Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

In the new movie Afternoon Delight, opening this month, the Glee star Jane Lynch sheds her Sue Sylvester tracksuit to play a supporting role as Dr. Lenore, an opinionated therapist. Her scenes are few, but pivotal. Lynch, a Dolton, Illinois native, spoke to Chicago about breaking down on the set and what she’s learned from Ms. Sylvester.

According to Jill Soloway, you agreed to be in the film without even reading the script.
I’ll do anything with Jill. I know it’s going to be great. I hope she would do the same for me.

What was it like having your old friend direct you?
Jill would give me this very quiet direction, trying to get me to an emotional place, and I kind of resisted. But while we were shooting, she burst into tears, and hearing her burst into tears, I burst into tears. They used most of that take.

What would you think if you visited a therapist and she was exactly like your character in Afternoon Delight?
I would give her a shot because I’m really attracted to arrogance; I’m attracted to people who are cocksure of what they’re doing. I wouldn’t run for the hills.

What has playing Sue Sylvester taught you?
Sue is very vulnerable. She has actually taught me to get in touch with that very soft side of myself that has such compassion for children, animals, older people, and the mentally challenged. She is a warrior for them. How she deals with their overwhelming vulnerability is [that] she becomes a military force to protect them.

GO Afternoon Delight opens September 6 at Landmark Century Centre Cinema. For info, landmarktheaters.com