Lea Michele Is "Glee"'s Rachel Berry in Real Life

Life, art, imitation, you get it.

August 29, 2016

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Lea Michele was only 23 when Glee first aired back in 2009, but something about her portrayal of Rachel Berry let us know she’d be an instant star. Sure enough, the show has ended but our love for the actress and singer rages on. (Um, Scream Queens, anyone?)

From time to time, it can be hard to differentiate our love for Lea and our love for Rachel. When your faves take a role and make it iconic, that's just what happens. Can you imagine anyone else playing the type-A, hopelessly optimistic musical theater head? We didn't think so. But it seems that the actress and her on-screen counterpart have a lot more in common than you might think — and we're not just talking about the "very Rachel Berry" moment in her audition that landed her the role. Read on to find out what the two share.

1/14
We obviously can all respect that both Lea and Rachel have some serious vocal chops. (Technically Rachel has Lea's singing ability, but go with us here.)
2/14
It’s like listening to a thousand angels coming down from heaven.

3/14
And both in real life and reality, our plucky heroine is known for speaking her mind.
4/14
Lea and Rachel both have a thing for Jesse St. James.

5/14
AKA Jonathan Groff, who just might be the most fun friend of all time. (He and Lea first became friends during Spring Awakening and have been pretty inseparable ever since.)
6/14
Seems like Rachel and Lea share a taste in men.

7/14
IRL, Lea fell in love with her costar, Cory Monteith — AKA Finn Hudson, Rachel’s love interest.
8/14
The Finn tattoo Rachel got on the show? Yep, Lea has one for real.

9/14
Please excuse us while we reel in the #Finchel feels.
10/14
And of course, we love Lea and Rachel because they’re both totally confident.

11/14
The actress and her on-screen counterpart use fitness as a means to channel their goals. (Have you seen Lea's Instagram lately? She's always on the go.)
12/14
Did we mention that we love Lea and Rachel for always being incredibly ambitious?

13/14
Of course, both Lea and Rachel have major star quality — and that's something you just can't teach.
14/14
Get it, girls. You're both superstars.

What sort of advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
You will never regret choosing kindness. Be nicer to people, including yourself. What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Biz Markie's "Just a Friend." You got what I neeeeeed. What fashion item seems to always be on your shopping list?
Try as I might, I can't resist ... Read More

Keywords lea michele glee

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