Darren Criss/Blaine Anderson

[truthaboutluv]

I just find it tedious and juvenile to be honest. Not to mention that this show is so god-awful that I just feel bad for all the actors because no one should have to shovel that pile of slop the writers throw at them. As for why it's such a thing with Darren and Chris, I think it's largely to do with what I posted in another thread. That oddly, from day one, even as "Klaine" the pairing exploded, factions were developing with those who loved Blaine but hated Kurt and those who hated Blaine but loved Kurt.

 

And it was pretty much a given that the love for the character also extended to the actor. So then the same ones who loved Blaine, loved Darren and those who loved Kurt, loved Chris. Now obviously this isn't everyone of course but there has always been this undertone of tension from day one. And like I said, that cheating storyline took that shit to hell in a basket and it's never gotten better. 

 

Me personally, while I'm not like the poster above who dislikes them both, I do think fans on both sides greatly exaggerate and over-rate each and on the flipside I think some of the criticisms and attacks on either actor from those who don't like them are exaggerated as well. Personally I say just look at this way - the show's all but done anyway. No way Glee is coming back for another season if they even see a full S6. So just a few more episodes and these people never have to work with or be around each other ever again. 

[galax-arena]

I'm hard-pressed to think of any ensemble show aimed at younger viewers that doesn't descend into factions of actors' fans counting screen time, perceived slights, favoritism, etc.

Ah, yes. See: Teen Wolf (Scott vs Stiles/Derek), The Vampire Diaries (Stefan vs Damon), Supernatural (Dean vs Sam). 

[caracas1914]

Well comparisons with other actors happen all the time in an ensemble cast, however I agree that it is tiresome when its invariably actor X versus actor Y.   As seems to be the case with Darren and Chris.

 

Curiously enough, despite the antagonism of factions of Rachel and Finn fans over the treatment of their characters in their respective storylines together , neither of their acting seemed to be a problem.  I thought both Cory and Lea were dialed in into their characters and pretty much overcame alot of the shitty writing and made silks purses out of sows ears for the most part with what they got.  Even now with the WTF twists in Rachel's FG SL, Lea manages to convey a spectrum of emotions with Rachel, and her comedy and drama is as good as ever IMO.

 

That's the problem I have with Darren's acting, it never seems to overcome the shitty writing for the most part.  The scene in "New New York" where he contorts his facial expression into this rage while he confronts Elliot was pretty much the same face he did for the gross out scene with Tina/Sam in "Trio" and there is no difference when he's playing comedy versus drama.  So comparing with two other actors on Glee that don't seem to be  tied at the hip with him, namely Naya Rivera and Jane Lynch, they play fairly broad characters at times who can be over the top and also dramatic in other scenes.  Those two actors can do broad over the top comedy and can do more subtle dramatic acting as well as comedy and exposition dialogue and give them interesting line readings.  I don't think Darren is asked to do anymore then they do, and yet to me he  falls far  short.   He can do puppy dog eyes but that's pretty much it for the most part.

[Lovecat]

there is no difference when he's playing comedy versus drama.

Maybe he missed one of the points in Cooper Anderson's Master Acting Class: Don't be afraid to ask the director, "Is this a dramatic scene, or a comedic scene?"

[truthaboutluv]

Ah, yes. See: Teen Wolf (Scott vs Stiles/Derek), The Vampire Diaries (Stefan vs Damon), Supernatural (Dean vs Sam).

 

 

I can't speak to the Teen Wolf and Supernatural fandoms as I've never been a regular viewer of either show (although the Jensen/Jared shipping is legendary) but I will say with regards to TVD, yes there is the inevitable who is better/worse etc. fandom arguments over Stefan and Damon. That is inevitable. However, and it is quite likely I just don't hang around these parts of the fandom, I don't see the level of vitriol and hate towards the actors as I do with the whole Kurt (Chris) vs Blaine (Darren) issue. 

 

That's the main issue imo. It's that liking one character versus another, liking one actor over another has spilled over into just plain hatred for some towards the other actor. And like I said I truly believe that the cheating storyline really elevated that whole thing which is why I've said that I really do believe that at some point, particularly with regards to Darren, the line between Blaine and him got crossed and he seemed to be loathed for the shitty things Blaine did or said. Like I'm sorry, I cannot buy simply thinking someone is a mediocre actor is enough to warrant that level of anger and just visceral rage that seemed to come from some towards him. 

