Kate Hudson Calls Lea Michele a ‘Total Diva’ on Set of ‘Glee’
Lea Michele, shown here, and Kate Hudson play frenemies in the coming season of "Glee," but, according to one source, it's not all acting for Hudson. Reuters

Kate Hudson allegedly found Lea Michele to be a "total diva" on the set of the popular Fox television dramedy "Glee," according to Us Weekly. It's not the first time Michele has faced an accusation of behaving like a diva, but it is somewhat shocking this time around because it was made by the famously laid-back Hudson, who grew up in a household headed by Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.

Hudson is guest-starring on "Glee" as Cassandra July, the brutally honest dance teacher of Michele's character, Rachel Berry, at the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts. In this case, life appears to be imitating art for the two actresses.

In a sneak preview video of the coming season hosted by Entertainment Weekly, Hudson's sassy character announces to her freshman class, "My name is Cassandra July, and if you are not suffering from severe body dysmorphia, then you don't want it enough!"

As a warning to her students, July adds: "Let's get it straight, freshman: there's maybe two of you who will be good enough to make it in this business. As for the rest of you, thank you for paying my rent on my loft in SoHo." Then, after stopping the music to have a quick one-on-one chat with Berry, July singles out the aspiring star, dubbing her "little miss David Schwimmer."

"I bet you were a big star in Iowa, weren't you?" asks July.

"Um, actually, I'm from Ohio," answers Berry, dutifully.

"Ohio? Even worse," responds July. "Lesson number one: your piqué turns are pathetic, and your stuck-up little attitude is really pissing me off."

According to one insider, Hudson's performance wasn't entirely acting. "Kate says Lea is a nightmare. Once, during a technical delay, Lea snapped her fingers and said, 'Let's go. I have plans!'" reported Us Weekly. "Kate's keeping her distance," added the source.

But a representative of Michele denied the allegations, saying, "Lea has had a great time with Kate."

In any case, the two will have to find a way to keep their competing egos in check, as Hudson will appearing on the hit TV show throughout an impressive six-episode story arc.

Meanwhile, Michele has insisted that July's no-nonsense attitude is having a positive influence on her character.

"It's going to be a challenge for her," Michele said in an interview with the Huffington Post. "But I think that Rachel definitely works her best when she has to fight against something, or when she sort of has the odds stacked against each other."

To see the two characters duke it out in the dance studio, watch the fourth-season premiere of "Glee" on Fox Sept. 13 at 9 p.m. EDT.