Idina Menzel Believes She Should Have Played Lea Michele's Sister, Not Mom, on Glee

While Idina Menzel had an overall positive experience during her time on "Glee," there's one aspect of her role she wishes she could have changed.

During an interview with InStyle, the actress reflected on her time playing Shelby Cocoran, the birth mother of Lea Michele Rachel and rival glee club coach.

"The scene that was the most memorable was probably singing 'I Dreamed a Dream' with Lea Michele," Idina recalled, before she joked about being cast as Michele' mother. "She was 26, and I probably should've been her older sister but I don't have a chip on my shoulder about that."

When she landed the part, Menzel would have been younger than 40.

This isn't the first time Menzel has commented on the age gap -- or lack thereof -- between the on-screen mother-daughter duo. Appearing at a Tribeca Film Festival event in 2016, she called the experience "bittersweet," after having just given birth to her first child when then-husband Taye Diggs.

"The gig came three months after I popped a baby out so I felt fat as all hell, and I was Lea Michele's mom - like, could I just be her older sister?" the 50-year-old actress explained.

"She wasn't as young as she was playing [on the show] so it was like, really, I'm her mom? So it wasn't good for my ego, I'll be completely honest," she continued. "I was happy to be there and work with those people, but I had to get over myself a little bit."