Jonathan Groff

Tell us about your character and the new episodes of Glee, Jonathan.

Jessie St James is the lead singer of Vocal Adrenaline. We’ve met [Vocal Adrenaline] a couple of times already, but I think most memorably we met them in the very first episode – when the crew, New Directions, goes to see [Vocal Adrenaline] and they perform Rehab. They’re very intense and very competitive, and sort of like this very extreme group. So Jessie is the lead singer of that group, and he’s very cocky, very self-assured and very talented. In the very first episode of the back nine he meets Rachel and they sort of fall in love. He has a lot in common with Rachel; they’re both very ambitious and very aggressive, and very aware that they’re talented. They’re sort of a match made in heaven.

So you’re up against Lea Michelle this season. I mean, on screen. What’s that like?

It is a special sort of treat for me to do this show. Lea – who plays Rachel – used to play opposite each other on a show for about two years on Broadway. And so she is literally my best friend in real life, so getting to act with her again on this show has been a total dream. It’s an illegal amount of fun to be with her again.

Idina Menzel

How did you get the part?

I got a call from Ryan Murphy’s office to come in and meet about this character and I was just tivo’ing Glee with my husband and watching it every week and the two of us being musical theatre fans and performers – we were always saying how much we wanted to be on the show.  I really didn’t think it would pan out like that, so it was really exciting and I went in and met with him and a bunch of the writers and that was that.

Tell us about your musical theatre background.

I’m kind of New York girl.  People would know me if they’re Broadway fans.  I was in the original cast of Rent; I played a lipstick lesbian performance artist.  A couple of years later I was the green witch in Wicked.

So, who are you playing?

I play a character called Shelby, and she’s the coach of Vocal Adrenaline.  She she’s pretty ambitious, pretty bold, pretty strong and she loves her kids.  She’s kind of a fun character to play – she gives a lot of tough love.