Why Darren Criss Says He Identifies as "Culturally Queer"

Why Darren Criss Says He Identifies as "Culturally Queer"

Originally appeared on E! Online

Darren Criss is expressing his gratitude to the queer community.

The Glee alum reflected on his portrayal of Blaine Anderson in the series, sharing how playing an openly gay character "was a narrative that I cared deeply about."

"I have been so culturally queer my whole life," he admitted during a panel at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo on April 28. "Not because I'm trying—you know, actually, I was going to say, ‘not because I'm trying to be cool,' but I'm going to erase that. I am trying to be cool. The things in my life that I have tried to emulate, learn from and be inspired by are 100 percent queer as f--k."

Darren—who identifies as straight and shares Bluesy Belle, 12 months, with wife Mia Swier and are expecting a second—recalled it was often people within queer communities who inspired him growing up.

"And I'd say that's a gross generalization," he admitted but added, "That's a lot of things and a lot of people. But I grew up in San Francisco in the '90s. I watched men die. There was an awareness of the gay experience that was not a foreign concept to me."

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The 37-year-old—who was on Glee for six seasons—emphasized that he recognized the weight of taking on this role and how beloved Blaine's relationship with Kurt (Chris Colfer) was by fans.

"I'm glad that it was me because it was a thing that I really liked showing," he said. "It meant a great deal to me that it meant a great deal to other people because when people say they were affected by that show and that relationship."

Darren Criss
Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images

"Representing any kind of underdog in any way, shape or form—sexual, religious, ethnic—it has value," the American Crime Story actor added. "There's going to be a lot of people that see that and go, ‘OK, I can now understand the context that I wasn't able to before.'"

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