Lea Michele Was Told She 'Wasn't Pretty Enough' For Film

American actress and singer Lea Michele got candid on how she was advised to alter her appearance so she could live up to Hollywood's standards as a young actress coming up in the Industry.

Michele returned to Broadway and starred as Fanny Brice in the revival of "Funny Girl," which has enjoyed so much success selling out theatres and drawing several standing ovations. The show is a musical that follows the life and career of Broadway star Fanny Brice.

The actress spoke about how she was advised to get a new look because she "wasn't pretty enough."

Read on to learn more.

In a recent interview with Time & Country Magazine, Michele revealed how she was advised to get a new look as a young actress. According to the "Glee" alum, people told her to get a "nose job" and said that she was not gentle on the eyes.

Michele, who is presently enjoying the massive success of "Funny Girl," said that while growing up, people would tell her to use surgery to enhance her look as she "wasn't pretty enough for film and television."

The Brunette Ambition author also described how she first got to know of the Broadway production, pointing out that she didn't discover "Funny Girl" until 2006.

According to her, she learned of the role in 2006 when she was going through a breakup. She revealed that "Spring Awakening" director, Michael Mayer, introduced her to it after noting the similarities between what was going on in "Funny Girl" and Michele's life at the time.

While reports were out about the allegedly bad state of her working relationship with costars, the actress made sure to end those speculations as she showed support for "Funny Girl" predecessor, Beanie Feldstein.

Michele clarified that there was no beef between the both of them. "I think that everybody just thinks everything is so drama-filled. I also think that people really love the excitement of pitting women against each other, which I think is really sad and unfortunate," she told People.

The actress was also previously accused by former "Glee" costar Samantha Marie of tormenting her on the set of the Fox musical series with "traumatic microaggressions," to which she noted in a statement that she might have hurt others in the way she acted.

Michele added that she went through an "intense time of reflection" and now feels "more ready than ever have before, both personally and professionally" for her return to the stage. She told the media outlet that she hoped to minimize any possible backstage stress for the cast and to do a good job.

The actress expressed how she felt about internet rumors calling her "illiterate," describing it as "sad."

Different social media conspiracies and viral TikToks made the rounds recently, pushing the narrative that the "Scream Queens" alum never learned how to read. The actress addressed it, saying that such wouldn't have been the case if she was a man.

"I went to 'Glee' every single day; I knew my lines every single day. And then there's a rumor online that I can't read or write? It's sad. It really is. I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn't be the case," said Michele.

Back in 2018, when the illiteracy rumors started swirling, Michele responded to a particular fan who tweeted that she must be laughing at the wild claims, saying, "Loved READING this tweet and wanted to WRITE you back. Literally laughing out loud at all this. Love you!!!" she continued, adding kiss and heart emojis.

The actress, who has been compared several times to her idol, Barbra Streisand, gushed over the "complimentary" note she received from the Broadway legend.

The 36-year-old made sure not to reveal its content and only said, "it was a beautiful, hand-written note that I will cherish." She also noted in her interview with Time & Country that Streisand was "incredibly complimentary" to her. 

Michele's debut on "Funny Girl" positively impacted the broadway production, turning it into a must-see, with the show receiving several standing ovations from satisfied theatergoers.

Amongst the top stars who have gone to see Michele perform as Fanny Brice are Hillary Clinton, Demi Moore, and Nicole Kidman, to mention a few.