‘Glee’ star was scared of Lea Michele: ‘Don’t talk to her’

Lindsay Pearce may have been the runner-up on the spinoff reality series “The Glee Project,” but that show couldn’t prepare her for the tense on-set dynamic of “Glee.”

Ahead of the 10-year anniversary of “The Glee Project” ending, Pearce has opened up about being “nervous” to appear in two episodes of the hit Fox series in 2011 — especially alongside leading lady Lea Michele.

Even though Pearce’s character, Harmony, was scripted to intimidate Michele’s character, Rachel Berry, the newbie said the real-life roles were reversed.

“I remember when Lea came in and I was like, ‘Don’t talk to her. Don’t even look in her direction. Leave her alone,’” Pearce, 31, recalled in an interview with Insider. “Because she’s the star of the show.”

However, Pearce remembered having positive interactions with both “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy, 56, and another co-star, Chris Colfer, 32, who played Kurt Hummel.

Murphy said he liked Pearce’s character’s red beret, she remembered, while Colfer told her he was “really excited” they got to film together.

“Chris was like, ‘Did you win?’ I was like, ‘I didn’t.’” Pearce told the outlet. “He was really sweet.” 

This isn’t the first time fellow “Glee” cast members have spoken about Michele’s alleged on-set behavior.

In 2020, Samantha Ware — who is black — called Michele out after she tweeted about the Black Lives Matter movement and claimed that Michele made her “Glee” experience a “living hell.”

“LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET. I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD ‘S–T IN MY WIG!’ AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD….” Ware tweeted in response.

Ware later clarified that she was not labeling Michele a racist, but that she believes the Broadway star “suffers from a symptom of living in this world in an industry that is tailored to white people.”

Heather Morris also weighed in on Michele’s antics. While she avoided discussing her co-star’s alleged issues with race, Morris wrote: “With that said, was she unpleasant to work with? Very much so; for Lea to treat others with the disrespect that she did for as long as she did, I believe she SHOULD be called out.”

Matthew Morrison, however, did not comment on Michele, stating there were “bigger issues that are going on right now.”

Now, Michele — who turned 36 on Monday — is solely focused on fulfilling her lifelong goal of playing Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl” on Broadway following Beanie Feldstein’s early exit from the show. Michele’s dreams will come true on Sept. 6 at the August Wilson Theatre.

While Michele may not be popular with some former “Glee” cast members, she still seems to have an adoring fanbase. Ticket prices for Michele’s debut show now range from $320 all the way to an astounding $2,500 — plus a $500 fee — on SeatGeek.