Darren Criss | Entertainment News, Photos, and Videos

The cast of Glee hit the map as some of the brightest rising stars on the scene when the musical series debuted in 2009.

However, the lineup of the New Directions might have been very different. In the years since Glee debuted, we’ve learned that a slew of actors auditioned for the show or expressed interest in making a cameo in an episode or two.

Some cast members even auditioned for different parts before they were finally cast.

During an interview with Kevin McHale and Jenna Uskhowitz on their And That’s What You REALLY Missed Glee podcast, casting director Robert J. Ulrich opened up about the casting process.

“I really loved every single role and was happy and proud of all of you in every role. That is the truth,” he said.

He noted, though, that “the most difficult roles were Finn and Mercedes for sure.”

“Ryan [Murphy] really wanted Finn to be this believable high school jock and yet to sing great. We had flown people out from New York. We had so many auditions,” he recalled. That makes sense, as we have since learned that a multitude of actors were up for the role that ultimately went to Cory Monteith.

The interview made us curious, and we decided to do some digging to see what the cast could have looked like had things gone differently. We put the potential cast together in a list. Would you have guessed that all of these stars were almost involved in Glee?

Click inside to see all of the stars who were almost a part of Glee or auditioned for very different parts than what they got…

Darren Criss hops up on stage to perform for the 2023 MPTF NextGen Summer Party held at NeueHouse Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon (August 6).

The 36-year-old actor and musician hosted the event, which was attended by a bunch of stars including The Rings of Power‘s Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Camilla Belle, Yvette Nicole Brown, Colman Domingo, Cristo Fernández, Janina Gavankar, Jason George, Max Greenfield, and Clark Gregg.

Ben Barnes was also spotted in the crowd alongside Olivia Holt, Michael Rooker, Reid Scott, Harry Shum Jr, Tiffany Smith, Bailee Madison, Sharon Lawrence, Lisa Edelstein, Paloma Cinco, and Kelsie Mcdonald.

If you’re unaware, the the MPTF’s (Motion Picture & Television Fund) mission is to take care of the “entertainment community in living and aging well, with dignity and purpose, and in helping each other in times of need.”

The funds raised during the party will “help those who are directly affected as we weather these challenging times”, according to NextGen co-chair Jeffrey R. Epstein.

FYI: Olivia is wearing Effy jewelry.

Check out 45+ pictures of Darren Criss Ben Barnes, Max Greenfield, Colman Domingo, and more at the MPTF NextGen Summer Party 2023…

Taylor Swift is wrapping the first U.S. leg of her Eras Tour in Los Angeles and she is performing six shows in the city!

You can expect so many celebs to be in attendance at the show and we’ve already spotted so many of them at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night (August 3) in L.A.

We have the intel on at least 35 celebs in attendance at the show and there likely are more that haven’t even been seen yet.

It’s bound to be a special show as there is a camera crew on stage filming the concert, seemingly for a documentary or movie version.

Browse through the slideshow to see all of the celebs at night one of the Eras Tour…

UPDATE: This poll is now closed! With more than 125,000 votes submitted, fans went so hard for their favorite LGBTQ+ couples. One pair wound up ruling supreme.

Amassing more than 54,000 votes, Young Royals couple Wilhelm and Simon (played by Edvin Ryding and Omar Rudberg) took 43% of the vote and first place in the poll!

Shameless couple Eian Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich (played by Cameron Morgan and Noel Fisher) took second place with 31,000 votes. Schitt’s Creek lovers David Rose and Patrick Brewer (played by Dan Levy and Noah Reid) amassed nearly 18,000 votes to take third, and Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane of Shadowhunters (Matthew Daddario and Harry Shum Jr.) landed in fourth place with more than 10,000 votes.

We love all of the couples that were in the running and are so impressed with the dedication to your favorite queer pairings. Congratulations to the winning couple and thank you so very much to everyone who voted in the poll!

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Pride Month is here, and it’s a great time to revisit some of your favorite LGBTQ+ movies and books. It’s also an ideal time to recommend a quality show or movie to a friend or fellow reader by letting them know which queer couple you consider to be endgame.

In 2023, we are seeing more LGBTQ+ representation in the media than ever before. That means that so many people are able to see themselves represented on the screen.

Of course, some couples will resonate with you more strongly than others. Is Malec from Shadowhunters the ultimate couple to you? Or is it Brittana from Glee? There are so many other options, too!

We put together a poll so that you could let us know the ultimate LGBTQ+ couple!

Head inside to vote for your favorite queer couple…More Here! »

Keanu Reeves and Sofia Coppola arrive at The House of Suntory 100 Year Anniversary Global Event on Tuesday (May 23) in New York City.

The 58-year-old John Wick actor is featured in The Suntory Anniversary Tribute, directed by Sofia Coppola, which tells the story of the brand’s heritage and whisky-making legacy over the last 100 years.

“I’m honored to partner with Suntory Whisky again thirty years after our Suntory Reserve campaign,” Keanu said. “I’m a huge fan of Suntory Whisky, so it’s very special to collaborate in honor of this milestone anniversary. My admiration for the whisky goes beyond tasting the whisky. It is the elevated Japanese craftsmanship and attention to every detail that makes Suntory Whisky so special. As an actor honing and perfecting my own craft, sharing this process in a docuseries is a thrill.”

Keep reading to find out more…More Here! »

This poll is now closed! The results are as follows…

Dianna Agron’s Quinn Fabray is the winner!!!

Thank you so much to everyone for voting! Darren Criss‘ Blaine Anderson came in second place, and Naya Rivera‘s Santana Lopez came in third. Congrats to the winner!

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Glee is celebrating a special anniversary! Fourteen years ago, the hit musical series debuted on Fox, introducing us to so many talented actors, singers and dancers.

The cast made up the fictional New Directions show choir group and was comprised of the likes of Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Darren Criss, Naya Rivera and Amber Riley. Many of them have gone on to find impressive careers in Hollywood.

While you can see stars like Lea on Broadway in Funny Girl in 2023, we’ll never be able to forget the roles that they played on the show.

Each character had their time to shine in the spotlight and helped make Glee a hit.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but we’re wondering who you consider to be the best character on Glee. We created a poll so that you could let us know!

Head inside to let us know which Glee character was the best by voting in our poll…More Here! »

There were hundreds of celebs on the red carpet at the 2023 Met Gala, but not all the stars in New York City last night actually went to the event.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Hudson, and Chris Rock are just some of the many celebs who didn’t attend the gala, but went to the after parties on late Monday night (May 1).

Leo has actually never been to the Met Gala and he’s not alone as we’ve counted many stars who have shockingly never went to the event.

So, who went to the after parties? Some of these stars may or may not have been invited to the Met Gala, but they wanted to go the after parties regardless!

Browse through the slideshow to see who went to the after parties, but not the Met Gala…