 

Going back to Ian and Paul and for the record, yes I have seen some discussions about who some think is the better actor but I do wonder if part of why there isn't the same level of bitterness/vitriol is because of how much the two obviously seem to adore each other. And I do think that's been another thing with Darren and Chris. They're clearly not bosom buddies and they don't have to be. There's no rule that says people who play a romantic pairing onscreen must become BFF's in real life. But I think that has helped add to the meme of Chris hates Darren, Chris loathes the pairing, Chris has nothing but disdain for Darren and the pairing, Darren resents Chris's success, Darren is jealous of Chris and all that stuff has just rolled into one and created where we are at now with both factions. 

 

And like I said I think both sides over-rate their favorite. I do think Chris Colfer is talented but I feel like I haven't seen enough of him to declare him some actor of our generation. He very likely may turn out to be but I need to see more to judge that. Oh and I hate his singing voice - sorry. Darren's acting is very limited and I think he might do well to stretch himself on Broadway like Daniel Radcliffe has done since Harry Potter ended. Daniel took a lot of grief for some for his acting in HP, especially the earlier movies but he's really made an effort to get better and stretch his muscles, taking on obscure roles, doing theater, etc. That said, while I find him fairly mediocre as an actor, I actually do love Darren's voice and I'm impressed with him as a musician. As a person who could barely learn the damn flute in high school for music class, I respect anyone who can learn not just one but multiple instruments. That shows dedication and natural talent in my opinion. 

[Danielle87]

I don't really think the storylines coloring the opinion on the actor is the issue, cause Finn was always thrown under the bus and Cory was still adored. I also don't think Darren and Chris not being BFFs is it either as I haven't seen people pit even Naya and Lea against each other as much.

If I were to guess, Darren not being an original cast member is the main culprit. You have on one side, fans of Chris who hate him cause he was only supposed to be basically a prop for Kurt and he became his own character in his own right and got a lot of screentime, and basically a lot of fans feel if you aren't an "original" you basically dont "deserve" to get as much screentime as the others. This isn't specific to Darren himself. People had the same reaction to the newbies, and I have no doubt that if Adam had stayed on the show and started getting more screentime, focus, and songs then the other characters, the reaction to him would have been the same.

Then on the other side, you have fans of Darren who some started watching because of him, and probably see Chris hating Klaine or not tweeting him happy birthday as some slight against Darren.

Edited June 11, 2014 by Danielle87

[caracas1914]

"Like I'm sorry, I cannot buy simply thinking someone is a mediocre actor is enough to warrant that level of anger and just visceral rage that seemed to come from some towards him. "

 

Definitely agree, but that also applies to some of the mud slung the way of Lea, Naya and Chris, just to name other Glee actors who have had horrible disgusting things said about them. ( Cory's death was even a chance to throw more character assassination shit Lea's way, WTF?) The anger and visceral rage directed towards all of them is , sadly enough, nothing special or distinct.

I just don't think "any" of them is the most special maligned snowflake when it comes to criticism, and that includes Darren/character of Blaine.

Edited June 12, 2014 by caracas1914

[truthaboutluv]

I just don't think "any" of them is the most special maligned snowflake when it comes to criticism, and that includes Darren/character of Blaine.

 

I feel fairly certain I never indicated or suggested that Darren was some special snowflake with the criticism or hate he gets. The discussion started because of a comment about not seeing a need to compare Darren and Chris and most of my comments has been in relation to that - that is, the specific nastiness I have seen because of the Chris vs. Darren stuff. Stating that does not mean that I somehow am negating what has been said or done to and about other actors on the show. 

Edited June 12, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Sara2009]

"Like I'm sorry, I cannot buy simply thinking someone is a mediocre actor is enough to warrant that level of anger and just visceral rage that seemed to come from some towards him. "

**************

Definitely agree, but that also applies to some of the mud slung the way of Lea, Naya and Chris,

just to name other Glee actors who have had

horrible disgusting things said about them. (

Cory's death was even a chance to throw more

character assassination shit Lea's way, WTF?)

The anger and visceral rage directed towards all

of them is , sadly enough, nothing special or

distinct.

I just don't think "any" of them is the most special maligned snowflake when it comes to criticism, and that includes Darren/character of Blaine.

Matt has gotten some of this too. I remember someone on Twitter wishing that he had died instead of Cory.

I understand disliking some of these actors, but the vitriol is out of control sometimes.

[fakeempress]

"Like I'm sorry, I cannot buy simply thinking someone is a mediocre actor is enough to warrant that level of anger and just visceral rage that seemed to come from some towards him."

