This had to have been so heartbreaking for them to watch!
Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale stumbled across a harrowing storyline during their rewatch of Glee that they had completely forgotten about — and it reminded them all too much of the loss of their former co-star Cory Monteith. Oof.
During Monday’s episode of their podcast, And That’s What You REALLY Missed, the actors were discussing season 3, episode 9, which included an “eerie” detail about how Cory’s character Finn’s father died of a drug overdose. Of course, we all know the 31-year-old tragically passed away from an accidental drug overdose in 2013 — and that was just over a year after this episode aired. Wow.
Related: Cory Monteith’s Glee Co-Stars Wish They Would Have Praised Him More
Jenna began by saying the scene “hit a little too close to home” and Kevin agreed, adding, “Way, way too close.” In the show, Finn wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps and enlist in the army because he believed he died a war hero — that is, until his mother Carole told him the truth. She explained:
“He died in Cincinnati after being dishonorably discharged. Honey, he had a drug problem that he tried to get over when he came home — for you, mostly — but then he would just disappear for a day or a week sometimes. One day, he just didn’t come back. It was an overdose.”
She noted that she lied “because your dad was so much more than the last few months of his life.” Whoa, such a powerful statement. You can see the emotional moment (below):
Interestingly, neither Jenna nor Kevin had any memory of this plot, meaning it caught them even more by surprise when the poignant scene showed up on screen. On why this might be, Ushkowitz mused:
“We probably don’t remember it because we thought it was just another story line for Finn that was really well done [at the time]. But in hindsight, the whole through line of this story line — every line that he said about it — really just struck a different chord that resonated or mirrored his life too closely. It was just really sad to watch.”
Her co-star added:
“Yeah, it felt really dark and morbid watching it. But obviously, there was no way to know what the future was going to be. … It just felt very eerie.”
It is incredibly harrowing…
The entire cast has been super open about how difficult it was to continue with the show following Cory’s tragic loss. And for Jenna and Kevin, we bet their podcast is only going to get more emotional as they near the leading man’s exit in the series, which comes in season 5. But at least that gut-wrenching tribute episode won’t catch them by as much surprise. Doesn’t make it any easier, though!
Thoughts? Let us know (below).
[Image via Jenna Ushkowitz/Kevin McHale/Instagram & Fox]
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