The “Glee” actor and author says he was repeatedly warned to “never address” his real-life sexuality despite portraying a queer teen on TV.
With LGBTQ+ Pride Month now in full swing, Chris Colfer is reflecting on his own journey to living truthfully.
The California-born actor and author endeared himself to a generation of fans as Kurt Hummel on “Glee,” which ran from 2009 to 2015. Though his character was shown to be grappling with his queer sexuality throughout many of the musical series’ early episodes, Colfer said he was warned that revealing he was gay in real life would be detrimental to his Hollywood career.
“When I read the script for the first time is when I saw it was an openly gay character, and I was terrified,” Colfer recalled while appearing on “The View” this week. Once filming on “Glee” commenced, the actor said he “had a lot of people tell me, ‘Do not come out, whatever you do, because it will ruin your career.’ So I hid for a little bit.”
As buzz about the show began ramping up, however, Colfer understood that hiding his true self would become more of a challenge.
“I also told them, ‘I can’t hide it with my voice … I’m more effeminate than most people. I can’t hide it,’” he explained. “And they said, ‘Don’t worry. As long as you never address it, you’ll be rewarded for it in the end.’”
