Exclusive

Ga-Gouch! Glee's Lea Michele Injured During Lady Gaga Dance Number

Exclusive details on the big number, from the stars and creator Ryan Murphy

By Kristin Dos Santos Apr 13, 2010 7:07 PMTags
Lea MicheleTodd Williamson/Getty Images

Wanna know what's hiding under that flowy, floor-length dress Lea Michele wore to the Glee premiere party last night?

A DWTS-size injury she received yesterday while shooting the show's highly anticipated episode that will feature the songs of Lady Gaga.  

So what happened?

Thankfully, no broken toes à la Evan or showstopping tendonitis à la Jewel, but according to Lea, she did bang up her knee pretty badly. "I can tell you my knee has a golfball-sized lump on it from my Lady Gaga dance today that we did," Lea told me last night. "Hence the floor-length dress. It's awesome. I give her so much credit for doing what she does. I mean, we did one number today and I was on the ground, drenched in sweat."

Glee boss Ryan Murphy admits that the number they were shooting—which he reveals to be Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"—is no small task for the cast.

"I'm directing that episode and I did more coverage on that song then we've ever done in the history of the show," Murphy tells me. "It's a big number. It's like, big and athletic and hard. And those girls and Chris I think did it for six hours straight."

You read that right—it's the girls and...Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt! "Just wait until you see Chris Colfer!" Lea tells me excitedly. "I mean, I can't even...He decides to hang with the girls and do Lady Gaga with us and the boys do Kiss. He was like, 'This time, I'm going with the girls.' And Mr. Schuester [Matthew Morrison] let him. And we were lucky to have him because he was amazing!"

So amazing that while Lea was nursing her hurt knee in a pool of sweat, Chris tells me he must be something of a Gaga natural, because "It's the first time I have not been injured during a musical number. I'm surprised! I probably am injured, I just don't know it yet. My body is just in shock."

Still, Chris jokes, "I almost died just trying on my getup. Literally, I probably almost died because I wear 10-inch heels and those take some getting used to. They're like stilts walking around. They're platform, stick stiletto heels..And I had to dance my ass off in them [laughs.]" (Check out the photo at right from PopWrap.)

The coolest part? Murphy says Lady Gaga not only allowed her songs to be used in the episode, she also loaned out her costumer. "We're doing all the costumes," Murphy tells me. "Her person made our costumes. It's, I think, our most expensive number because the set is crazy and the costumes are crazy."

Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) reveals her character may be the impetus for Glee to go Gaga. "Tina in the Gaga episode has a little bit of a problem expressing herself," Jenna explains. "She gets in trouble for the way she dresses. So she has to go through a little bit of a change for a little while. And therefore you will see some Gaga in there. She's slowly coming out of her box. Making her way out of her shell."

Glee finally returns tonight on Fox with brand-spanking-new episodes, and I think I speak for Gleeks everywhere when I say: Can. Not. Wait.

Follow me on Twitter @kristinalert for more Glee news!