Lea Michele Made Young 'True Grit' Star Cry With Brush Off

By John Mitchell Posted Jan 7th 2011 10:25PM

Little Hailee Steinfeld is earning some very adult accolades -- including a Best Supporting Actress SAG Award nomination -- for her turn in 'True Grit,' but the 14-year-old actress got the cold shoulder from a 'Glee' starlet who apparently just didn't have time for her.

"When I was auditioning for 'True Grit,' I was on the Paramount lot. I was wearing clothes from the 1800s that were big and uncomfortable. 'Glee' also films on the lot, and I love the show," Steinfeld told J-14 magazine. "I saw Lea Michele just walking to her trailer, and I was like, 'That's the girl from 'Glee.' I've got to go ask for her autograph!' So I walked up to her and asked for her autograph, but she walked by and a guy came and said, 'Sorry, now's not a good time!'"

The young actress, who stars alongside Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges in 'Grit,' was so heartbroken by the brush off that she left in tears. "I had to walk all the way back to the car wearing what I was wearing. I was practically crying on the way home," Steinfeld said. "I was so sad! But she's beautiful, and she has an amazing voice."

This isn't the first time accusations of diva-like behavior have been hurled at Michele. "She acts like she's the only star on the show, and it has become an uncomfortable situation when she gives attitude to the people around her," a source close to 'Glee' told the New York Daily News this summer. "Lea acts like she's better than the rest of the cast."

Michele also found herself in hot water earlier this year when reports surfaced that she snapped at famed photographer Patrick McMullan at the Time 100 gala when he dared to ask for her name. The actress got huffy and told McMullan she was "Sarah Palin" then "Taylor Swift," at which point the photog excused himself.

The actress backpedaled when the story hit the press, saying she "made a silly joke," but McMullan contended (via E! Online) that it was anything but and that the reports were true. "Everything that's in that story is true, Lea giving me the fake names, but not what I said," McMullan told E!'s Ted Casablanca. "I didn't say 'f**k you' to her, even though I wanted to say 'f**k you!' No, what I said was, 'Forget about it.' ... But you know what? Taylor Swift and Demi [Moore] and Ashton [Kutcher] were totally cool and nice at that event. They're classy."

More recently, Details writer Claire Hoffman included some choice observations about Michele's on-set behavior in her cover story on 'Glee' star Matthew Morrison.

Everyone's looking over their lines now, rehearsing dance steps -- except Lea Michele, who keeps staring at me as I observe Morrison. Every time I look up, I catch her looking my way. It seems she knows I'm a reporter and wants my attention.

When Morrison brings over a laptop to show me a movie treatment he's been working on, Michele crosses the set, stands next to me, and starts talking to the show's publicist. "I have a lot of interviews to do," she says. "There's that AIDS blast and..." She turns to look at me. "Oh, hi."

Within minutes the publicist asks me to leave the set. I'm a distraction.

For her part, Steinfeld likely isn't sweating Michele's rude behavior. Just a few weeks into its theatrical run, 'Grit' is already a huge hit with both critics and audiences. Having grossed more than $93 million in just two weeks, it is already the most successful film ever for the Coen brothers ('Fargo,' 'The Big Lebowski,' 'No Country for Old Men'), and is expected to continue to rack up box office dollars as awards season marches on. The young actress is already being hyped as a likely Oscar nominee for her turn as Mattie Ross in the adaptation of Charles Portis' popular novel.

And if Steinfeld still cares about getting Michele's autograph, she'll have another chance on Jan. 30, when both attend the SAG Awards (Michele is nominated along with the cast of 'Glee' for the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series).

Tags: Glee, Hailee Steinfeld, Lea Michele

Comments

(62)

Saturday 08 January

By FaithHillFanatic

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Lea better stop trying to be a so called diva. She needs to remember that what God gives, God can just as easily take away. Lea better realize that before its too late. Its a shame that being in the spotlight has made Lea such a cold hearted person. Don't take your fans for granted for they are the ones who in the end are buying you stuff so you can have a paycheck.

By Sendai

Lea is just one more casuality who falls into the fans' trap. If she acts like diva she's criticized. You can't be a diva without hype that fans expect her to live up to. If she's not a diva people wonder what's wrong with her. How dare she not act like a star. If she's private, she's criticized because fans think they own her. Actors and actresses are entitled to have a private life away from prying eyes. If she's in a bad mood, selfish or rude she's criticized because she's not entitled to be as human as everyone else. If she's over exposed fans criticize her but forget that they demand her always being seen and heard and when she's not you get "where is she?".

