Chris Colfer Talks Glee Coming Out Pressure Kit Connor

Chris Colfer reflected on what it was like to play Kurt Hummel, an openly gay character. Fun – when he himself was not open about his sexuality at the time.

For context, the role of Kurt was created specifically for Chris, replacing a character named Rajeesh. Chris himself came out as gay in a 2009 episode Chelsea recentlynotice GLAAD wrote at the time, “At just 19, Colfer’s announcement makes him one of the youngest openly gay actors currently working in Hollywood.”

A recently published And that’s what you REALLY missed podcast, Former actress Jenna Ushkowitz asked Chris what it was like to play a gay character while not being openly gay himself. “My hometown has come a long way in the last few decades, but when I was growing up there, it was dangerous to be out there,” Chris said of Clovis, California.

“When I found out that this character was written for me, I was very excited. When I finally got the script, I found out it was about the gay character and I was terrified,” he continued, recalling that a family member even told him, “You can’t play a gay character, it would ruin your life.”

Since Chris’ previous auditions had gone poorly, he accepted the role regardless. “I wanted so badly to get out and be a part of the industry, I knew there was no other option,” he said. “I also knew that it would probably force me to answer and ask questions about myself that I wasn’t quite ready for, and in a way I’m really grateful for that because it pushed me down the path of honesty. for me.”

Noting that Kurt’s creation as a gay character felt like a “judgement,” Chris continued, “It was just assumed. And they were right! I was much more feminine back then…every day in high school I was called gay. Every single day. I couldn’t hide it, I just wasn’t ready to have that conversation with myself or anyone I knew yet.”

Then speaking of the Fun In the episode where Kurt comes out to his father, Chris said that “there really wasn’t a lot of support for young gay men back then” and called the moment a “lonely experience”.

“I really wanted to tweet something to support him, but I didn’t want to be the old guy who wants to draw attention and try to take someone’s trauma and say, ‘Oh, I remember when that happened to me.’

While Chris said he “really encourages everyone to come out when they’re ready,” he noted that “it’s one of the cruelest things you can do to push someone into this.”

“People were angry that this happened [Kit] “I think this is proof of how far the community has come.” When this happened to me, I was very much like “I deserved it”. It was crickets. It was obvious, so I had no reason to be upset about it.

“I wasn’t ashamed of it at all at the time. I really knew it. I just wanted to be on a ship before I could call myself a sailor,” he added. “Even in between.” fun, In auditions, I was called a dork… When I told people these stories, they said, “What do you expect? You’re an openly gay actor in Hollywood.”