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'Glee' actor says he felt like a 'glorified extra' on set after his character got fewer lines and scenes on season 4

Sep 13, 2022, 20:22 IST
Insider
Vanessa Lengies and Samuel Larsen on "Glee."FOX Image Collection via Getty Image
  • "Glee" actor Samuel Larsen said he felt like "a very glorified extra" on season four of the show.
  • He said by season four his character didn't have much of a storyline.
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Samuel Larsen joined the "Glee" cast on season three, but by the time season four came around he felt like his character had lost his place.

Speaking to Insider ahead of the 10-year anniversary of "The Glee Project" ending, he said he felt like "a very glorified extra" by his second season.

"I wasn't really doing much," he said about his character. "There was no storyline. I was just kind of in the classroom."

Larsen played Christian glee member Joe Hart, who was part of a major plot with leading character Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) and sang his only duet on season three. On season four, Joe appeared in 13 episodes but had fewer lines and no solos outside of group numbers.

The change was noticeable to Larsen, who was mostly seen singing and dancing in the background for the main cast on season four.

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Larsen told Insider that, originally, a season-four script had his character performing a musical number with wings on his back while hanging over a crowd.

"I was gonna have this big solo, and I was like, 'Yes, this is where I come back. Maybe I'll have some more storyline stuff after this,'" he recalled.

He said when he got the final script, Joe's performance had been completely cut out.

Larsen added, "I was upset at the time. I was like, 'Where's all my lines? Where's all my storyline?'"

Larsen was on 25 episodes, though he said he often didn't know far in advance when he'd be on the show

Dianna Agron and Samuel Larsen on "Glee."FOX Image Collection via Getty Images

Larsen got his role on "Glee" after co-winning season one of "The Glee Project" competition show in 2011 — the original prize was a seven-episode contract.

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He told Insider he originally signed on for seven episodes of season four but was brought on for more on what he described as a "case-by-case" basis. Ultimately, he appeared in 25 episodes.

Larsen said the process of being called back for episodes was "incredibly stressful" and "very last-minute." He said "all of a sudden" showrunners would send a script to his house and tell him he'd be in the next episode of "Glee."

"I'd be like, 'Oh, cool. Awesome.' And then I wasn't in an episode again, I'm like, 'Is that it?' And then they call me again," he told Insider.

Toward the end of season four, Larsen was missing for six episodes in a row before returning for the season finale.

Still, Larsen said he is still "incredibly thankful" for having been a part of both "The Glee Project" and "Glee."

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Representatives for Ryan Murphy did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read Insider's full oral history for the 10-year anniversary of the final episode of "The Glee Project" here.

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