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Glee's Jane Lynch on Ed O'Neill, Gwyneth Paltrow's Return and More

"It gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling," she says of her Golden Globe nomination

By Kristin Dos Santos Dec 15, 2010 3:00 AMTags

Spoiler Alert! If Jane Lynch wins the Golden Globe this year, she probably won't be thanking TV Guide Canada (the media outlet that sparked the whole Ed O'Neill controversy) during her acceptance speech. "Yeah, probably not" she says with a laugh.

So how does Jane feel about the whole Ed thing now? The return of Gwyneth Paltrow? And, wait a minute, could Jane's Sue Sylvester actually be the one singing "Thriller" for the Super Bowl episode?

See my full interview with Jane in the video clip above!

"Of course!" Jane deadpans. "I do the best Michael Jackson in the cast, and I'm the best dancer." Then she breaks with a laugh: "I'm not going to be in 'Thriller.' That's for the people who are entitled for that kind of thing." 

Jokes aside, Jane promises this for the Super Bowl episode: "It's a huge extravaganza and it's off the wall and for those fans who will be watching our show for the first time, they're going to get a lot."

Gwyneth herself tells us she's set to return to Glee "this Spring," and Jane tells me she's over the moon about it. "I thought she did such a great job in that episode. We worked her so hard and she sang and danced and she was in like 150 numbers and I thought, we'll never see her again. But she's coming back, she wants more. She's wonderful and I hope we get more scenes together."

And though their characters might seem like polar opposites, Jane hints they could actually bond over a thing or two. "Sue and Gwyneth's character [Holly Holliday] definitely have different approaches at getting the students to respect them, but I think deep down Sue wants the same thing--she wants the kids to love her. She even said that to Will, she said 'Your kids love you, I don't have that. They fear me.' And I guess it's her own fault."

It's that surprising mushy center we've seen glimpses of that Jane credits for her character's ultimate acceptance among the Glee audience--and awards voters. "She says everything people wish they can say but don't because of social norms. Also, she's not like Hannibal Lecter, she's not dangerous. She's a pretty benign villain and she's a lot of bark and no bite."

Today marks Jane's second Globe nomination but she insists she didn't see it coming. "I don't have enough self-confidence to have that kind of certainty, but it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling."

And the Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day.

Further proving she's nothing like the character she plays on TV (meet Jane Lynch once, for just a nanosecond, and you'll instantly fall for her), Jane was gracious when asked about the whole Ed O'Neill thing, saying simply, "I'm glad it's over."

Stay classy, Sue Sylvester.

Check back for scoop from Matthew Morrison and Chris Colfer!

MORE GLEE! Check out my on-set interview with Lea Michele for the lowdown on Puckleberry, Brittana and a Super Bowl surprise for you Finchel fans!