Darren Criss Auditioned Multiple Times for “Glee” Before He Was Cast
Darren Criss Auditioned Multiple Times for “Glee” Before He Was Cast
Sara BelcherMon, April 27, 2026 at 3:27 PM UTC
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Darren Criss on 'Glee'Credit: FOX Image Collection via Getty -
Darren Criss auditioned for Glee multiple times, starting with the pilot, before landing the role of Blaine Anderson
Criss credits his success on the show to "cosmic alchemy" and the popularity of Chris Colfer's character Kurt Hummel
He feels "forever grateful" to creator Ryan Murphy, who supported him and included his original music on the show
Darren Criss had dreams of being on Glee before he landed the role of Blaine Anderson.
Speaking on the Dinner's On Me podcast with host Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Criss, 39, revealed that it took him multiple tries before he finally landed the role of rival singer and boyfriend-turned-husband of Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer, 35).
"I remember my agent was like, 'You should do something for Glee.' 'Cause Glee at the time was like — it had already been on. And by the time it had been on, I had auditioned for it several times. I went out for the pilot."
Criss shared that before entering his junior year of college at the University of Michigan — where he founded StarKid Productions and performed in the viral musical parody A Very Potter Musical — he auditioned for Glee.
"I had never auditioned for a TV show before. That was my first audition for a TV show," the Golden Globe winner revealed.
"I think if you were a certain age and you played music, you know, everybody kind of went in for this thing, right?" he continued. "And so, yeah, by the time I booked it, I'd gone in for it a few times."
Ultimately, Criss' character, Blaine, became a central part of the show, transferring from the rival Dalton Academy to William McKinley High School. He and Kurt had an on-again, off-again relationship for the rest of the show's six seasons, culminating in their marriage.
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"I give a lot of my credit and gratitude to the positioning that I had in the show that has nothing to do with me," he admitted. "They were gonna cast the potential boyfriend for like, the really popular character. Like that's just a golden ticket."
Ultimately, Criss said that landing the role of Kurt's boyfriend was a sort of "cosmic alchemy that was in my favor," as anticipation for the role was high before he was cast.
Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson on 'Glee'Credit: FOX Image Collection via Getty
"Because people already loved Chris Colfer's character, and they wanted something for them," the Assassination of Gianni Versace star continued. "I really am so lucky that that happened."
Elsewhere in the interview, Criss admitted he feels "forever grateful" to creator Ryan Murphy "for his belief in me," noting how the show creator pushed for the inclusion of the actor's original music on the show.
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"He's given me so much. So many good things. And my gratitude is sort of endless," Criss added. "A lot of people were very supportive of me on that show, and by the time I got to write music, I'd been there for a while because it's not something I would've ever pushed forward."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
