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Glee Writer Finds Inspiration for Sue’s Nastiness in Stephen Sondheim, Ryan Murphy

Where do all of Sue Sylvester’s nasty, occasionally episode-saving quips come from on Glee? Writer Ian Brennan, whom the Times profiled this weekend in what surely must be the first time the newspaper took great pains to point out the interview subject’s surprise heterosexuality (consider that the polar opposite of their coy Zachary Quinto profile this weekend, then). The other important takeaway? That would be the primary inspirations for Brennan’s acidic Sue tirades, which include the famously irascible Stephen Sondheim (who once said of Brennan, “He’s one haircut away from being attractive”), and Glee show-runner Ryan Murphy: “Sometimes if I get stuck,” admitted Brennan, “I’ll think, ‘What would Ryan say in one of his really mean moments?’” [NYT]

Glee Writer Finds Inspiration for Sue’s Nastiness in Stephen Sondheim, Ryan Murphy