Glee’s Samantha Ware shades former co-star Lea Michele’s casting in Funny Girl after past accusations: ‘Silence is complicity’-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro

Ware accused Broadway of ‘upholding whiteness’ in the wake of Michele’s casting in Funny Girl (Picture: Getty)

Glee star Samantha Ware has spoken out following the news of her former co-star Lea Michele’s casting as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl on Broadway, after previously accusing her of ‘traumatic microaggressions’ and making her time on the set of the popular TV series ‘a living hell’.

Michele was announced as Beanie Feldstein’s replacement in the role on Monday, less than 24 hours after the current star had shared that her earlier departure from the production was being brought even further forward to the end of July.

Calling the part a ‘lifelong dream of mine’, Feldstein wrote on Instagram: ‘Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated.’

Feldstein finishes her run on July 31, while Michele will begin performances from September 6, with current Fanny Brice understudy Julie Benko stepping up to lead during the interim.

As news was made public of the casting – a role Michele has made no secret of her ambition to portray, with her Glee character Rachel Berry even getting the chance to do so – Ware took to Twitter to air her frustrations.

She wrote, in apparent reference to the announcement: ‘Yes, I’m online today. Yes, I see y’all. Yes, I care. Yes, I’m affected. Yes, I’m human. Yes, I’m Black. Yes, I was abused. Yes, my dreams were tainted. Yes, Broadway upholds whiteness. Yes, Hollywood does the same. Yes, silence is complicity. Yes, I’m loud. Yes, I’d do it again.’

Michele will replace Beanie Feldstein in the role of Fanny Brice (Picture: AP)

Ware, a co-star of Michele’s on Glee season 6, previously claimed the star made her time on the show ‘a living hell’ (Picture: Getty)

She later followed up: ‘Also. My name is not Amber Riley or Alex Newell. Their experience was not mine and mines [sic] was not theirs,’ making the link to Michele more obvious.

News of the casting has been met with mixed response, with some supporting the move and others unconvinced.

‘Lea Michele was BORN to star in Funny Girl,’ tweeted one, while another shared: ‘Trying to explain why the funny girl lea michele announcement is absolutely a HUGE deal for annoying people.’

‘I am PISSED that it’s Lea Michele replacing Beanie in Funny Girl,’ posted another.

Michele has made it known that it’s a long-held ambition of hers to star in Funny Girl (Picture: Instagram/Leah Michele)

Jane Lynch, who currently plays Fanny’s mother Mrs Brice in the production, has also seen her departure brought forward to earlier in September, to before Michele joins the cast.

Lea Michele controversy: Why is her Funny Girl casting controversial?

Lea Michele has previously faced numerous allegations of inappropriate behaviour on set – which some branded as ‘racist’ – and during past Broadway productions, although some of her colleagues have defended her.

Ware previously called out Michele in the first public accusation against her after she tweeted in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, following George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

Following Ware’s initial tweet, several other peeople who have worked with Michele over the years criticised her behaviour – although some defended her (Picture: Erik Pendzich/Rex/Shutterstock)

The What/If and All Rise actress – who starred as Jane Hayward in the sixth season of Glee – quote-tweeted the post and wrote in all caps: ‘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*** IN MY WIG!” AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD… [sic].’

A number of other cast members also shared their experiences of working with Michele and responded to allegations of her past behaviour on set, including Mercedes Jones star Amber Riley, and Alex Newell, who played Unique Adams.

Glee, with Michele at its heart, ran from 2009 to 2015 (Picture: FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)

The actress issued an apology but denied ever judging anybody by the colour of their skin.

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She added, on Instagram: ‘When I tweeted the other day, it was meant to be a show of support for our friends and neighbours and communities of colour during this really difficult time, but the responses I received to what I posted have made me also focus specifically on how my own behaviour towards fellow cast members was perceived by them.

‘While I don’t remember ever making this specific statement and I have never judged others by their background or colour of their skin, that’s really not the point, what matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Lea Michele for comment.

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