‘Glee’ alum Kevin McHale says he wouldn’t play a character in a wheelchair now
The reality TV world was shaken Friday by news about “Glee” alum Kevin McHale, who would not play a character with a disability in its upcoming musical sequel.
The decision means the “Glee” original will no longer include wheelchair-bound character Will Shakespeare in “The Will auditions,” the “Glee” musical that will begin a limited national and international tour in March.
“I can’t do it,” McHale told ABC/Radio Disney’s “Good Morning America” in an interview Thursday.
“It’s not really an issue for me,” he said.
McHale plays the role of Will in several of the “Glee” original musicals.
He said he was not contacted about playing Will in the upcoming “Glee” movie.
“I wish they’d have talked to me about that. And maybe if they had, I would have been like you know, ‘I’ll do it,’ you know,” he said.
“But I’ve just got to do it, and I’m just going to do it for a reason,” he said he told his agent.
Will’s character in the “Glee” movies has been played by multiple actors, including Alan Rickman and Ryan Murphy, who plays the lead role in the musical version.
However, McHale said he wouldn’t appear in “The Will auditions” in a wheelchair, even if it “was very much like me.”
“I can’t play somebody like I play myself — wheelchair-bound, you know,” he said.
“I wouldn’t do it,” he said. “I wouldn’t do it. I’m not into that.”
McHale said he spoke with the producers of the “Glee” movie over social media, but they did not push for him to take the part. The series, which is set to premiere in March on