Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
#25Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 1:13am
Well, it makes me sad to hear that there are rumors like that about her, because usually rumors have at least some basis of truth to them.
She's still pretty hot though. No nose job required
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#26Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 3:56amOh, there are not rumors out there... there are cold, hard, documented facts out there. The ONLY people referring them as rumor (no offense intended, Baritone) are apologists and those who would love nothing more than to whitewash her reputation.
#27Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 9:06amYes, unfortunately, there's nothing but truth in 99% of the stories about Lea. I realized that when I began reading stories I'd heard firsthand in the press. I'll give one more example: Lea used to be close to one of my close friends; they'd known each other since they were kids. Around the time Lea got GLEE, she stopped talking to my friend--dropped her completely with no explanation. Yet in recent interviews--and by recent I mean done in the last few months--she still refers to my friend (who is somewhat famous) as "one of my best friends," despite the fact that they haven't spoken in almost three years. She's a fake, manipulative person in many respects.
#28Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 9:16am
"She looks like about 90% of the women in the New York/New Jersey area"
That's racist.
#29Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 9:47am
She has not really had to fight for any of the success she has. She was never a starving artist by any means, working for 10, 20, 30 years without any sort of recognition. She's basically been groomed since a young age to be a star, and I've heard that even at a young age she was a terror.
"Not pretty enough" my ass. I don't care for her and I concede that the girl is gorgeous.
#30Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 10:05am
Being from NJ/NY is not a race -- so how can the comment be racist? (of course, if you were joking, obivously I didn't get it.)
LOTS of people become famous without struggling. THAT doesn't make her less of a performer.
I think the difference is she seems to want to "be famous". I think MOST people we think of as artists never set out to BE famous, they just wanted to work and to be their best.
#31Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 11:39am
What's everyone's gauge of her fame? To me, famous means that most people know who you are. If you don't watch GLEE (I don't) or come to this Message Board (I do), you don't know her. I say she's not famous, since most people do neither. So I guess whoever told her, was right.
Updated On: 8/6/11 at 11:39 AM
#32Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 11:40am
But I think that's the beauty of Broadway. As others have said, many of the theatre's biggest stars were not the most (conventionally) attractive. Mary Martin may not have been given the film roles in South Pacific or The Sound of Music, say, but she was given those starring roles on Broadway. Because Broadway values talent first. And often actors who are a little older or a little less attractive would get roles on the stage because they are stars and have great talen. In Hollywood, that's less likely to happen.
So, I don't see why Broadway fans should begrudge the TV success of Lea or Matt Morrison or Cheno or Audra or Cherry Jones, etc. Viola Davis is having some success in films (but someone bring her back to the stage!). There really should be more Broadway stars on TV and in the movies. Why isn't Raul Esparza a leading man in film? Why aren't Sutton Foster or Laura Benanti, say, starring in romantic comedies?
#33Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 11:45amMary Martin didn't get the film roles of those shows, because she was too old to do them. Her playing Nellie or Maria on a great, big magnified screen would have been absurd. Kind of like it was for Glenn Close on the small screen. She may also have not been pretty enough (kind of like Glenn Close), but she was first and foremost way too old.
#34Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 11:53am
Out of your list, I haven't seen anyone begrudge the tv success of anyone except Lea, to be honest. I believe that Laura Benanti has been cast in the new tv show about putting on a musical (of course, the name of it escapes me).
We don't know which actors are or are not pursuing careers outside of b'way. Not all actors want that kind of exposure, or they don't enjoy the medium or they simply want to continue THIS journey before begining on that path. You can never answer the "why not" type of questions.
SporkGoddess
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/05
#35Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 12:20pm
It's a lot harder to cross over nowadays than it used to be, I think. A Streetcar Named Desire (the film) was on TV a few days ago and I realized that pretty much every actor in the film had been in some major theatrical production of the play. And then I thought: that would NEVER happen today.
#36Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 12:41pmIt rarely happened, then. People crossed over from the stage to film, but often not in the roles they created on the stage.
#37Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 1:38pm
Actually, Benanti was cast in a show about the early days of the Playboy Mansion. I believe she's playing the woman that was the first bunny.
However, the show you're talking about, Smash, does feature quite a few Broadway faces.
#38Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 2:42pm
My memory isn't worth poo anymore. Thanks for the clarification.
and speaking of Playboy and Laura didn't she just pose for them?
#39Lea Michele: I was told I wasn't pretty enough to be famous
Posted: 8/6/11 at 3:10pmYes, but not nude.
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