15 Revelations About the 'Glee' Pilot Episode From Jenna Ushkowitz & Kevin McHale's New Podcast

1. Cory Monteith missed early rehearsals because his work visa wasn’t approved yet

Cory Monteith was Canadian and had to get his visa ironed out before he could join the cast in rehearsals. Both Jenna and Kevin reflected on what that meant for them.

“Kevin, me, Lea, Amber and Chris were all rehearsing a million versions of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ and ‘Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat,’” Jenna recalled. “And there was this actor who was coming to play Finn.”

“We all were bonding and we were like ‘What happens when Cory comes,’” she added. “We were like ‘We’ve all bonded and we’re all friends and this other guy comes in.’”

Kevin filled in for Cory while they rehearsed for “Don’t Stop Believing” until he was able to make it to set. The late star’s first day involved filming the scene where Matthew Morrison‘s character pretends to bust him for drugs to get him to join the club.

The first number the cast rehearsed with Cory was “You’re the One That I Want.”