Samantha Ware has spoken out about the alleged ‘abuse’ she suffered on the Glee set at the hands of the show’s star Lea Michele.
Following on from her explosive tweet that led to Michele being dropped by her sponsor HelloFresh, Ware, 28, gave further details in a lengthy interview with Variety on Thursday.
‘It was after I did my first performance, that’s when it started – the silent treatment, the stare-downs, the looks, the comments under her breath, the weird passive-aggressiveness. It all built up,’ said the What/If actress.
Samantha Ware (seen here in August 2019) has spoken out about the alleged ‘abuse’ she suffered on the Glee set at the hands of the show’s star Lea Michele
Ware traced the animosity back to a moment when she was ‘goofing around’ during a scene, which Lea apparently took exception to.
‘She waited until the scene was over and she stopped in the middle of the stage and did a “come here” gesture, like how a mother does to their child.’
‘I said “no,” and that’s when she decided to threaten my job, and said she would call [show creator] Ryan Murphy in to come and fire me.’
Ware traced the animosity back to a moment when she was ‘goofing around’ during a scene, which Lea apparently took exception to. Seen here with co-stars [L-R] Billy Lewis Jr., Laura Dreyfuss, Noah Guthrie and Ware
When Ware later tried to defend herself to her co-star, ‘She told me to shut my mouth. She said I don’t deserve to have that job.’
‘She talked about how she has reign. And here’s the thing: I completely understood that, and I was ready to be like, “This is your show. I’m not here to be disrespectful.”‘
‘But at that point, we were already past the respect and she was just abusing her power.’
‘No one was stopping these things, which is an issue because the environment was helping perpetuate this abuse.’
When Ware later tried to defend herself to her co-star Lea, ‘She told me to shut my mouth. She said I don’t deserve to have that job’
Over the past week, Lea Michele has been on the receiving end of backlash over her alleged on-set behavior, ranging from claims of racial discrimination to other forms of unprovoked cruelty.
But some friends and former co-workers of Michele’s told The Post on Saturday, that the 33-year-old Glee alum has ‘had a real wake-up call’ and wants to ‘responsibly’ right her wrongs.
‘She is listening, she hears what everyone says and wants to apologize. This is her past and she wants to handle things responsibly,’ claimed one insider.
They added: ‘It’s never easy to hear people speak about you this way. It’s a total shock.’
Wake-up call: Some friends and former co-workers of Lea Michele’s told The Post on Saturday, that the 33-year-old Glee alum has ‘had a real wake-up call’ and wants to ‘responsibly’ right her wrongs.
One former co-worker of Lea’s did not deny that Michele was notoriously difficult to work with, but insisted she was never purposely discriminatory.
‘Lea was a b**ch to a lot of people who are now taking the opportunity to come forward.
‘She may not be the nicest person, but she’s not racist, sexist or transphobic. I would say she has behavioral issues that she’s dealing with,’ concluded the source.
The Post was also told by an anonymous source that Lea has reached out to a number of her former co-stars upon learning of their public disdain for her and her behavior.
Issues: One former co-worker of Lea’s did not deny that Michele was notoriously difficult to work with, but insisted she was never purposely discriminatory; Lea pictured on Glee in 2009
But whether the star has heard back or if any reconciliations have occurred remains unknown at this time.
On Thursday another former colleague claimed that Lea did not ‘discriminate’ because her treatment of everyone was the same, coming from a place of being ‘completely self-obsessed.’
Speaking to Us Weekly on Thursday, the unnamed source said ‘It didn’t matter if you were young or old, black or white — it’s just kind of her world.
‘Though she was completely self-obsessed toward everyone, she did not discriminate,’ the source said.
She was like that to everyone: A former colleague of Lea Michele says the actress didn’t ‘discriminate’ because her treatment of everyone was the same, coming from a place of being ‘completely self-obsessed’; Lea pictured in 2019
Adding: ‘Things are seen through a lens, and it comes from a very protective place where obviously she’s been on guard. She’s fiery and she has more of an aggressive personality where most people would play weak or vulnerable or ask for sympathy and Lea does not do that.’
‘You know where you stand — for the most part — with her,’ the source said.
‘In television, they hire really strong personalities because they create drama,’ the outlet reported from the source. ‘You don’t expect them not to be dramatic off set and in their own lives. That’s quite a switch to turn off.’
Many of the stories shared of Michele stemmed from her time starring as Rachel Berry on Glee from 2009 until 2015.
Tough times: Lea played the role of Rachel Berry (back row) on the show’s six seasons, getting nominated for an Emmy and two Golden Globe awards with the part
Michele who is expecting her first child with husband Zandy Reich later this year, apologized for her behavior on Wednesday, and said she has ‘never judged others by their background or color of their skin.’
She also insisted she will learn from the mistakes she has made so she ‘can be a real role model for my child’ when she gives birth in a couple of months.
The bullying allegations came to light after Michele took to social media last Friday to pay tribute to George Floyd, writing: ‘George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end’ she wrote.
Samantha Ware, who appeared as Jane Hayward on the show’s sixth season in 2015, scolded Michele earlier this week, saying: ‘Remember when you made my first television gig a living hell?!?!…
‘Cause I’ll never forget… I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would ‘s*** in my wig!’ amongst other traumatic microaggressions that made me question a career in Hollywood.’
Apologizing: Michele who is expecting her first child with husband Zandy Reich later this year, apologized for her behavior on Wednesday, and said she has ‘never judged others by their background or color of their skin’
Other stars including Amber Riley have also spoken out against Lea, who was recently dropped by the company Hello Fresh over the controversy.
Her other co-stars including Heather Morris and Amber Riley spoke out against Michele for her behavior on set along with multiple other guest stars who were on Glee.
However, Michele has also received support from Dean Geye – who played her boyfriend on Glee for one season saying she was always ‘professional’ and ‘welcoming’
Glee’s Iqbal Theba said he was not mistreated by Michele and former Glee producer Marti Noxon has also stuck up for her.