Chris Colfer is famously known for playing the role of Kurt Hummel in the television show ‘Glee,’ and he recently looked back on how he felt portraying an openly gay character when he wasn’t out yet.
In an episode of And That’s What You Really Missed podcast on Thursday, the 32-year-old actor revealed how “scary” it was back then sharing,
“So, my hometown has come very far in the last couple decades, but when I was growing up there it was dangerous to be out. Kids would get beat up. On one occasion, someone got stabbed on their way to school. So, being out and proud was just not an option.”
He continued,
“So, when I found out they had written this character for me, I was thrilled. And then when I finally got the script was when I realized it was the gay character, and I was terrified.”
Despite his apprehensions though, Colfer still decided to play the role of Kurt, who became a significant touchstone for LGBTQ+ representation during that time.
“But I just wanted to get out and be a part of the industry so badly, I just knew there was no option. I also knew that it would probably force me to answer and ask questions of myself that I wasn’t quite ready to do. So, I’m actually kind of grateful for it in a way because I think it kind of pushed me into a path of honesty with myself,” the actor explained.
He then further expressed how scary it was to have played an openly gay character when he hadn’t come out yet admitting,
“But I was absolutely terrified. And back then, people told their clients, ‘Don’t play gay characters because it will ruin your career,’ But again, I had been auditioning for so long and never gotten anything. There was no option for me, I had to do it. As scary as it was.”
Source: people – yahoo.com/entertainment
I’m glad he played this character even though he wasn’t out as gay yet. His character really helped me growing up gay in a small town.