Skylar Astin Auditioned for ‘Glee’ Before ‘Pitch Perfect’

A star of stage and screen, Skylar Astin has enjoyed a long and successful career. His featured role as Jesse Swanson in the Pitch Perfect franchise earned him acclaim from critics and fans and allowed him to show off his vocal chops and skills at working with an ensemble cast. However, before Astin scored his big break, he was a hardworking actor auditioning for a wide variety of projects — and in 2019, the star revealed that he once auditioned for a role in the cult-classic TV series Glee. 

What did Skylar Astin say about auditioning for ‘Glee’?

Born in 1987, Astin grew up in New York. At an early age, he was drawn to a career in the performing arts, going on to study at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. According to IMDb, Astin was a stage actor during the earliest years of his career, performing in shows like Spring Awakening — all while developing his abilities as a singer. After several years on the stage, Astin decided to try his hand at television, auditioning for roles in various programs.

It was around this time that Astin auditioned for a role in the comedy-drama series Glee. As Astin told Fox News in 2019, “I auditioned for Puck. I had a crazy haircut in this musical I was doing (at the time) so it made sense.” While he didn’t get the part, with the role of Puck ultimately going to Mark Salling, Astin noted that he has nothing but good things to say about the experience. “I love that whole cast, that whole show,” he said. 

Skylar Astin enjoyed his big breakout role in ‘Pitch Perfect’

Just a couple of years after Astin auditioned for Glee, he landed his big breakout part as Jesse in the movie Pitch Perfect. Fans loved his earnest portrayal of Jesse, and he went on to reprise his role in the 2015 sequel, Pitch Perfect 2. His success in the franchise led to roles in a variety of other projects, including movies like 21 & Over, Flock of Dudes, and Hot Air.

Once he became a major star, Astin was invited back to the set of Glee, this time in a guest role. In 2014, just a couple of years after he landed the part of Jesse Swanson, Astin appeared in an episode of Glee as Jean-Baptiste, the leader of a show choir called Throat Explosion. According to IMDb, the episode was praised by critics and fans, with Astin receiving credit for the emotional plotline as well as for his contributions to the episode’s soundtrack.

Skylar Astin’s ex-wife had a featured role in ‘Glee’

Astin isn’t the only Pitch Perfect cast member who had a featured role in Glee. Actor Anna Camp, who portrayed Aubrey Posen in the franchise, had a guest-starring role as a judge at Sectionals named Candace Dystra in Glee. Interestingly enough, Camp was actually married to Astin for three years, from 2016 through 2019, after the two worked closely together on Pitch Perfect.

According to Insider, John Michael Higgins, who made waves in Pitch Perfect as a quippy judge, was also in an episode of Glee, playing a member of a show choir conversion group led by Neil Patrick Harris. Of course, many stars made appearances on Glee over the years, from Britney Spears to Lindsay Lohan — with the buzz factor boosting the show’s popularity even higher. Although Glee went off the air in 2017, it is fondly remembered by pop culture fans of all ages.