On 'Glee,' we often tackle the tough topics that young people face - in fact, my recurring character, Wade 'Unique' Adams, is a transgender teenager who finds herself navigating a lot of the same problems many young people face around the globe.

Alex Newell

Categorized in : Problems Face People Character

Of course I took something from the [Glee set]. I took my entire shoe collection, that's all I would ever need.

glee shoes needs

I want to play the mean girl one day - or the mean gay! by Alex Newell

I want to play the mean girl one day - or the mean gay!

mean-girls gay play

I have so many [on-set Glee BFFs]. I love Kevin (McHale). I love Amber (Riley); Amber and I are essentially the same person, even though one’s fiercer than the other—don’t tell her it’s me. I love Chris Colfer, he’s a gem. Melissa (Benoist) and Blake (Jenner), I love them. We’re such a tight-knight family because we spend so much time together.

knights together bff

Playing Unique hasn’t changed how I feel about myself, but it has changed how I hold myself. Unique is so confident that I found myself [saying], ‘You need to be the role model that your character intends you to be.’

role-models unique character

I always wanted to be on Glee. As soon as the pilot aired, I said... by Alex Newell

I always wanted to be on Glee. As soon as the pilot aired, I said I needed to be on the show.

glee pilots said

It will be impossible for us to eradicate HIV as long as any corner of the world is cut off from the education and services that we know helps stop the spread of this disease.

impossible education long world

Other than my sexuality, I am vulnerable regarding my physical appearance, as I am not what people considered ideal by most standards. For the entertainment business, I am not the body type of what is typically cast for television or movies.

i-am movies business people

You don't think that mean people can be funny, and Jane Lynch is the epitome of that. If there could be, like, a gay version of 'Mean Girls,' I'd totally be in it.

you gay funny people

I love Frank Ocean. We're going to get married. In true life, we... by Alex Newell

I love Frank Ocean. We're going to get married. In true life, we should get married.

true ocean love life

I grew up about 30 minutes north of Boston in a town that was a virtual melting pot - I was exposed to all different backgrounds, cultures, and religions, fueling my personal interests in global issues.

religions personal boston different

Thanks to President Barack Obama, under the Affordable Care Act, millions more people will be eligible for health insurance, including many people with HIV.

thanks care health people

I've always known that I wanted to sing, and I wanted to dance, a... by Alex Newell

I've always known that I wanted to sing, and I wanted to dance, and I wanted to act.

sing act always dance

Singing is my passion, regardless of anything else that I've ever done. That's the one thing that no one can ever take away from me is my voice, and that is what I really want to do.

me singing passion voice

I tend to hide behind my status of being a diva; it's easy for me to embrace that part of me and seek confidence by being a bit outrageous at times.

hide me confidence easy