Brunette Ambition (31 page)

Then you have sessions with the very brilliant Adam and Alex Anders to record the songs.

Next, you do fittings with the wardrobe team and set your costumes.

You can’t forget to learn your lines.

And then you shoot.

THE MYSTIQUE OF RYAN MURPHY

The privilege of meeting, knowing, and getting to work with the genius that is Ryan Murphy is one of the greatest things about being on
Glee
. I think I’m stealing this quote from Chris Colfer, who said it when he was accepting his Golden Globe, but Ryan Murphy is my fairy god-mother. After all, the first time I met Ryan, we spent the whole night talking about Barbra Streisand. I remember thinking that we were very alike and that he understood me. He’s equally as intense and focused.

I’m grateful to Ryan for everything, but we should all be grateful, actually, because Ryan created a TV show that changed so many people’s lives and opened so many eyes and minds: High school kids everywhere can see themselves in the characters on
Glee
, and parents have found new avenues for conversation with their children. And we’ve all been entertained.

Really, Ryan is superhuman: Besides running three television shows, directing movies, and being a father and a husband, he still finds the time to call me every week to check in—and catch up on what’s going on with the Real Housewives. When I first moved to Los Angeles, Ryan knew the adjustment was hard—that I missed my life in New York and was struggling a bit to find my place in L.A. I was single, I was trying to make new friends, and I was far from my family, so he always tried to look out for me. One night, we met up for dinner, and he had bought me a necklace, a really cool and funky necklace from Marni. I could tell he was shy and embarrassed to give it to me, but the fact that he had gone to Barneys to find something for himself and had ended up getting a present for me instead struck me as one of the nicest, most thoughtful gestures ever. One weekend, he knew I would be sitting around doing nothing, and so he invited me and Jonathan Groff to his house in Laguna. I woke up early in the morning, and Ryan was already up, in a very chic robe. He was just himself, at his simplest. I sat at the kitchen counter, and he said, “Let me make you some breakfast,” and proceeded to pour me a bowl of cereal and hand me the paper. There was something about that very low-key moment that I’ll always remember the most—just to see Ryan Murphy not as the man who runs the world, but as the genuine, heart-as-big-as-the-moon guy who made me a bowl of breakfast.

Nothing would make me happier than to work solely with Ryan Murphy for the rest of my career.

I wanted this chapter to be at the end of the book because it represents where I am in life right now. I still love
Glee
as much as I did day one and am so excited to start the sixth season. I really can’t wait to see what the show has in store for Rachel Berry and what lessons she’ll learn next.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

P
utting
Brunette Ambition
together has been a profound and powerful experience for me: Not only have I revisited all the life experiences that have made me the person I am today, but I’ve also been able to distill everything I’ve learned onto the pages of what I think is a very useful book. I hope you find it useful, too!

I may live
Brunette Ambition
every day, but I still turn back to its pages constantly, whether it’s for a refresher course on Mark Townsend’s Coconut Oil Hair Masque or guidance on doing an at-home workout when Devon isn’t by my side. These are my life coaches, and so I’m thrilled to be able to share them with you. I’m also thrilled to be able to share my larger philosophy on getting everything I need to do done—all while reaching for the stars and beyond.

Ultimately, this is just the beginning of the Brunette Ambition movement: As my world continues to grow, as I learn a few more tips and tricks, there will be more and more to share. Thank you for reading and thank you for being amazing fans—your support means the world to me. And I can’t wait to meet you all along the way.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FIRST AND FOREMOST
, I’d love to thank all the gleeks out there whose endless support and love constantly motivate me and give me so much strength and joy.

Mom and Dad, I love you both so much. It was so fun getting to write this book and to let the world know what an amazing family I have and how incredible you both are.

Estee Stanley, thank you so much for all your help with this book. You’re such a beautiful and strong woman. Thank you for bringing that beauty into this book. And for always being there for me.

A very big thank-you to Mark Townsend and Jenna Hipp for their contribution to this book. Thank you both so much for all your hard work over the years. And, of course, Melanie, you have been by my side since the moment I arrived in Los Angeles and have been there for me ever since. You are so talented. Thank you for being my friend and for always making me look beautiful.

Alissa Vradenburg, you really are a superwoman. Between helping me with this book and my album and everything else, you still manage to be such an amazing friend and confidante. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me over the past few years. When I needed you most, you were there for me. And that meant more to me than you’ll ever know.

Justin Coit, you’re so incredibly talented. Thank you for taking such gorgeous photos for this book.

Devon Butler, since the day I met you, you have been such a rock for me. I think you’re one of the most amazing women I know. You’re an incredible friend and mother, and a sick trainer! Thank you for all your help with this book. And for rocking that pregnant belly! PS, Devon gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Juliette.

To all my amazing girlfriends who have been there for me through so much, I don’t know what I’d do without you guys. Especially Jennifer (aka Snacks). We’ve been through so much together this past year. You are totally my Charlotte.

Jonathan Groff, I love you. I couldn’t have gotten through this past year without you. Thank you for always being there for me and for being my best friend.

Elise Loehnen, what can I say? There aren’t enough thank-yous to truly express to you how grateful I am for your help with this book. But more than anything, I’m so grateful that this book brought us together. I’m so honored to have been able to work with you and to now call you a friend.

A huge thank-you to all the amazing people at Crown Archetype: Tina Constable, Mauro DiPreta, Suzanne O’Neill, Tammy Blake, Julie Cepler, Anna Thompson, Michael Nagin, Elizabeth Rendfleisch, and Jennifer K. Beal Davis. Thank you for believing in me and for making this dream come true.

To Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Andy McNicol, Jason Weinberg, Shelby Weiser, Will Ward; my agents, Stephanie Ritz and Sharon Jackson at WME; and Robert Offer. I love you guys so much. A huge thank-you to my very hardworking business manager, Adam.

And finally, to Cory. I’m so happy to know that you got to read this book. Thank you for all your notes. I promise I made every single one. I love you.

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

Photographs on the following pages are copyright © 2014 by Justin Coit:
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Photographs courtesy of Lea Michele:
Dedication
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1.1
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1.2
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1.3
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1.4
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1.13
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col1-img1
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Table of Contents
,
ded1-img1
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8.2
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8.3
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8.11
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8.56
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bm-img1
: © Peggy Sirota;
1.6
: © Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images;
1.7
: © Ron Galella/Getty Images;
1.8
: © Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images;
1.9
: © Steve Schapiro/Corbis;
1.10
: © MARIO ANZUONI/Reuters/Corbis;
1.11
: © Kevin Winter/Getty Images;
2.1
: © DANNY MOLOSHOK/Reuters/Corbis;
4.17
: © Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images;
5.4
: © Hocus Focus Studio/E+/Getty Images;
5.10
: © Aaron
Amat/Shutterstock.com
;
6.3
: © Dominique Charriau/Getty Images;
6.5
: © Splash News/Corbis;
6.6
: © Splash News/Corbis;
7.1
: © Jason Merritt/Getty Images;
7.3
, and
7.7
: © Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images;
7.4
: © Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images;
7.5
: © Steve Granitz/Getty Images;
7.6
: © Dan MacMedan/Getty Images;
8.1
: © Fairchild Photo Service/Condé Nast/Corbis;
9.12
: ©
daffodilred/Shutterstock.com
;
10.1
: © FOX/FOX Image Collection/Getty Images;
10.26
: © Adam Olszewski/Corbis Outline/Corbis.