 

I agree Darren's acting skills per se don't warrant extreme rage, otherwise there are more deserving candidates for that on Glee. 

 

Sometimes the vitriol goes hand in hand with a tendency for extreme projection. Some people tend to super-identify with one of them, or become convinced they intimately know what the actor must think and feel in any given situation. I remember a kerfuffle on TWOP (and maybe elsewhere but I came across it on that forum) about Darren as Blaine kissing Chris as Kurt in the final Glee live concert in Ireland. Some people were outraged, there was talk of lack of consent, assault language was used, and those reactions often mentioned how the person would feel if they were in Chris' place forgetting it's not about them, and that there was actually a punking contest going on during the tour by Chris' own admission. 

 

In any case, I don't think it's unique to Darren vs Chris. I can add the Veronica Mars shipping wars that had a faction hating Kristen Bell's guts with the fire of a thousand suns and bemoaning Jason Dohring having to  deal with her even though Jason irl worships her (the mediocre acting aspect was more about Jason vs Teddy Dunn, not Jason vs Kristen).

 

[Hana Chan]

I'm not going to appologize for not liking either Darren or Blaine and coming to resent the amount of focus that he now has on the show. I have my reasons for disliking both Darren and his character and they are not necessarily linked. I find that Blaine lacks depth and I deeply dislike it when characters act badly and 1) don't suffer any real consequences or 2) the behavior is presented in a positive light.  For me, Blaine has too often come across as manipulative and hypocritical and perhaps had they presented Blaine as a real tool (and had it play by an actor who can give his character some nuances) he might be more interestesting. As for now he's a character who acts like an asshole a good part of the time, but everyone kisses his ass and tells him how wonderful he is on a fairly regular basis. I have similar frustrations with Rachel as a character, but she has a not more depth and Lea's performances can usually salvage things for me because she is able to give Rachel a lot of layers.

 

As for Darren, for a long time I was able to keep my dislike for his character from coloring how I viewed the actor. My dislike from Darren comes from his own behavior (like using Chris's movie premiere for his own self-promotion) and the fact that he is at best an adequate singer (when given the right material) and a weaker actor but still gets an enormous amount of focus on the show (and often crowding out better actors and singers in the process). My frustration grows to toxic levels when my favorite (Chris/Kurt) gets the short end of the stick (in screen time, independent storylines and song performances). Kurt's failures often end up as Blaine's successes and there's only so long I can watch that without deeply resenting having Kurt's storyline tied so completely to Blaine's. I have no issue with Blaine not being one of the "originals" (since there are a few originals that I will be glad to see the last of). For me, it's the fact that his talent (IMO mind you) doesn't warrent his elevation to lead and the show has suffered as a result. Darren can be charming, but he desperately needs to work with stronger actors (like Lea, Cory or Chris) to push him to meet their level and having him work so much with Jenna (who I like but will admit is not the strongest actor) and Chord (probably the weakest of the male cast) ruined his performances.

Edited June 12, 2014 by Hana Chan

[mercfan3]

Woah..I didn't expect the Darren thread to be full of vitriol too. 

 

I'll admit, I took a hiatus (I was upset at the Naya situation.)  from Glee for a while, but recently caught up. Criss was probably my number one reason for it. I guess I'm one of the oddballs that likes both Blaine and Kurt (as well as Darren and Chris). 

 

I noticed the vitriol for Darren around the time of his tour. When the "woah your actually straight!" interviews started happening. I think there was some blame unfairly handed to Darren for that, when he so very clearly got sick of that question himself. But I personally noticed an annoyance with Darren from a lot of people at that point. 

 

The acting thing is funny to me. Actors are as good as their directors, unless an actor is special. People complain about Darren's OTP acting, but Sue is over the top, Rachel is over the top, Tina is over the top, Sam is over the top, Mr. Schu is....basically the entire cast is over the top. Why? Because the show is over the top. It's a bunch of cheese. Does Darren carry some of the traits that a lot of stage to television actors carry..some..but honestly, that didn't exist in the movie he was in. And he is a very good comedic actor. His character is very rarely given funny material, but he can be funny with it. (His Harry Potter plays and that Big video clip is hilarious.) But really, all of the actors on glee are somewhere between mediocre and good. That's it. 

 

The post success after glee is an interesting question too. I think Darren's got the best shot of any of them. For two reasons..his conventional good looks and his charm. The entertainment industry is shallow, and that's what counts.  I'm not sure he'd ever be mainstream musically. Although I think he's a very good musician, he's too heavily influenced by broadway and disney to make music that will do well on radio. But if anyone is going to pull an Ashton/Mila from this show, I'd see it being Criss. 

