With Glee – The 3D Concert Movie now out on DVD and Blu-ray, we have an exclusive interview that we conducted earlier this year with two of the stars of hot TV property Glee. Ben Harlum had a chat with the two stars on filming in 3D, their experiences on the show and iPod commercials.
Rather than being a feature version of the show, Glee – The 3D Concert Movie takes the song and dance numbers and quite literally puts them on centre stage. Peppering the concert footage are interviews with the cast, who remain largely in character for these “behind the scenes” sequences, and an eclectic collection of self-proclaimed freaks and geeks who have all found a higher calling and common purpose through their love of Glee.
What was it like going on tour, because you have the 3D film on DVD now, was it fun to get out of the soundstages for a bit?
Kevin: It was fun, we did a smaller tour last year which was a great warmup to what we experienced this time. We did forty-four shows in four countries in six weeks, and every show was sold out which felt crazy to us. It was nice to see the immediate reaction from the crowd, they may watch the show and buy the music but to see them there singing along with us was great. And now thanks to the movie people in places like Australia, who couldn’t see the concerts, can see the production.
Did you have the 3D cameras there, in your face?
Kevin: It was filmed in 3D so if we ran backstage quickly enough, we could watch it as it was being shot. We’re used to the cameras, so it was very natural for the cameras to be there. They were filmed from real shows so I imagine it will feel just like a concert.
Harry, what was the journey like for you because you started as a one-day character and you’re now a series regular for season three…
Harry: Everything happened really organically. Somebody on the show recommended me because they were looking for someone with a strong dance background, it was very weird because it felt as if they needed this character cast quickly. I didn’t know what the show was because it hadn’t aired yet and slowly over time they kept asking me back, then into rehearsals with the cast. My first rehearsal, actually, was with Kristin Chenoweth which was kind of surreal. Every episode my character keeps growing so I’m excited to see what happens going forward.
Is there one particular song that you feel translated really well from the TV Show to the arena setting of the concert film?
Harry: Well I have this love-hate relationship with PYT because it’s so scary to perform to a Michael Jackson song. Michael is Kevin’s idol, and I look up to him in so many ways, so it’s hard to try and pay homage to this legend while putting your own stamp on it. On the other note, Kevin does it justice vocally and it’s just so much fun to perform live.
You were in an iPod commercial once; could you recognise your silhouette when it was on TV?
Harry: Oh yeah! It was very surreal because I did about nine commercials, and all of them were very different so you could pick me out. One of my friends didn’t know I had done it, and asked whether it was me in the iPod ad. So that was really insane, it’s such an iconic ad campaign.
Glee – The 3D Concert Movie is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and digital from Fox.
