Growing up, the resident show-stopper on "Glee" hit a lot of high notes as a member of the Tenafly High School honors choir. Lea Michele kept on singing even when she wasn't in tune with the instructor who oversaw the troupe.

"It was pretty unfortunate because I didn't have the Will Schuester motivating, encouraging kind of teacher," she says, referencing the "Glee" vocal coach played by Matthew Morrison. "I dealt with a lot of non-inspiring teachers. I did not get along with my choir teacher, which is really sad. But you know what? It obviously didn't stop me."

Indeed. Just six years ago, Michele was a Broadway baby with a yearning for stardom. Her dreams came true in a big way. The Tony-nominated "Spring Awakening" put her on the map. And "Glee" turned her into a household name.

Now, she's co-starring in her first feature film, a Garry Marshall-directed romantic comedy called "New Year's Eve" which opens Friday and includes A-listers such as Robert De Niro, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zac Efron, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Hilary Swank, Michelle Pfeiffer, Katherine Heigl and Jon Bon Jovi.

"It was the most perfect fit for my first film," says Michele, 25. "I got to work with an incredible cast. I got to be directed by Garry Marshall. I got to sing with Bon Jovi. I couldn't have written it better myself."

And there are more films to come. She's already lent her voice to "Dorothy of Oz," a 3-D animated movie due in 2012. She's also a front-runner, along with Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson and Evan Rachel Wood, for the coveted role of Eponine in the film adaptation of "Les Miserables," which will star Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway.

It was "Les Miserables" that first drew the Bronx-born Michele to Broadway. She was living in Tenafly when a pal mentioned a North Jersey audition for the Broadway musical. On a lark, Michele decided to try out, and instantly nabbed the role of the Young Cosette.

After nearly two years with "Les Miserables," she spent another two years — first in Toronto and then on Broadway — playing Tateh's daughter, the Little Girl, in "Ragtime."

While she was on Broadway, her parents — nurse Edith and deli owner Marc Sarfati — maintained a home in Tenafly and rented an apartment in Manhattan.

Asked today what she misses most about North Jersey, Michele says, "Absolutely nothing. I apologize ... but I'm a city girl. [Tenafly] was a very wealth-driven town, a very money-driven town. We were a lower-middle-class, middle-class family trying to survive in a town where people are judged by the kind of car they drive.

"I just tried to survive the best I could, but I knew that as soon as I could get out of there, I'd be living in New York."

Softening her take on Jersey just a bit, she adds, "I did get a good education and I made wonderful friends there. [Tenafly] was a lovely town to grow up in and live in. But I had my sights set on the big city."

When she began her stint at Tenafly High, Michele made a conscious decision to forgo auditioning in favor of her schooling. She also participated in activities like volleyball, debating and choir.

"I worked from when I was 8 until I was 14, so I wanted to have a little break," she says. "I purposely didn't [try out] my freshman, sophomore or junior years. I didn't want to accept a role that wasn't perfect. And I wanted to get a good education. And I think I did. I got into NYU. I think it was because I gave myself the time to just be a student."

As a senior, Michele began auditioning again and quickly booked a part in the 20th anniversary production of "Fiddler on the Roof." After that, she originated the role of Wendla in the surprise hit "Spring Awakening."

It was during a performance of "Spring Awakening" that "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy heard Michele sing for the first time. Later, he asked her out to Los Angeles for a "Glee" audition, even though he'd already made up his mind about casting her.

Now in its third season on Fox, "Glee" has inspired spinoff tours, concert movies and big-selling CDs. Michele was nominated for an Emmy and two Golden Globes. And she landed on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of 2010.

So what's next for Michele's "Glee" alter ego, Rachel Berry?

"I don't know," says the actress. "Rachel's a senior, so graduation is inevitable. I don't know what's next. But I can say that I love my job and I'm happy to work for Ryan Murphy and play Rachel for a while longer."

When she signs off on "Glee," Michele is aiming to be in movies. First up is "New Year's Eve," a film very much in her wheelhouse. She's part of a big, ensemble cast and she gets to belt two songs — a version of "Auld Lang Syne" overseen by "Glee" music producer Adam Anders, and a duet with Bon Jovi on "Can't Turn You Loose."

"I think, for 'Glee' fans, it's a nice transition," she says of the film. "If I had jumped out there and done something like 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' or 'Rachel Getting Married,' it would have been a little jarring. This was a great transition. But it definitely leaves me room now to start thinking about doing different roles. I'd like to try something edgier."

"New Year's Eve," which is set on Dec. 31, follows two dozen interconnected New Yorkers. Michele plays Elise, a newly hired backup singer for Bon Jovi who, on her way to a gig in Times Square, is unexpectedly delayed along with a moody artist (Ashton Kutcher).

In the movie, Michele and Kutcher share a smooch. He was, she reports, "a great kisser." He also played one of his famous practical jokes on her by meeting her wrapped in nothing but a towel. "He was so helpful in making me not be nervous for our nice little romantic scene," she says.