This post discusses mental health issues.
if you a glee Fans, you probably remember Britney Spears’ memorable appearance in the Season 2 episode “Britney/Britney” back in 2010.
Britney’s appearance was filmed in part of the years of conservancy that her father, Jamie, had put her through earlier in the 2000s. She has since broken free of the stereotype and has spoken out about its detrimental effects on her mental health and general well-being.
on a recent episode of his podcast and that’s what you really missedEast glee Stars Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz revealed what it was like filming with Britney at the time – and it looks like it was a little rough.
During the episode, Kevin admitted that the cast and crew were not “completely sure” whether or not Brittany would actually show up on the day of filming. “We find out that Britney is coming to the show, and we can’t believe it,” he recalled. “But it was also a bit like ‘Is she going to come? Is she not going to come?'”
Jenna said that Britney was “very calm and very nice”, but also seemed “very nervous”. “And … if you can, in the best possible way … a little empty,” she also admitted. “I mean that in a kind way because at that point, she must have been going through a lot.”
Kevin also said that it was “kind of hard to witness” what was actually happening with Britney while they were filming. “It was great, and then she would whimper,” he recalled. “Someone or something on her team would take her away, and she would come back and again be, for lack of a better word, a little empty.”
“It felt like she wasn’t given a chance to participate in the way she wanted to,” he said.
Kevin noted that Brittany was “amazing” on set, and that “she was totally into it” when it came to filming her scenes – but Jenna still described the experience as bitter.
“It was this very strange contrast of being so excited,” she said, “and also, like, now it hurts me to think about what she was going through at the time.”
Listen to the full episode here.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is a federation of mental health professionals from over 25 countries who support harm reduction efforts in therapy.