Ushkowitz: Samuel Larsen was one of those guests that kicked off this thing where everybody who came on always said something very surprising about C
Ushkowitz: Samuel Larsen was one of those guests that kicked off this thing where everybody who came on always said something very surprising about Cory [Monteith]. Something like, “Oh, he took me to lunch when I was new.” When Samuel revealed that, we were like, Wow, you’re right—everybody felt very seen by Cory.
Did covering the show allow you to revisit the larger cultural phenomenon that you found yourselves caught up in?
McHale: You do attach those moments to certain seasons. Like, which award show was happening at which time? When did we start losing to Modern Family? We were figuring out how to navigate these situations with each other, so then going back and watching, it’s like, Oh yeah, that’s when so-and-so got the first endorsement deal. It sounds so insane and stupid, but it’s like high school.
Ushkowitz: The tour was definitely another thing that came back up. We’ll never forget it, and obviously a lot of fans were able to see it live or go see it in the theater. The hundred people who saw it in theaters…
McHale: That’s being generous.
Ushkowitz: Nobody else in Hollywood was doing what we were doing at the time. We were recording and dancing, and then on the weekends we were doing press, covers, Rolling Stone, flying to the White House, doing upfronts in New York. I think the podcast really emphasized that and almost justified that we weren’t crazy—we were so tired. But so grateful to be in that lightning-in-a-bottle machine.
Have you ever gotten caught watching an episode of Glee for the podcast in public?
McHale: I was just in London doing a musical, and because of the time difference, I was in rehearsal and had forgotten to watch an episode. So I was in the lobby, on my computer with my headphones, and Victoria Scone, the amazing drag queen, was like, “What are you watching?” I was in the middle of Glee. I fully got caught by half the cast.
Ushkowitz: I don’t know if I knowingly got caught, but I’ve definitely watched it in line, like getting coffee, or on the go.
McHale: In line getting coffee?!
Uskowitz: Listen, I watch it where I can.
McHale: That is bold. I would never.
Ushkowitz: I’m sure I’ve gotten caught.
That must have been a great story for whoever spotted you.
Ushkowitz: Yeah, exactly. “She must really love herself.”
Kevin, you’ll be coming to New York soon to do The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Life is imitating Glee season four, in a way. How have you liked moving into theater?
McHale: I’ve been loving it. Jenna has been trying to get me to do it for a very long time. I have this specific memory of us—Jenna, I don’t even know if I told you this. It was you, me, and Lea [Michele], walking to the auditorium set at Paramount, and we were talking about how difficult theater was compared to what we were doing. And I was like, “Theater is my big biggest fear.” And I think Lea and Jenna were just like, “Why? You have rehearsal. Here, we don’t even have rehearsal.” But Jenna, Darren [Criss], and my boyfriend, Austin [McKenzie], who started in theater as well, they have all been shepherding me toward doing it. And they were all right. I have sort of had the training for it by accident.
Ushkowitz: If there’s anything that’s gonna prepare you for a stage, if you’ve never done it before, it’s Glee.
Looking ahead, what’s it going to be like to continue the podcast without that built-in recap structure?
Ushkowitz: We’ve got some plans that we’re super excited about, so it’s definitely gonna live on and still hit our demo. But I’m just excited about starting fresh. We’re still gonna talk about Glee, of course. I think having the hindsight now, and this up-to-date, refreshing feeling about the show, we will take that into this next chapter of the podcast.
COMMENTS