[Sara2009]

So far he's one of the few without any post-"Glee" projects, so I have my doubts about his prospects.

[Hana Chan]

So far he's one of the few without any post-"Glee" projects, so I have my doubts about his prospects.

 

Not especially surprising to me. I think that his glow began to really tarnish last season and continues now. I think that the writing started appearing on the wall when his album got shelved that the industry was becoming aware that his fans might be noisy (and likely highly over-represented in internet traffic), but far fewer in number. This seemed to get proven out when Darren failed to win any of the PCAs that he was nominated for in 2014.

 

I thought it was highly interesting that Ryan Murphy chose to sign Nick Jonas for Scream Queens and not Darren (at least until now). Nick is the same "type" as Darren and was the actor who took over How to Succeed in Business from Daniel Radcliffe (Darren being a stunt-casted place holder between them). Given how invested Glee has been in promoting Darren, to the point of elevating him to lead status over Lea, Chris and Matt, this is a pretty significant show of a lack of confidence in Darren's abilities. I didn't think highly of Lea signing on to Scream Queens (to me is signaled that she wasn't getting much in the way of offers outside of RIB), but at least it's a job. That Darren's current bosses don't seem interested him at this point for future projects has got to be worrying for him.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Hana Chan

[indeed]

I think it's too early to be "worrying" about his career. Not everyone has to have something significant lined up and announced immediately after "Cut, it's a wrap!"

[SevenStars]

I think it's too early to be "worrying" about his career. Not everyone has to have something significant lined up and announced immediately after "Cut, it's a wrap!"

 

I agree. I think it is way too early for this. 

[Myrna123]

Continuing discussion in Cast in Other Roles...

[mercfan3]

Whose to say Darren wasn't asked and didn't want it? 

 

And LOL at the placeholder and lack of fans. The guy had a sold out tour with no major impact on radio and no album. Darren being the "stunt casted placement between them" shows a lack of objectivity here.

 

Once again, All Mila had lined up after TSS was voice over work (something Darren does have). To say someone isn't going to be successful post show because they don't have anything lined up immediately after the show, is just silly. 

[Hana Chan]

Whose to say Darren wasn't asked and didn't want it? 

 

Well, if you hear anything about other prospects that would make turning down a serious TV series offer make sense, let me know. Because right now for Darren I see a lot of speculation but nothing really concrete on the horizon. Now for all any of us know, Darren might be in seriously, top secret talks for something but again... all speculation at this point. We're all reading tea leaves here.

[fakeempress]

 

The acting thing is funny to me. Actors are as good as their directors, unless an actor is special. People complain about Darren's OTP acting, but Sue is over the top, Rachel is over the top, Tina is over the top, Sam is over the top, Mr. Schu is....basically the entire cast is over the top. Why? Because the show is over the top. It's a bunch of cheese. Does Darren carry some of the traits that a lot of stage to television actors carry..some..but honestly, that didn't exist in the movie he was in. And he is a very good comedic actor. His character is very rarely given funny material, but he can be funny with it. (His Harry Potter plays and that Big video clip is hilarious.) But really, all of the actors on glee are somewhere between mediocre and good. That's it.

I don't think Matt is over the top as Schue, nor Chris as Kurt, nor Amber, nor Lea, nor Cory (rip). I also think Jenna and Chord are quite limited screen actors, Jenna more so.

There are specific characters like Sue that are definitely conceived and written as over the top absurd characters, but the kids aren't really. They just have some exaggerated characteristics to fit the "comedy" aspect of the show, but most of the comedy there comes from the plots. Some of the kids, like Lea, Cory, Chris, Max, Naya, have very good comedic timing as well. That said, there is a way to play exaggerated well, as there is good overacting as opposed to bad overacting, and it isn't all up to the directors and the crew, the actor has to have that ability. The best sitcom actors are masters of good overacting, like Kelsey Grammer, DH Pierce, Jane here. It's often the case that they are great dramatic actors as well, because they have excellent instincts for the right tonal balance; Kelsey for instance was fantastic on a dark show called Boss. 

 

With that preamble, - judging only by Glee, I won't say that Darren is a very good comedic actor, I'd say he's better at comedy than at drama. One of his persistent problems is overacting; it can fit the comedy scenes (I don't think he manages to strike the right balance every time, but mostly), but it's detrimental in his dramatic scenes. He's also one of the actors that does bad line readings on a more regular basis. I mean, every one of them fumbles sometimes, but he's among those whose bad readings are really noticeable.

