Glee star Kevin McHale has admitted he came over a little star struck while working with acting legend Dustin Hoffman and comic genius Eddie Izzard for his latest film, The Choir.

Kevin, who plays cuddly and encouraging singing teacher Wooly, reported that although Dustin was ”very nice” and made an effort “to make everybody feel comfortable and at ease”, he never got used to filming with the Academy Award-winning star.

He added: “It was so surreal. I think through the entirety of filming, I still felt it was surreal. I never quite got used to it, which is maybe not the most professional thing. But he’s a legend, and I think he probably knows that.”

Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman, who plays Master Carvelle (Koji Sasahara/AP)

Kevin also worried about impressing comedian Eddie, admitting to being a little intimidated: “I was terrified that they’d ask me to improv in a scene with him.”

Luckily, that didn’t happen, and Eddie turned out to be “a brilliant, brilliant guy.”

The film focuses on Stet (played by 12-year-old Garrett Wareing), an angry and troubled kid with a beautiful voice who ends up at a private choir school, where Master Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman) and his mutinous right-hand man Drake (Eddie Izzard) become frustrated at his lack of discipline or formal musical training.

Eddie Izzard, who plays Drake
Eddie Izzard, who plays Drake (Brian Bettencourt/Invision)

Wooly, as McHale puts it, “sees his gift” and tries to give Stet a chance.

The role is similar to that of Mr Schuester, the teacher who coaches Kevin’s character Artie as part of the singing club in Glee, and the 27-year-old admits he found it hard to shake off mental images of his former Glee singing mentor while getting into character as Wooly.

He said: “I constantly kept thinking of Mr Schu from Glee. I was putting on my clothes and I was like, ‘What would he do in this scene?’ And then I was like, ‘I can’t do that…’

“I immediately wanted to speak like him, because I was used to seeing Matthew Morrison play that character [Mr Schu] for six years.”

Kevin McHale
Kevin McHale (Chris Pizzello/Invision)