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Glee Star Darren Criss 

Moms, gays, and teenage girls cheered when the 24-year-old actor brought his song-and-dance skills to Broadway. But once he adds raunchy movie comedies to his repertoire, will Michele Bachmann still want her picture taken with him?

After joining Glee with a rousing performance of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” during the second season, Darren Criss instantly became one of the hit show’s most recognizable cast members. Now a beloved series regular as the flamboyant Blaine, the 24-year-old is branching out (sort of) with a quick stint on Broadway this month in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Criss spoke about fending off moms and teen girls on the Glee tour, his upcoming turn opposite Kristen Wiig in the raunchy adult comedy Imogene, and why his parents grounded him before his prom.

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bootycrissious:

Darren Criss sings a lot on Glee and gives impromptu performances on promenades and at benefits — but are you ready for him to sing Backstreet Boys on the big screen? Well, it’s definitely happening, Imogene co-director Shari Springer Berman told Vulture. Criss, who plays Kristen Wiig’s much younger love interest in the movie, will act as a sorta-kinda-Jersey guy “in a nineties impersonation band,” Berman said. “I made him work really hard.” Berman was one of many guests, including Alan Cumming and Susan Sarandon, at the Darby in New York last night, where Criss was being feted by the Peggy Siegal Company and Calvin Klein Collection for his three-week stint on Broadway. (He’s replaced Daniel Radcliffe as the lead in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; later this month, Nick Jonas will take on the role.) We spoke with Criss — who performed five songs at the intimate event, including his piano-ballad rendition of “Teenage Dream” — about the challenges of Broadway, Glee fans getting backstage, and acting opposite Kristen Wiig.

It’s been about a week since you’ve been on Broadway.
I know, yes. It’s been insane.

So what have you learned?
Well, I’ve learned that Daniel Radcliffe is a freaking superhero. You know, I know exactly what I signed up for … I’m very fortunate that it was a three-week run, and there’s the pro and cons: The pro is that you’re in and you’re out. But the con is also, oh, bummer, by the time you’re at three weeks you’ve gotten really in the swing of things, you have to leave. It’s kind of bittersweet. But because I know that’s the amount of time I’m doing it, I’ve kind of exerted my energy in sort of … what’s the word I’m looking for? Accordingly. I’ve been exerting energy accordingly, whereas Dan was doing it for a better half of a year, so I don’t know how he paced himself, because I would have just puttered out, man. [Laughs.]

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