Lauren Zizes

Ashley Fink was cast as Lauren Zizes

Lauren is portrayed by actress Ashley Fink. She made routine guest appearances throughout the first season, and became a member of the McKinley High glee club in the episode "Special Education". Upon receiving the script in which Lauren joins the club, Fink initially reacted with disbelief. She commented, "I didn't quite believe it at first, I thought I was getting Punk'd."[16] She said that being cast in Glee makes her feel like "the luckiest girl in the world".[16] Fink's favorite element of Glee is how series creator Ryan Murphy manages to take the underdogs and make them shine. She said, "In life, there's so much diversity, and it's not necessarily represented on television. I think Glee is one of the few shows that actually displays the diversity and it’s just so inspirational."[16] When asked about her casting process, Fink said:

I auditioned for the pilot and they brought me in a bunch, which was exciting for me because they kept bringing me in. Eventually I got the Lauren Zizes part! They had me sing for the pilot and it was very on the fly because Glee works very quickly. The first episode I appeared in I was the wrestler and I was trying out for cheerleading. Then they asked me to come out and sing for Ryan Murphy and the director and I sang and they were like, "Okay, great!" We shot it and then I just kept coming back.[17]

Fink does not know how long her character will be featured on Glee.[17] When asked about what she likes about her character, Fink said: "I think what I love about Lauren is she's so strong and so confident and she knows what she wants and I feel very blessed to play a role model for people who have ever felt other or different. I remember how I used to feel watching TV and seeing Sara Rue on Popular because she was an inspiration to me. It's funny because what I love about Lauren is that she's unapologetic and she's confident and she's making Puck work for it and she's not just looking for a roll in the hay. I think that they are very sweet together, there is this vulnerability when they are both such bad asses and you put them together and I think there is something really special there. What I appreciate about Lauren is that she's like I don't need to give it to you, you're going to work for it, and I think that's a great message to send to young girls. I think that he is smitten and she is probably a little smitten too but I think she has enough self esteem not to give everything up for the charming cute boy that's kind of after her."[17] Kevin Fallon, a writer for The Atlantic, reacted favorably to the casting of Fink: "Glee hit the trifecta this year with its three major cast additions. First there were Darren Criss—who's exploded with popularity—and Chord Overstreet. Now there's Ashley Fink's Lauren. And while the tough-only-on-the-outside Lauren can deliciously out-sass Santana Lopez, it's her straight-talking that really has me sold."[18]

In her first episode, it is revealed that Lauren is a member of William McKinley High's wrestling team.[5] TV Squad has said that "Lauren can deliver a zinger with the bite of Sue Sylvester and the humor of our beloved Brittany Pierce."[19] Seth Abramovitch of TV.com expressed his dissatisfaction with her attitude: "Zizes isn't just a heavy, supremely confident girl. She's also extremely violent. She’s on the wrestling team, speaks regularly of injuring Puck, and, in one hallway smackdown against the jealous Santana Lopez, proved she was a lot more than just bark. And you did catch that part about Zizes wanting to be famous for famous' sake, right? That she was willing to give herself up to Puck purely in pursuit of a reality show and fragrance line? There’s a word for people who do things like that in the real world: It's 'asshole'."[20] He went on to add: "Zizes has been hailed by feminists groups (well, by Bust Magazine) as a new kind of plus-sized heroine—an obese female role model who for once doesn't hate herself. On the contrary, she thinks she's the bee's knees. When 'Puck serenaded her with Queen's "Fat-Bottomed Girls," she rebuffed him, saying, 'I look like America looks, and just like America, I need more than just a song to get my juices flowing'."[20]

Journalist James Poniewozik of Time magazine commented of the episode "Silly Love Songs": "It was the kind of twist Glee can sell, partly because of the way the characters are established (in retrospect, you can see how a really strong woman who rejects him is a turn-on for Puck) and because of how well its cast (Ashley Fink has been killing it as Lauren, and sells her confidence and abrasiveness in a way that makes her a person, not an engineered positive-body-image model). And while Glee sometimes stretches to pick on-the-nose song choices, "Fat Bottomed Girls" was just a perfect choice and performance—not just on topic but actually in Puck's musical wheelhouse."[21]

Over the course of Glee's second season, Lauren forms a relationship with local bad boy and football star Noah Puckerman. As the season progresses, Lauren and Puck's relationship continues to grow stronger. Their relationship begins to form in the ninth episode of the second season titled "Special Education".[9] After Puck attempts to recruit new members for the William McKinley High School glee club, members of the football team lock him in a port-a-potty. After being discovered by Lauren, he convinces her to join New Directions, despite her belief that show choir is stupid.[9] Ashley Fink said of their relationship: "I think Ryan Murphy has a master plan and we're all kind of along for the ride. I know what you mean, but I wouldn't count us out just yet on that front. We all have to laugh at ourselves but it's going somewhere. Ultimately, it comes down to whether audiences will buy a relationship between Puck and Lauren. I think there's a really hilarious chemistry between Puck and Lauren. I think he's a badass, she's a badass. I don't know, I think they're funny together. There's something about the two of them together that I like, so I hope it's not outside the realm of possibility."[22]

Television critics have responded positively to the pairing. Robert Canning of IGN said of the episode "Silly Love Songs": "The absolute best part of "Silly Love Songs" was Puckerman's unexpected longing for Lauren Zizes. Actress Ashley Fink has been fantastic in her small role, delivering great one-liners with ease. She was equally strong in this, the first episode to truly give Lauren a larger role and fill out her character more. Heck, it was nice to even see her smile a few times. The casting on Glee has either been very smart or very lucky since so many background characters have shined as they've been given bigger parts. The Lauren and Puck pairing came with a lot of laughs, but just as much heart. Puck singing Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls," induced a chuckle at first, then some toe tapping. But it was Lauren's reaction that truly made the moment: 'That's the first song you've sung to me and it made me feel like crap.' I can't decide if I want to root for this couple, but I certainly know I'm going to be rooting for Lauren."[23] Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club commented: "For me, the episode's highlight was the very sweet, funny courtship between Puck and Lauren. This may be because the writers have trouble writing for a self-professed bad boy, even though his escapades are straight out of Archie comics and not actually all that “bad” at all. But it’s always fun to watch Salling sing, and it’s always fun to watch him be smitten. Fink ends up being a good match for him, chemistry-wise, as she projects a confidence and certainty that makes it immediately obvious just what Puck sees in Lauren. The storyline also played out like both characters had something approaching real feelings."[24] In the following episode, VanDerWerff found her relationship with Puck "a lot less assured" than before,[25] but Entertainment Weekly's Sandra Gonzalez deemed their scenes "as endearing as they are unrealistic",[26] and E! Online's Jenna Mullins wrote that "the ice around [her] heart melted just a bit when Puck mouthed Lauren that little bit of encouragement at the start of her solo."[27]