Jane Lynch is bursting with pride for her daughter, Lea Michele.
Lynch, who is 63 years old, can’t help but fawn over Michele, who is 37 years old, when she is reminiscing about her time on Glee and the several great stars that emerged from the Fox series.
Please allow me to introduce you to Lea Michele. “She basically had her dream come true — and the dream for the show come true — for Funny Girl,” Lynch tells PEOPLE during an interview at Harrah’s Resort SoCal. The conversation takes place a few hours after she handed over the keys to the Funner, California, residence to Martin Short, the newest mayor of the city. “And she just really killed it, knocked it out of the park.”
In September of 2022, Michele became a part of the Broadway production with the intention of taking over the character of Fanny Brice from Beanie Feldstein, who was the one who initiated the revival. It was only a matter of weeks until she was able to perform with Lynch, who had been playing the role of Mrs. Brice in the production until August, when Tovah Feldshuh took over the role.
Lynch adds, “We almost overlapped,” as she recalls the near-miss and confesses, “There’s a part of me now going, ‘You should have stayed.'” It is a moment of reflection for her. It was a mistake for you to go.'”
Regardless, the star of Only Murders in the Building lauds the outstanding performance that her former co-star gave in the play. This was a significant moment of full-circle, considering that Michele’s character on Glee, Rachel Berry, had hopes of appearing in Funny Girl throughout the duration of the series.
Lynch recalls, “It was a dream come true.” “She sang the hell out of that show and acted the hell out of it.”
Lynch told Deadline that she was “so glad she’s getting the opportunity in real life to do the show, and not just on Glee.” This statement was made when it was reported that Michele will be taking up the role of the lead in the well-known musical.
“She’s just going to take this show and make it her own,” Lynch said in an interview.
At the time of her last curtain call, Michele referred to her job as “the role of a lifetime” on Instagram. She had been the show’s director for a whole year, beginning in September 2022 and continuing until September 2023.
“Fanny Brice has been a part of my career from the very beginning and no words can describe what it has meant for me to play this role on Broadway and make it my own,” she stated in the statement, adding that she spent time “singing the songs on Glee as Rachel Berry.”
“That show is a big deal,” Lynch says in an interview with People, reflecting on the long-lasting influence of the Fox series, which ended in 2015 after six seasons and over a decade had passed since it had aired. The character was a significant figure. Each of the characters was a significant figure. In a way, it struck a chord with the American heart. Additionally, it is still alive, which is a really great thing.
Lynch is very aware of the fact that her character, Sue Sylvester, the nasty cheerleading coach, was a fan favorite in particular. Lynch responds that she “absolutely” would be interested in revisiting her narrative when she is questioned about the possibility of taking it up again.
I think that would be a lot of fun. It’s a fantastic character, and I believe that as she gets older—ten years older than the conclusion—there are other things that should be put to her to make her more interesting. What she has to say is that she believes it would be a lot of fun to play Sue Sylvester ten years later.