Ladies We Love: Heather Morris

"Well, my best guy friends have always been queens," Heather Morris says, her face breaking into a wide grin. The 24-year-old known for stealing scenes as Brittany, the ditzy cheerleader on Foxs blockbuster Glee, is trying to pinpoint the moment she realized the effect she has on gay fans. "But now whenever I go out to a gay bar, guys scream, 'Oh, my God! Im obsessed with you!' " Anonymity might be a thing of the past -- even in dance class, where Morris escapes on her rare days off. "I was leaving class and was sweaty as hell," she recalls, "and there were people waiting there, asking to take a photo with me. I said, 'OK, if you dont mind that I look like shit.' " Actually, it was Morriss willowy good looks coupled with her dazzling dance moves that took her from Scottsdale, Ariz., to begin touring the world as a backup dancer for Beyonc, who jokingly referred to Morris as her "token white girl." Morris was later brought in by Glees choreographer to teach the cast how to perform their rendition of "Single Ladies" and was soon cast as one of the shows Cheerios. Originally, Brittany and her acid-tongued BFF Santana (Naya Rivera) were peripheral characters. But as their chemistry grew, so did their screen timeas well as speculation that the girls share more than pompoms. Morris says both actresses hope to fully explore the relationship of "Brittana," as the sexually experimental duo was dubbed. "We just shot a scene yesterday that Im excited for the fans to see," she says. "People dont want their relationship to be a joke. They want it to be real. It had an impact on people." Brittany's signature non sequiturs ("Did you know that dolphins are just gay sharks?"), delivered by the acting newbie with the aplomb of Bill Murray, have earned her scores of followers. She admits, though, that it was another pop superstar who helped showcase the full range of her talents: Britney Spears, who made a guest appearance last fall in the episode "Britney/Brittany." When Morris belted out "Im a Slave 4 U" while gyrating in Spearss slinky costumes -- complete with a huge yellow python -- her character fully came to life. "That episode was a game-changer," Morris says. "People didnt just think about Brittany. People wanted to know who I was."