‘Scream Queens’ Season 2 Star Lea Michele Shares How Ryan Murphy Helped Her Recover From Cory Monteith’s Death

“Scream Queens” actress Lea Michele is lucky to have Ryan Murphy in her orbit, not only because he believes in her talent as an actress, but also because he’s someone who had been on her side during one of the lowest points in her life.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Michele — who first worked with Murphy on “Glee” — shared how the multi-awarded screenwriter, director and producer helped her recover from the death of her boyfriend Cory Monteith, who also starred on the FOX musical dramedy series.

“When I found out [Cory had died], Ryan was one of the first people I called,” Michele revealed. “When Cory was alive, Ryan was very helpful in trying to get him well and healthy, but when that day did come, Ryan did take charge, and he helped me more than I can ever explain.”

“He completely cared for me,” the 30-year-old actress added of the four-time Emmy winner who co-created “Scream Queens,” “Glee,” “American Horror Story,” “American Crime Story” and the upcoming FX anthology series “Feud.” “He made sure I was okay every single day, whether it was coming over to his house and having dinner prepared for me, or making sure I was okay at work.”

At the age of 31, Monteith was found dead on July 13, 2013 in his room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The final report released by the B.C. Coroners Service in October that year confirmed that Monteith died from a mixed drug toxicity consisting of heroin and alcohol, and that his death was accidental.

“Glee” was about to start production on its fifth season when Monteith passed away, and since Michele and the late actor — who played each other’s love interests on the show — were the lead stars of the series, Murphy was kind enough to consult with the songstress whether she would like “Glee” to continue following Monteith’s death.

“He sat me down and said, ‘What do you want to do? Do you want to continue the show? Do you want it to end?’ I just said, ‘I just want to go back to work,’” Michele recalled. “His heart is bigger than I think he knows what to do with sometimes.”

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter just days after Monteith’s death, Murphy revealed why they decided to postpone Season 5 production to August rather than late July.

“When you’re faced with something so sad and so shocking, what do you do? Do we cancel the show? Do we start shooting in January? What do we do?” he said at the time. “Ultimately, we decided the best thing for everyone is to get back to work and be around people who knew him and loved him so that everyone can grieve together.”

After “Glee” came to an end in March 2015, Michele was cast on another Ryan Murphy series, “Scream Queens,” which just aired its Season 2 premiere earlier this week.

“Scream Queens” Season 2, episode 2 airs on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 9 p.m. on FOX. Check out the synopsis for the episode below:

“A new patient (Colton Haynes) with a hideous ailment visits the hospital in hope of a cure, but finds a love interest instead. Meanwhile, Chad (Glen Powell) returns to win Chanel (Emma Roberts) back and, in the process, discovers a dark secret of Dr. Holt’s (John Stamos). Then, after another run-in with the killer, Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) enlists the help of new Quantico special agent Denise Hemphill (Niecy Nash).”