http://www.afterelton.com/people/2010/11/glee-ryan-murphy-darren-criss-kurt-hummel
'Glee's' Ryan Murphy Discusses Darren Criss, Whether Kurt and Blaine Will Be Boyfriends, and More!
by Leslie Goldberg
While Glee’s storylines and overall plot may be all over the map in terms of consistency, there’s one thing that you can’t deny: What the show represents when it comes to GLBT visibility. Chris Colfer’s Kurt Hummel is coming into millions of homes every week and, thanks to out creator/writer/director Ryan Murphy, Red State America is getting an education in what it means to be an out gay teen.
AfterElton.com caught up with Murphy at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s 39th Annual Gala on Saturday to discuss the storyline, how Darren Criss’ (pictured below right) Blaine will play into that and the status of Kurt’s boyfriend.
AfterElton: How many episodes is the anti-bullying story line going to be?
Ryan Murphy: I think it’s a whole year, actually. It’s not a couple episodes; it will probably be the whole season, actually, and the ramifications on everybody, which I think is important.
AE: How is Blaine going to play into that?
Murphy: I don’t know. We’re just writing him now. Darren has become such a sensation in one week, which I love. I think there’s a hunger for him and a positive relationship role model. He’ll definitely continue through the year and longer. We just signed a deal with him, so I don’t know.
AE: He’s confirmed to be a regular for the remainder of Season 2 and next season as well?
Murphy: Yes.
AE: Is Blaine going to be Kurt’s boyfriend?
Murphy: I don’t know. That I have not decided. We’re writing it. I want to see what people’s reaction to that is. Part of me thinks he should be the boyfriend, part of me thinks he should just be the mentor. I didn’t want to decide that until we got into sort of the middle of the season. We’re figuring it out now.
AE: If he doesn’t wind up becoming Kurt’s boyfriend, are we going to see Kurt have a boyfriend?
Murphy: Kurt will definitely get a boyfriend. The question is who will it be and how will it be.
AE: What was it about Darren Criss that initially appealed to you?
Murphy: He had auditioned and auditioned many, many times and I personally never saw his auditions. Then when we were casting, the casting director said, “You gave us many choices.” As soon as Darren came on and [I saw] his audition, I was like, “That’s the guy.”
AE: Had you seen Criss’ A Very Potter Musical before?
Murphy: No, I didn’t know anything about Darren. I just knew he was right.
AE: What do you think of his success of “Teenage Dream?” It's become Glee’s biggest hit yet.
Murphy: I’m proud of that. That’s our biggest-selling single ever in the history of the show and the fact that it’s one boy singing to another boy on a network television show and it’s a No. 1 song and it sold probably 200,000 copies in one week is a very profound thing that I’m personally very proud of.
I never expected that to happen. I’m catching up with the week that was and figuring out, OK, now we have this great commodity in something that people have really embraced. It just shows to me that people are hungry for that.
AE: Will there be a PSA at the end of the season for the Trevor Project? Have you considered that yet?
Murphy: I have not considered that; I do a lot of support work with the Trevor Project
End of article
I don't know anything about the production of a television show, so I can't say if Ryan Murphy is being truthful or coy. I find it hard to believe, though, that he doesn't know where the storyline is heading. I think he should just admit that he's not going to tell us until we see it on the screen. :)
He has said before that his team is interested in what the fans want for the characters, and that they do pay attention to public opinion. Which both makes me happy and worried. Because Gleeks don't agree on what they want to see. Some want Rachel with Finn; some want Rachel with Puck. Some want Quinn and Sam togther; some are still hoping that Sam turns out to be gay and gets together with Kurt. As I've stated before, my biggest fear right now is that Kurt and Karofsky become an item. At this point, I am so opposed to that scenario that it could be a deal breaker for me.
One of my nieces used to be the biggest Twilight fan that you could ever meet. She read all the books, she was on Twilight message boards, I think she even wrote some fanfic. She talked about the characters like they were real people. And then the first movie came out. She was so devastated by the casting of one of the characters that it totally changed her opinion of the series. She had an idea in her mind of what that character would look like, and when the actor didn't live up to her expectations, she was done. She is now like the spokesperson for the anti-Twilight club.
With me, though, its not about appearances. Its not about the fact that Karofsky is a big dude and Blaine is slender. Its not about attractiveness in the physical sense. Its about actions and words and deeds. Karofsky is a tormentor, and Kurt is only one of his targets. Yes, I believe people can change, and I think there is a good chance that the writers will eventually rehabilitate Karofsky. But that can't realistically happen overnight, and if Karofksy does change in an episode or two, then the bullying storyline will lose its authenticity in my opinion.
Karofsky has been the most prominently-featured bully on this show for more than a season; he has been in ten episodes of the series thus far, and is slated to be in at least four more in the coming weeks. You can't tell me that he will successfully reconcile his bullying ways AND come out of the closet AND start a positive, healthy relationship with Kurt sometime during this season. That won't work for me, and it shouldn't work for any of us. Unless that is all part of Ryan Murphy's master plan. Meaning, just as he was trying to show that the faculty doesn't have all the answers when Mr. Schue didn't do enough to help Kurt last week, maybe a relationship between Kurt and Karofsky will demonstrate that people can't change that fast, and that relationships sometimes (oftentimes) aren't healthy.
That scenario would make sense to me, but I still wouldn't recommend it, and I hope it doesn't happen that way. I don't think the viewers would get it. And for the Kurt fans that have suffered alongside our boy for so long, the last thing we want on top of everything else is a bully boyfriend for him, even if Karofsky is on some path to rehabilitation. Bottom line, Kurt is struggling, he is finding his way, but he still has enough self-awareness and judgement to know that he doesn't want Karofsky and never will. A kiss and a possible future apology, no matter how sincere the delivery, should not be able to erradicate months, possibly years, of intimidation and threats. He might one day earn Kurt's forgiveness, but that doesn't mean either one of them should forget.
A friendship with Karofsky somewhere down the line - maybe. A romance between them now - irresponsible. I am choosing to have more faith in Ryan Murphy than that. I hope he doesn't prove me wrong.
gleekette
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