Matthew Morrison 'Glee' Character Supposed To Be An Addict, Not Written For Him, Ryan Murphy Says

Were you also a part of the entire generation of Gleeks who wanted to have a teacher like Mr. Schuester in "Glee?"

Well, count me in, as Matthew Morrison's portrayal of the emphatic and loving show choir teacher William Michael Schuester has arguably made everyone watching at the time want to be his students.

In the past few years since the hit show "Glee" took its final curtain call, the television series remains a talking point on social media, with fans now realizing how campy and unhinged the show was by today's standards.

The other members of the ensemble cast went on to pursue careers on their own. Notably, Lea Michele is living a real-life "Glee" episode as she bagged the role of Fanny Brice in the 2022 revival production of "Funny Girl" on Broadway. Amber Riley, on the other hand, had a stint on the West End playing Effie White on "Dreamgirls."

Darren Criss, has appeared on plenty of television series like "Hollywood," and even "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" both directed by Ryan Murphy. Harry Shum Jr., debuted on the most recent season of Glee as one of the new intern class, while Heather Morris was recently crowned as "The Masked Dancer" on the show's second season in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale, who played Tina and Artie on the show, recently started their own podcast series, "And That's What You REALLY Missed," circling about the show and its lasting impact.

At their very first episode, show creator Ryan Murphy took the hot seat and revealed some pretty damning revelations about one of the most beloved characters on the show - Matthew Morisson's Mr. Schuester.

Apparently, the first version of the pilot script for "Glee" features a darker storyline. Initially, what show creator Ian Brennan wanted, is that Schuester was supposed to be a crystal meth addict. (via Variety)

"Mr. Schue, I believe, was a crystal meth addict in Ian's script. The NC-17 version of show choir with a weird protagonist who was unraveling...I just need something optimistic," he admitted.

True enough, that storyline is actually a rather overwhelming storyline for a show that was supposed to be for pre-teens. But that wasn't the only juicy tidbit on the recent guesting, Murphy also revealed that another actor was actually written for the role.

"When we were writing the pilot, I've never really talked about this, that pilot was written for Justin Timberlake. Mr. Schue was written for Justin," he said. Eventually, the role was handed out to Tony-nominated actor, Matthew Morrison.

Tags

GLEE, Ryan Murphy