Get ready for a shot of Vocal Adrenaline, \u2018Glee\u2019 fans. Starting Tuesday, May 18 at 9PM ET on FOX, stage and screen star Idina Menzel is reprising her role as Shelby Corcoran, the no-holds barred coach of New Directions\u2019 toughest competitor, on Fox\u2019s hit series. We caught up with the Tony award-winning actress and new mom in between performances of her nationwide concert tour. Here\u2019s what she had to say about her \u2018Glee\u2019 experience, a \u2018Wicked\u2019 feature film, and who\u2019d she like to work with next.<\/p>\n
Your character Shelby is really driven and ambitious. Are you like her at all?<\/strong> So is it fun to play someone who is more brazen and confident?<\/strong> What can you tell us about these upcoming episodes?<\/strong> Do you have any say as to which songs you sing on the show?<\/strong> Tell us about the acoustic version of Lady Gaga\u2019s \u2018Poker Face\u2019 that you\u2019re singing with Lea Michele.<\/strong> And you\u2019re also performing \u2018I Dreamed a Dream\u2019 from \u2018Les Miserables.\u2019<\/strong> Any other songs that you\u2019re performing?<\/strong> Can you tell us which one?<\/strong> How did you end up getting the part of Shelby? It\u2019s been reported that you and your husband (Taye Diggs of \u2018Private Practice\u2019) were fans of the show. <\/strong> Is there any chance that your husband might do a guest-starring spot as well?<\/strong> It\u2019s not like he doesn\u2019t have the chops as well, considering his musicals background \u2026<\/strong> You and Matthew Morrison had some pretty good chemistry in your first episode. Any chance that Shelby and Will will become entangled again?<\/strong> There are rumors that Shelby will, in fact, end up becoming Rachel\u2019s biological mother \u2026 <\/strong> Is there a chance that you could return to the show next season?<\/strong> Did you get a chance to work with Neil Patrick Harris in this upcoming episode?<\/strong> Are there people that you would like to work with?<\/strong> As someone who comes from Broadway, do you feel like \u2018Glee\u2019 has raised the bar in terms of what people expect from people who sing in TV and movies? <\/strong> The \u2018Glee\u2019 guest-starring stint seems pretty ideal for a new mother.<\/strong> So you\u2019re pretty much based in L.A. at this point? <\/strong> Does it help that this show also brings a pool of Broadway talent over to the west coast?<\/strong> In addition to \u2018Glee\u2019 and motherhood, you\u2019re also doing a nationwide concert tour. Has it been a challenge to juggle all these things?<\/strong> Your tour goes through the summer and into the fall. But then what\u2019s next? <\/strong> What about a \u2018Wicked\u2019 movie? <\/strong> So it\u2019s not coming soon.<\/strong> But you originated the role!<\/strong> I think fans would be up in arms if you didn\u2019t play Elphaba.<\/strong> Get ready for a shot of Vocal Adrenaline, \u2018Glee\u2019 fans. Starting Tuesday, May 18 at 9PM ET on FOX, stage and screen star Idina Menzel is reprising her role as Shelby Corcoran, the no-holds barred coach of New Directions\u2019 toughest competitor, on Fox\u2019s hit series. We caught up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[29,12,8,18],"class_list":["post-204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","tag-29","tag-barefoot-at-the-symphony","tag-family-life","tag-glee"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/2010_05_17.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Srnq-3i","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":289,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions\/289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI\u2019m definitely hard-working and driven, for the most part. I wouldn\u2019t say ambitious \u2014 I tend to get intimidated in situations, and I\u2019m much more comfortable with someone finding me as opposed to me knocking someone over the head with myself. So I\u2019m a little bit more self-deprecating. I mean, I\u2019m tough \u2014 I can be a tough girl and have a lot of strength, but I can also be pretty hard on myself.<\/p>\n
\nYeah. [\u2018Glee\u2019 creator] Ryan [Murphy] wanted Faye Dunaway from \u2018Network,\u2019 so it\u2019s definitely fun to step into someone else\u2019s shoes and give her a different rhythm to the speech \u2026 Also, the way he writes my particular character is so sing-songy. There\u2019s a kind of rhythm to the whole show, so I\u2019ve just been having a really good time with that.<\/p>\n
\nUnfortunately, I can\u2019t tell too much, but I can say that I\u2019m really excited about them \u2014 I\u2019m singing a lot in the next two episodes. And there\u2019s some big surprises with my character, and they\u2019re not exactly what people think. So I\u2019m looking forward to everyone getting to see her in a new light.<\/p>\n
\nYou know what? I think Ryan is so good at choosing for everybody that I would be excited to see what he\u2019d choose next if I\u2019m lucky enough to be on the show again. He makes some surprising choices that really work great in a context that you wouldn\u2019t necessarily expect.<\/p>\n
\nIt was really fun to get into the studio and record \u2018Poker Face,\u2019 because I\u2019m a fan of Lady Gaga, and she does this acoustic version that she does of her own song, it\u2019s with a piano and changes the melody and all that, and so that\u2019s what Ryan was inspired by, and what this recording is sort of taken from.<\/p>\n
\nI used to sing it at weddings all the time when I was a wedding singer. It was one of my specials. And I used to use it as a barometer as to how well I did that night. You normally don\u2019t get applause when you\u2019re a wedding singer \u2014 nobody\u2019s usually paying attention to you. But when I would sing that song, people would actually stop eating their salad or whatever and applaud. So it\u2019s funny when he wanted me to sing that song. I don\u2019t even have to prepare; I know it in my sleep.<\/p>\n
