More details about Beanie Feldstein’s hasty exit from Funny Girl are being released, and boy, does it sound more and more like she got royally f**ked over!
As just about everyone knows by now, the Booksmart lead announced an early exit from her starring role as Fanny Brice on Broadway via an Instagram post on Sunday. The next day, it was revealed that Glee alum and Barbra Streisand fanatic Lea Michele had snagged her dream role, taking over for the performer beginning in September. And, well, the news has not been met with as much excitement as we’re sure the Funny Girl producers were hoping for — understandably so considering allegations that Lea has a history of mistreating her cast members. Ironically, mistreatment seems to be the biggest reason Beanie’s now leaving early!
Speaking to Page Six on Monday, an insider opened up about Beanie’s dramatic exit, saying that she was “basically fired” before she abruptly quit publicly on social media. And yet, the whole thing supposedly “blindsided” the producers… which is quite preposterous once you hear all this juicy scoop!
As we mentioned, Beanie announced on Sunday that she would be leaving the show on July 31 — just four months into her contract, which was supposed to be for an entire year, according to one source. Damn, that’s early! She claimed she was departing because the “production decided to take the show in a different direction.” True now that we know Lea is stepping in. But this direction change may also be the result of the show receiving a ton of poor reviews and write-ups that made the producers turn against their star. The confidant said:
“Producers basically fired her.”
While sources claim Beanie had a year-long contract (with an end date originally set in April), in mid-June, the show’s social media pages made an odd announcement, seemingly revealing an early end date for their leading lady:
“14 weeks left to see Beanie Feldstein & Jane Lynch now through September 25th.”
The 29-year-old later revealed this news on her Instagram, as well. One insider told Page Six that producers thought six months would be a good stopping point for Beanie, especially since her co-star, Jane Lynch, was already set to depart in the fall.
Yet, despite already pulling the plug on Beanie early, the producers were somehow still left “blindsided” by her announcement over the weekend. Another source insisted they were only told 30 minutes before the post went live, saying:
“The social media post was her quitting after being fired.”
“After being fired.” So Lea really was moving in on Beanie’s territory before she was ready to go!? Damn. On Beanie’s cryptic announcement that suggested there was a lot of drama behind the scenes, an upset insider remarked that the post wasn’t a savvy move for the actress, adding:
“She clearly doesn’t give a s**t.”
Another source had the exact opposite insight on the matter arguing that producers knew exactly what was about to happen and even approved of the “language” Beanie used when explaining why she was stepping off the stage, noting:
“The producers were absolutely aware she was making this announcement and they approved that language. An email went out yesterday from the producers letting the rest of the company know her last performance date and that the information would be released. It was not a surprise to anyone.”
Huh. One thing seems indisputable — the Lady Bird alum feels “betrayed,” and probably for good reason! The producers were the ones to cast her in the first place, so they must have seen something they loved — but the second harsh AF reviews came in, they sent her packing! That’s mean girl s**t! An insider similarly mused:
“The entire creative team built a brand around a new type of Fanny for a new generation. Now, they’ve turned on her and kind of points fingers at her like she’s the reason the show isn’t working.”
They continued:
“Beanie feels attacked by everyone around her. She’s like, ‘You brought me here in the first place!’”
Yeah. Not cool, especially when you consider they willingly hired a known (alleged) bully to take her place!! Another source had some sympathy for Beanie, who, in their opinion, was not meant to fill Streisand’s shows but is still talent:
“It’s not that Beanie is untalented. It’s not her fault. She was poorly cast.”
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Jonah Hill’s sister amid all this mess! Here’s to hoping this isn’t the last Broadway’s seen of her! Because what a s**tty way to go out!
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