Lea Michele became internationally famous because of her beyond amazing work in Glee, both as an actress and as a singer. A lot of the covers she did on the show have been incredibly successful, and many people even consider them better than the original.
That said, as great as her time in Glee was, it doesn't even begin to cover everything she's accomplished as an artist. She has made a career as a singer and it's gone great, but she's also played a lot of important roles as an actress. Here are some of the best parts she's had.
10 Her Broadway Debut
Not many people get to have such a big and important debut, but clearly, Lea Michele's talent stood out from a very early age. In 1995, when she was just eight years old, she landed in the role of young Cosette in the popular play Les Misérables. Apparently, no one expected it to go as well as it did, not even little Lea. She went to audition because a friend of hers was going, and she insisted on following her. It had just been harmless fun, which ended up being the foundation for her incredible career.
9 She Played Wendla Bergmann In Spring Awakening
Lea remembers fondly her role in Spring Awakening, which she portrayed for six years, and has said she felt very lucky to have been able to keep the same role throughout all her years in the productions.
"I've been playing the same role, which is pretty unbelievable. (Being) a kid in the business... it’s just so difficult to stay with a role. You grow out of it or you want to go to school, but thankfully everything worked out. They were wonderful enough to keep taking me back and to keep wanting to work with me, and I was just so invested in the piece that I couldn’t miss out on it any step along the way."
8 She Had Another Role In Les Misérables
About ten years after her big debut in Broadway as young Cosette in Les Misérables, Lea was offered the role of Éponine Thénardier in the Broadway revival of the play. At the time, however, she was busy with Spring Awakening and she turned it down.
A couple of years later, she had another opportunity to play Éponine, and this time she took it. She played the role perfectly in the Hollywood Bowl's Les Misérables concert, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander.
7 She Had A Part In New Year's Eve
In 2010, Lea was part of the cast of New Year's Eve, Gary Marshall's romantic comedy, and she played Elise, a back-up singer who was Ashton Kutcher's love interest. She got to work with many amazing movie stars, such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert De Niro, and Sofia Vergara.
"I got to be stuck in an elevator with Ashton for two weeks, which was awesome," she said about working with Kutcher. "And, as you know, he's hilarious and I got punk'd a couple times. He's also really smart. And we'd like talk about everything going on in the world."
6 She Voiced Dorothy Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
As if Lea Michele's resume wasn't large and complete enough, in 2014 she added lead voiceover actress to it. She voiced the protagonist of the unforgettable movie The Wizard of Oz, previously portrayed by the legendary Judy Garland, for the animated musical adaptation Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return. People were very excited to hear that the Glee star would be a part of the project, and there is no doubt that she did an amazing job.
5 She Guest-Starred In Sons Of Anarchy
For the final season of Sons of Anarchy, Lea was asked to guest-star in an episode as Gertie, an empathetic truck-stop waitress and single mother who becomes friends with Gemma. Lea said she enjoyed working in the show very much and really loved her character and what it brought to the plot.
"I do think Gemma sees herself in Gertie — very young and vulnerable," said Lea about her role. "And Gemma is unraveling emotionally, and it so happens this girl is in front of her at that moment."
4 She Got The Lead In Scream Queens
After Glee ended, Lea Michele wasn't ready to say goodbye to its creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. That's why she immediately accepted when they offered her the lead role in their next project, Scream Queens. She played sorority pledge Hester "Neckbrace."
"Honestly, having been offered this role, I knew nothing. But I did trust Ryan implicitly that he would create something for me that would be the most incredible opportunity to show people a different side and a different color," she said about her part.
3 Her Role In Hulu's Sci-Fi Anthology
In 2017, Lea appeared in the first episode of her first science fiction series, Dimension 404. She played Amanda, a very sweet and vulnerable character that was great for her, despite not being too into the sci-fi genre. She also loved that each individual episode told a full story.
"I’m not the biggest science-fiction-obsessed person," she said. "Growing up, I remember Alien was like one of the first movies I had ever seen, but of course that sort of veers into horror. I love horror films. They’re my absolute favorite. But I definitely enjoy a good sci-fi horror. Black Mirror, I’ve watched, and it freaks me out so much, and it’s so crazy because I can handle The Exorcist at like noon on a Sunday, but Black Mirror literally still haunts my nightmares."
2 Her Work On The Mayor
Lea's role on The Mayor was different from anything she'd ever done. She played political consultant Valentina Barella in the ABC sitcom, and one of the things she assured about her character was that she would not be displaying her singing talents. She said she thought it would be hilarious if Valentina turned out to be a horrible singer, because it would be so shocking for her fans to see her in that position. She then added that it was important for her as a professional to let people know that she could portray different types of characters, and that as much as she loved her work in Glee, it didn't completely define her.
1 She Starred In Same Time, Next Christmas
Lea got to film this movie in Hawaii, and that alone already makes this project special. In Same Time, Next Christmas, Lea plays Olivia Henderson, a woman who met her childhood sweetheart during a Christmas visit to Hawaii with her family. The two of them keep running into each other during their visits, but because of external circumstances, they can't be together.
"This holiday season holds special importance to me, as I get to celebrate both my role in this film and my first-ever holiday album," Lea said, explaining why the movie was important to her. "I'm honored to return to ABC with this movie event, and I am excited to share the holidays with everyone."