Tony Award Winner Ali Stroker on the Impact of 'Glee' Had on Her Career and Confidence
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For the past decade, Ali Stroker has had an impressive career in Hollywood: being associated with countless projects, publishing three of her own children's books (her latest, Cute Loose! with Stacy Davidowitz came out in October) and, oh, winning a little thing called a Tony Award. Not to mention her advocacy work, including her constant push for disability representation within the industry. But Ali definitely hasn't forgotten about where she's come from, and the highs and lows of her career that has made the journey so memorable.
On December 6, Ali appeared as a guest on Hearst's In Conversation With series, where she talked about her career. As she noted, one of the most pivotal moments was when she earned a guest spot as Betty Pillsbury on Glee in 2013 after placing second during the reality competition, The Glee Project. "I didn't win, but they ended up putting me on the show anyway, so that was cool," she told Adam Rathe, Town & Country's Deputy Features Director.
Ali said that Glee was a world she felt she "fit into," because they already had a character who was in a wheelchair, although she admitted she couldn't help but feel disappointed upon learning that Kevin McHale, who played Artie Abrams on the show, wasn't actually wheelchair-bound.
"At first, I was mad. But I realized I was so hurt by it, because I was like, 'You're going to write this character who's in a chair, but you're not gonna actually do it. He can get up, and this is a prop, and that's not what living in a wheelchair is like, especially for a young person.'" (When Kevin spoke to Insider in 2022, he said, "knowing what we know now," he wouldn't reprise his role).
Although the moment was a "letdown," Ali was even more determined to get on the show. "It didn't change the fact that I wanted to be on the show, because I was like, 'Well, somebody who's really in a chair needs to be on the show.' And they did do that, after the fact."
She also said that Glee was like a "fairy godmother," to her career, helping her build relationships and confidence, both of which were crucial to her future success. "It reminded me that if I was setting out to do something, I could get it."
Since her time on Glee, Ali has appeared on stage and television, with roles in Spring Awakening and Oklahoma!, as well as Ozark, Blue Bloods and Only Murders in the Building. But she's still always so happy when a fan recognizes her from her one-episode spot. "To this day, I still have people come up to me and say, 'I loved you on Glee,' — I was on it for 40 seconds, but I'll take it."
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