Idina Menzel talks about age typecast during her time on Glee

Glee was one of my favorite shows back in the days. It introduced me to music before I even heard it on the radio and it gave me a soap opera that was appropriate  for someone of my age. When the show went of air, I found myself going on Youtube to watch many of the musical performances from time to time. It did a great job at incorporating music and having actors who were talented musicians and musicians as guest actors. One of these guest actors was Idina Menzel. Idina however, recently spoke with Instyle about how she wanted to play a different role during her time on Glee.

While speaking with Instyle she expressed that while she was happy to have a recurring role of Lea Michele’s mom, the age gap called for the two to be sisters. While she had good spirits about it, Idina did state a good point. At the time of her appearance (2010) she was 39 and Lea was 26. Which leads one to ask, was this a case of ageism?

She emphasized during the interview that she had a positive experience during her time on the show but since it came shortly after giving birth to her child, it only lessoned her confidence, and ability to feel good in the role.

Idina told the magazine:

"“I felt fat as all hell, and I was Lea Michele’s mom—like, could I just be her older sister? She wasn’t as young as she was playing [on the show] so it was like, ‘Really, I’m her mom?’ So, it wasn’t good for my ego, I’ll be completely honest.”"

Situations like happen all too much to women in Hollywood – no matter the industry. Women are subjected to these situations especially when they choose to become mothers. While Glee stole the heart of many throughout its run, it is sad that Idina Menzel was subjected to this experience. However, it is good to know she has a positive outlook about her overall time on the show.

Was this a case of ageism? Sound off in the comments below.