Throughout his decade-long career, Darren Criss has played a number of LGBTQ roles: Blaine on TV’s “Glee,” the eponymous rocker in Broadway’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” and most recently, Andrew Cunanan on FX’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” for which he won an Emmy Award.
However, that pattern is coming to an end. Criss, who identifies as heterosexual, has publicly stated that he plans to step away from queer portrayals in his work.
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“There are certain [queer] roles that I'll see that are just wonderful," Criss explained in a recent interview with Bustle. “But I want to make sure I won't be another straight boy taking a gay man’s role.”
The actor is very clear that it has been a privilege to step into the shoes of these LGBTQ characters, which is precisely why he feels he no longer can.
“The reason I say that is because getting to play those characters is inherently a wonderful dramatic experience,” he adds. “It has made for very, very compelling and interesting people.”
Criss’ decision to no longer portray queer characters comes amidst a turning tide in Hollywood (albeit a slowly turning one) in regards to queer representation. GLAAD’s annual “Where We Are on TV” report this year found that, of the roughly 850 series regular characters for the 2018–19 season on the big five networks—CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, and The CW—just 75 were LGBTQ.
For perspective, that number, while still marginal, is also the highest it has ever been.
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