to do 'Wicked.' I’ll be Elphaba and he wants to play ‘Guy-linda.’ I want to do movies, make music. 'Glee' is only the beginning."
Okay, everybody who'd pay to see Lea and Chris playing a pair of warring witches on Broadway, raise your hand! (Dear Broadway producers: Are you seeing all these hands? Let's make it happen!) And in the meantime, you can catch her making her big-screen debut in just a few short months—opposite the notoriously prank-happy Ashton Kutcher, who showed no mercy for his green co-star when it came time to shoot their scenes. And despite the fact that she's a rising star in Hollywood, Lea's anecdotes from the set make it clear that she's still got that everygirl thing going on, too. Because when Ashton surprised her during filming by opening a door wearing nothing but a teeny towel?
Lea says that, had gravity worked its magic on the only barrier between her and Ashton's junk, "I might have blacked out."
What do you see in store for Lea after "Glee"?
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