Studio Strays Rescued by Lea Michele and Glee Castmates

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2010-09-01 18:33:00 UTC
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Lea Michele throws as much passion behind being a voice for animals as her Glee character, Rachel Berry, puts into her solos. Last year, she was part of PETA's "Buck Cruelty" campaign against horse-drawn carriages. She teamed up with the organization again this year to record an anti-fur PSA. On September 25, Michele will be honored alongside other celebrity activists, like the legendary Bob Barker, at PETA's 30th Anniversary Gala and Humanitarian Awards ceremony.

But the Emmy-nominated actress doesn't just lend her star power to talk about compassion, she also walks the walk of an animal advocate. In addition to following a vegan diet, the actress can't pass up a stray animal in need.

In a recent interview with People magazine (for the Glee special issue out on September 10th), Lea Michele revealed that she's been known to rescue animals on set ... and then find them homes with her Glee castmates and crew.

She once found six stray kittens on the Paramount Studios lot. Afraid they'd be eaten by another animal, she scooped them up. She kept two of them, who she named Claude and Sheila, gave three to one of the show's directors, and the last one to Heather Morris, who plays Brittany.

During a Long Beach shoot, she spotted a dog tied to a fence. Unwilling to leave him there, she says, "I made the people at Glee send the dog to the vet, and we had him cleaned up." The dog was named Charlie and now lives with Harry Shum, who plays Mike Chang on the show.

The big-hearted cast of Glee is also giving back through the Members Project, which promotes doing something good for the community and the environment.

In one of the PSAs for the project, Jane Lynch, as Sue Sylvester, says: "We could fight to make the world a better place if we only knew why. Think about it. What do animals do except poop on your lawn and make you feel guilty about how delicious they are?" She goes on to disparage literacy and the arts, then says: "People are always saying 'get involved.' To them I say, sure, I'll take a stand. For as long as it takes me to find a comfy chair."

The tagline for the PSA is: Don't be a Sue. Do something good instead.

Of course, in real life, Jane Lynch is as far from "being a Sue" as her co-star, Lea Michele. Lynch is also a PETA spokesperson and supports no-kill animal shelters. Last season, she took a stand and kept animal cruelty out of the script.

For all the Gleeks out there, the countdown has begun: the animal-friendly cast returns for a new season on September 21.

Photo credit: Kristin Dos Santos

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.
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