Lea Michele Says Her ‘Edge’ Contributed To Bad Reputation

Lea Michele is days away from making her debut in “Funny Girl” on Broadway.

[{"selector":"#anim-3e582c58-de8e-446c-afdb-0bd01f3f6b68","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-61fc3512-bcec-41e0-a879-e5f9c6a6ed2a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(114.82649%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7528cbc7-ca81-4941-83b4-98f9938d8c2c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

And given that she will be THE ‘funny girl’ it means all eyes, headlines and phone cameras will be on her waiting for her to mess up.

[{"selector":"#anim-7a86153c-17e7-48bb-9847-d32c626ea79f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9c4fe381-e7e0-4a65-83d1-ecbf99c4bc0d","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.45741%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-86d09c5f-26b4-4b7e-b558-2634a6fc6187","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Lea doesn’t have the best track record of good behavior on set.

[{"selector":"#anim-38eae68b-f3c4-4d23-904a-51f0e10ba3ae","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cf1491cc-30b7-4dc8-ad88-5e0b207657cb","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(114.82649%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-61a730d9-8c07-4e4a-aead-ad34f88d38c2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

When she was on “Glee” was known as the mean girl on set and many called her a ‘DIVA.’

[{"selector":"#anim-17b3322c-e21f-40be-aefb-b724aa064d4b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-137378e7-8928-46ed-99bf-b0356d2c8f4d","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(114.82649%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93f9e0ad-2c93-44e3-9254-2b7df05986df","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

In a new interview with The New York Times, Lea, “I have an edge to me. I work really hard.”

[{"selector":"#anim-9c694315-8749-4b21-ae78-8848f2babe71","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b1ffee27-2b9b-4424-8e66-0ae0ba08ad35","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(114.82649%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f98c278b-3c21-418e-88a0-0032daf985cd","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

“I leave no room for mistakes,” the 36-year-old said.

[{"selector":"#anim-8e390fc2-0420-48b1-9f5e-1d10222d4be8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1be4e099-51ca-473d-9de7-3cf0829ac33b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(114.82649%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-322d2307-9c1f-4521-9ce4-8a695da29b5c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

She explained this work ethic led to “blind spots.”

[{"selector":"#anim-9acbf42d-60e2-4625-b4ef-e7f8328a46d7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-50b6c3dc-b579-49e6-840a-c8084b3e1fc3","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(114.82649%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8fe7ac9d-fd52-4967-90fc-8491473115e1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

“That level of perfectionism, or that pressure of perfectionism, left me with a lot of blind spots.”

[{"selector":"#anim-ae11016f-6d70-4e73-92c4-a0b58b199454","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cf4772be-b3b8-4875-87ed-c2c10990a32f","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(114.82649%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5869740d-5e66-49ea-86c2-36a1b420966a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Lea noted that she’s changed the way she approaches her work given her past “mean girl” reputation

[{"selector":"#anim-74e435d8-46d8-4336-aa4c-84c027f752a1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-126c8168-aa52-4160-ba51-c0ed374431e5","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(114.82649%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-780c7ab1-837e-419f-b552-25e9f1aea31b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more