\nYeah, there\u2019s this Barbra Streisand song \u2026<\/p>\n
\nSorry \u2014 I don\u2019t know what\u2019s rumor and what isn\u2019t, but I was told not to say anything. [Note: it\u2019s \u2018Funny Girl\u2019].<\/p>\n
\nTaye and I were recording the show every week, and we were actually just jealous as could be, because we wished we had a show like that when we were younger. And yet also so excited for them, because we know what a coup it is to get a show out here in Hollywood where you get to show off all your talents, you know? You\u2019re not just acting. You\u2019re singing and acting. \u2026 So we were just really envious of it, and supportive of it at the same time. And so we put out feelers \u2014 or I put out feelers. I didn\u2019t really expect anything, and then a couple of weeks later \u2014 maybe I guess Ryan was getting it on his end as well, and he called me in, and we had a meeting, and next thing you know I was on. And it\u2019s funny \u2026 my husband\u2019s a little jealous.<\/p>\n
\nI don\u2019t know. I would love him to. I was definitely putting in a good word for him with Ryan.<\/p>\n
\nOh, people don\u2019t know. He\u2019s an incredible singer, and a beautiful, gorgeous dancer. You don\u2019t even know.<\/p>\n
\nUm, maybe. She definitely moves in a different course for a little while.<\/p>\n
\nI know, there are all these crazy rumors. I \u2026 uh \u2026 you\u2019ll have to tune in to find out [laughs].<\/p>\n
\nI hope so. There was some talk of it, but \u2026 I don\u2019t really know. I guess the door is kind of open still. I would love to, but we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
\nNo, we\u2019re in the same episode, but we don\u2019t have any scenes together. I wish. I love him.<\/p>\n
\nOn \u2018Glee\u2019 or just in general? \u2026 I would love to do a Broadway show with Hugh Jackman. \u2026 I\u2019d love to work more with Jane Lynch. She\u2019s just so much fun. It\u2019d be great to have more scenes with her.<\/p>\n
\nYeah \u2026 I feel like it\u2019s educating audiences to the work ethic, the discipline that it takes to put on a show, you know? \u2026 Mostly I think it\u2019s helping people appreciate really talented people. I feel like it\u2019s subliminally a love letter to the theater, to New York people. Because there\u2019s so many people [from Broadway] cast. It\u2019s subconsciously raising the audience\u2019s level of what they want to hear.<\/p>\n
\nYeah. I mean, what a perfect job to come back to after having a baby. You first job is on this hit show and they put all my scenes in one day so that I don\u2019t have to be away from my son. It\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n
\nYes. We still have our place in New York, and we will forever call ourselves New Yorkers, but for the last couple years we\u2019ve been out here more than we\u2019d like to admit.<\/p>\n
\nHonestly, as a mom of an eight month-old, I don\u2019t have much of a life right now [laughs], but yes, what Taye and I miss so much about living in L.A. is our camaraderie that we have when working with a cast on a show in New York, and the community. And so there definitely is more of that kind of energy and vibe on set, and the singing and the dancing and the silliness, and it\u2019s that that I love, and it\u2019s that that I would love to be more a part of. It makes L.A. feel more comfortable to me.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s challenging. But I love having [son Walker Nathaniel] with me, and it gives me a perspective that I didn\u2019t have before. \u2026 I used to be really extra particular and anal about my warm-up routine, but [now] I don\u2019t worry if I don\u2019t get it in as much. Or it\u2019s like sleeping: I used to worry so much if I didn\u2019t get enough sleep before a concert, and now it\u2019s like, there\u2019s nothing I can do. My kid wakes up and I\u2019m not going to have 10 hours of sleep. And so rather than freaking out about it, I\u2019m getting over it, and getting up there and actually singing better. So I think there\u2019s something liberating about not having all that time to worry about that.<\/p>\n
\nMostly, I\u2019m focusing on being a good mommy. That\u2019s my thing that I do right now, and I don\u2019t want to work so much to the point that I can\u2019t balance that and be with my son, because I\u2019m pretty addicted to spending as much time with him as I can. So it\u2019s about finding the right job that would fit in with you know, mommyhood and the symphony concerts, they\u2019re great, because they\u2019re on weekends, I take him with me. And I would love to do more TV and film.<\/p>\n
\nI don\u2019t think that there\u2019s a movie in the near future, and I think that when they get around to it, probably I\u2019ll be too old, unfortunately. But ever since \u2018Avatar,\u2019 I\u2019ve been calling the producer and saying, Look, just do it like \u2018Avatar.\u2019 Make me green and take out a couple wrinkles and do the movie like that.<\/p>\n
\nEven if it were to happen tomorrow, they could want Vanessa Hudgens or somebody, you know? I can\u2019t compete with that age.<\/p>\n
\nI know, but Julie Andrews originated \u2018My Fair Lady,\u2019 and she didn\u2019t get to play her in the movie. Well, I did get to play my character in \u2018Rent\u2019 10 years after the fact, so I feel like I already got away with one \u2013 if I could get another one, that would be, oh my god, I would be over the moon.<\/p>\n
\nYou would think, but I don\u2019t know \u2014 look at all the movie musicals that have come out with A-list movie stars, and nobody really thinks twice about it. What I think \u2018Glee\u2019 is helping is that I think people are realizing that it\u2019s about real singing. Just finding an actress that can sing a couple notes in a studio is not the same as a singer that really knows how to use their voice to interpret the material. It\u2019s much different, you know?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"