Chris Colfer (Glee), known for his portrayal of the character Kurt on the hit drama Glee has always been open about his sexual identity. Recently, the actor made an appearance on the talk show The View, and revealed that it was not always the case. According to Deadline, Colfer was advised during the production of the first season of Glee to keep his sexuality a secret.
In his appearance on The View, Colfer talked about how he was instructed that he should keep his sexual identity private, despite playing a character who was openly gay. He does go into talking about since he grew up in a town that was more conservative and unwelcoming of the LGBTQ+ community, it was scary for the young actor to portray a character who was not only openly gay, but who was also specifically written for him
The actor says, “I grew up in a very conservative town where being openly gay was dangerous,” Colfer described his hometown, “I remember when I got on [Glee] the role was written for me, and I did not know what the role was gonna be, and so I opened the script and when I read the script for the first time was when I saw that it was an openly gay character and I was terrified.”
His character Kurt had his struggles with being open about his sexuality. Upon filming the first season of the show, for the actor’s safety and his reputation, he was told that coming out would be harmful to the young actor. Colfer continues, “When I started filming the show I 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,” he explains. “But I also told them, ‘I can’t hide it with my voice… I’m more effeminate than most people. I can’t hide it.’ And they said, ‘Don’t worry. As long as you never address it, you’ll be rewarded for it in the end.’”
Despite being advised to stay in the closet, Colfer was able to see the positive impact that his character Kurt had on people who were facing challenges regarding their sexuality. He then recalls a moment with a fan that stuck out to him.
“We went on this big poster signing tour right before the show came out, and this little boy secretly slid me an envelope when his parents weren’t looking and I opened it up and it was a little note that said, ‘Thank you’ and there was a little paperclip chain that was the colors of the rainbow, and in that moment I knew I have to come out.”
This moment with a fan solidified the positive impact that he was having on his community. He continued, “At the time, I was thinking, ‘OK, yeah, if I’m an openly gay actor, yeah, I may never win a major award. I may never get to play a superhero. But I think being a beacon of positivity and providing that comfort for people is way more important than attention.”
Watch the full interview with Chris Colfer on The View below.