Lea Michele has looked back at the abuse she received following former Glee stars calling her out on her alleged microaggressions on set.
In 2020, the actress, now 36, was slammed by a number of her co-stars for reportedly being mean-spirited on set. And following their comments, Lea admitted she received huge backlash online, but believes she took lessons away from the experience.
In a recent chat with Interview Magazine, she said: "I think these past two years have been so important for everybody to just sit back and reflect.
"I did a lot of personal reach-outs. But the most important thing was for everybody to just take a step back."
And she said the situation allowed her to learn to see the bigger picture.
She continued: "At the end of the day, what matters the most is how you make people feel and you have to put aside your feelings.
"The conversations that I've had behind the scenes with some people were incredibly healing and very eye-opening for me."
However, she was quick to point out she wasn't looking to point blame for what she'd been through, calling them a part of her life's "patchwork".
The comments regarded accusations made almost three years ago by Samantha Marie Ware, who played Jane Hayward in popular series Glee.
She publicly accused Lea of making her first TV acting gig "a living hell".
In a now-deleted tweet, the actress, now 31, wrote: "I believe you told everyone that if you had the opportunity you would 's***' in my wig!'"
She said the star had made her "question a career in Hollywood" such was the trauma she had felt.
Following up on the comments, Heather Morris then wrote a few days later: "Was she unpleasant to work with? Very much so; for Lea to treat others with the disrespect that she did for as long as she did, I believe she SHOULD be called out."
Lea promptly offered a public apology to anyone who thought she'd wronged them, writing: "While I don't remember ever making this specific statement and I have never judged others by their background or color of their skin, that's not really the point.
"What matters is that I clearly acted in ways which hurt other people. Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me just being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused."
She is now looking to move forward with her career as she takes on a new role in Broadway show Funny Girl.
Lea said having this new opportunity has her feeling "so grateful" to be able to showcase what she's learned in a positive manner.
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