Grow up Hailee. No one is obligated to give you the time of day. Don't take it personally when something other than you is considered more important which seems to be conveniently overlooked here.

Shame actors and actresses are put out as the center of the Universe. Fans have no sympathy when their ficklness causes their idols to explode in a flash-in-the-pan super nova of nothingness when someone new to worship rides over the hill on their white horse.

By Lisa

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Sendai, Hailee is the child, it's Lea that needs to grow Up! Lea is a super star in her own mind. She is no better than anyone. If you find her brush off acceptable that says a lot about you.

By Lennox

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I don't think I've ever read an article where people were criticizing a star for not acting Diva-enough. If she couldn't oblige because of her own personal reasons, how about having the decency to the tell the girl herself instead of having a handler do it? That would be the grown up way of handling things.

By miguel

sorry to hear da way Lea M is acting towards other peeps no doubt about it she has a great voice and shes very personable but she need to learn how to be more accesible to other peeps, shes not da only great singer around.

By carole del monte

I never could stand that caterwauling woman. I'm not surprised at these reports. She can drop down as fast as she's shot up. As for the young actress, let's just say she's learning a life lesson about human bad behavior.

By cftenor

Lea is a mess, she doesn't sing she yells sort of on pitch, her performance on the Tonys was just that and you can tell she's in it for herself not for the art."Funny Girl" on Bway, we could call it Spiderman II, hang it Up!

By Heather

All I have to say is Who's Lea Michele???? Personally I've never even heard of her....LOL

By YellowRose3218

Anyone that will brush off a little girl is just cold hearted.
This Lea woman sounds like she had a bad day,, I have those too. but I would never treat any child like Lea did.
Lea owes this child an apology.

By Jock

Oh poor baby ! Nobody probably stroked her ego that day or maybe she didn't get enough publicity!

By frankly

After being hounded by shutterbugs & fans for years the 14 year old will also ignore some people

By Kris

Lea was working. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt absent other info that she was pressed for time and had to do her job.
I imagine some day Hailee will be seen by a fan when she's rushing while on the set and scheduled for the job and it won't be a good time for her. Hope folks and the media are more gentle with her then.

By carol

I remember something about her diva behavior on another show. She is really full of herself, but I don't know why. She's not at all pretty, she can sing but so can the rest of the cast of Glee. Pretty is as pretty does!
Get over yourself Lea, you're really nothing special. She's a legend in her own mind! Hailee, you have a bright future ahead of you and Lea will be soon forgotten

By Maomao

I've read a different version pertaining to the same incident. The author of that article does not retell the story, but talks about something highly speculative, which has the implicit meaning that the 14-year-old is using this to publicize herself. I like Lea. I believe she is not as bad as the story tells. I will be on her side no matter what happens.

Monday 10 January

By austinights

I enjoy watching her on glee, so I watched her on Letterman last year. She kept calling it "MY show." Other actors on the Letterman show refer to their particular show as "our show". I also saw her audition tape and she was very 'demanding' when the piano guy messed up the piece she was doing. I tend to believe she's a bit of a diva.

By noahnuha

i kind of like lea but when she says she really does not have the time she probably in between shooting and rehearsing she probably doesn't. also everyone just heard the 14 year old girls side of the story, she probably is just exaggerating. you know how some shildren are...

By nancy

Michele is acting exactly like her character acts! UNBEARABLE and ARROGANT. Hey girl, you really aren't all that!

Sunday 09 January

By ilia

Wow, what a whiny little b**ch!

By Sue Donnim

I saw her in Spring Awakenings and she was so NOT the standout performer. She is also no Steisand, merely another derivative singer who is soon to be yesterday's news. Nothing particularly beautiful, special or original whatsoever and absolutely no reason to overestimate herself. Her arrogance is the only thing interesting about her. Sad.

Lea Michele is a good singer, but she is not much of an actress. Most of her scenes are too calculating and mechanical. She is going to be stereo-typed when Glee is done in a year or so. Sure, she'll get a lot of work on Broadway, because she can sing - but no one is going to want to work with a diva when there is so much more talent out in the world who will not put up so much crap. And, that Hailee is a great actress and only 14. I'm going to laugh the day she's carrying home an Oscar trophy and Lea Michele is watching from home.

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