Check out hottie Darren Criss (who plays Blaine on Glee) on the cover of the latest issue of OUT magazine (on sale February 22nd). Ever since he took on Katy Perry‘s hit song Teenage Dream, I’ve been a huge fan! He is hands down one of the most talented people on the show, I can’t wait to see where they take his new relationship with Kurt (played by Chris Colfer). Hopefully we’ll be seeing him take his shirt off, his body (based on the pictures below) looks absolutely tasty! I had the chance a few months ago to see him perform live at The Roxy (up on Sunset Blvd.) and he kicked ass, he’s totally the real deal. Kudos to series creator Ryan Murphy for putting him on the show, a very smart move!
The first time Darren Criss appeared on the Fox sensation Glee, he shared a flirtatious moment, and instantly became a rumored love interest, for Chris Colfer’s tortured Kurt Hummel. By the end of that on-screen meeting, Criss belted out his own version of Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream. The next day, Glee’s version of the song shot up the iTunes charts, becoming the most downloaded song yet from a show that had recently surpassed the Beatles’ record for most singles to chart on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Criss, of course, knew playing gay would raise immediate questions about his own sexuality. Initially thinking he would play it coy, he soon came out as straight. “It’s more empowering to everybody if I’m articulate about identifying myself as a straight male playing a gay character,” Criss says. “Ultimately that’s more powerful for both communities.”
Still, as a kid, Criss had plenty of exposure to the gay community having performed in local musicals in his hometown, San Francisco. As a performer, Criss quickly befriended cast mates in their 20s and 30s. “I was staying out much later than most kids after shows, going to restaurants,” he remembers. “It’s not like I was doing body shots off beautiful Castro boys. I was friends with older guys–they were who I looked up to. It wasn’t until later that I put together that they were gay.” READ THE FULL ARTICLE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MITCHELL NGUYEN MCCORMACK | STYLING BY BRENT AUSTIN COOVER