Chris Colfer Opens Up About Being Forced To Come Out Like Kit Connor
When Glee first aired back in 2009, it introduced us to the talented Chris Colfer who played Kurt Hummel – an openly gay high school student. Despite Colfer playing the role spectacularly, in light of Kit Connor’s coming out, the actor has now said that he also felt the pressures of being forced to come out before he was ready, reports Pride.
CHRIS WASN’T READY TO BE OUT
Fellow cast members on Glee Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz host a podcast called And That’s What You Really Missed that focusses on the show and has guests regularly discuss their experiences while working on set. Colfer was a recent guest and explains that he was terrified of playing Kurt when he first got the role despite it being designed specifically for him, reports Pride.
“I was absolutely terrified. And back then, people told their clients, ‘Don’t play gay characters because it will ruin your career,’” says Colfer. In the interview, Colfer implies that he felt pressured to come out in 2009 when the show first aired due to social expectations and questions from the fanbase, reports Pride.
“I also knew that [taking the role] would probably force me to answer and ask questions of myself that I wasn’t quite ready to do,” Colfer admitted. “So, I’m actually kind of grateful for it in a way because I think it kind of pushed me into a path of honesty with myself.”
In the podcast, he likens the pressure of coming out to that experienced by Kit Connor from Heartstopper. Kit came out as bisexual recently on Twitter in the face of much public critique about queerbaiting – the actor said that he felt like it wasn’t his choice.
“People were furious that it happened to [Kit],” says Colfer. “I think that’s proof of how far the community had come. When it happened to me it was very much ‘I deserved it.’ It was crickets. It was so obvious, so therefore I had no reason to be upset about it.”
Although Chris feels almost grateful he had a reason to come out, the interview suggests it was an extremely difficult time.
DNA OPINION
Many young actors in the limelight are encouraged to share parts of themselves that are usually private. The appetites of the media and fanbases can often result in situations like Colfer and Connors’, and it begs the question: is it fair that we ask young actors to state their sexuality to satisfy our own curiosity?