 

As for his movie, I mostly agree. I've said it before, I think as far as the big screen is concerned, Darren's best served when his characters are more naturalistic. Now, he said that his movie character was close to how he is, or something to that effect, not exactly that he played himself, but somebody who he can relate to a lot.. But the moment he had to switch from naturalism to wacky comedy in the holdup scene at the end, he was worse off, it was really noticeable. 

Edited February 2, 2015 by fakeempress

[dizzyizzy01]

The post success after glee is an interesting question too. I think Darren's got the best shot of any of them. For two reasons..his conventional good looks and his charm. The entertainment industry is shallow, and that's what counts.  I'm not sure he'd ever be mainstream musically. Although I think he's a very good musician, he's too heavily influenced by broadway and disney to make music that will do well on radio. But if anyone is going to pull an Ashton/Mila from this show, I'd see it being Criss. 

 

Ashton and Mila turned out to be much better actors than the 70's show demonstrated them to be, and I still think they were better actors since none of their acting ever took me out of a scene.  Darren hasn't really down anything to show that he's better than what he's shown on Glee, and he's had some real terrible scenes on Glee.  His movie with Kristin Wiig was also kind of awful in my opinion anyway.  Maybe if he gets the chance, he might prove me wrong.  I think Darren is moderately talented and a better musician than actor, but I think his charisma and good looks are sometimes over sold.  Someone compared him to Chris Hemsworth, and Chris wasn't getting much notice before Thor.  Darren's good looking, but he's also fairly short. There's pretty much no way Darren would ever be cast in a Marvel Movie =P.

[fakeempress]

I mentioned Chris Hemsworth in the other thread, just as an example of someone who got a top career despite not being a good actor imo. It's true that the vehicle with a built-in audience is the star-maker these days, especially superhero movies. Still, Ezra Miller got cast as the big screen Flash  - granted Ezra is a good actor but I'm not sold on how he fits the superhero role (he may end up doing great, and become a big name in result). 

I saw Darren's fans speculating about him being cast in the Beauty and the Beast movie opposite Emma Watson. It's wishful thinking imo, I think Disney will be looking for a bigger screen name from among the younger actors.

Edited February 2, 2015 by fakeempress

[dizzyizzy01]

I mentioned Chris Hemsworth in the other thread, just as an example of someone who got a top career despite not being a good actor imo. It's true that the vehicle with a built-in audience is the star-maker these days, especially superhero movies. Still, Ezra Miller got cast as the big screen Flash  - granted Ezra is a good actor but I'm not sold on how he fits the superhero role (he may end up doing great, and become a big name in result). 

I saw Darren's fans speculating about him being cast in the Beauty and the Beast movie opposite Emma Watson. It's wishful thinking imo, I think Disney will be looking for a bigger screen name from among the younger actors.

I think Ezra Miller is a much better actor than Darren though.  It's also still a big TBD if DC will have the same success Marvel has.  I think Henry Cavill isn't really that much of a bigger star post Superman.  His profile was raised (but not nearly as much as say any actor named Chris from Marvel) and that's after playing one of the most recognizable characters in the DC universe.  

[mercfan3]

See, I think all of the characters on this show are over the top and cartoonish or they are irrelevant. The only exception to that is probably Artie. I think that's the intent of the directors too. 

 

I don't think post show success will be about "talent" for these kids. It rarely is. (And some of that is a shame..why Meghan Trainer and Ke$ha get a music career and Lea Michelle doesn't..) My point is Darren has enough talent, and more of the other assets than the others..which would make me bet on him. 

[fakeempress]

I think Ezra Miller is a much better actor than Darren though.  It's also still a big TBD if DC will have the same success Marvel has.  I think Henry Cavill isn't really that much of a bigger star post Superman.  His profile was raised (but not nearly as much as say any actor named Chris from Marvel) and that's after playing one of the most recognizable characters in the DC universe.  

That's what I said about Ezra. But the Flash fans aren't convinced he's the best one for the role. 

 

 

See, I think all of the characters on this show are over the top and cartoonish or they are irrelevant. The only exception to that is probably Artie. I think that's the intent of the directors too.

Not in my opinion. I won't call Kurt, Rachel, Finn, and most of the rest cartoonish by any means. OThey are characters with some exaggerations due to the show's style but who didn't go into cartoon territory as characters, unlike Sue. One of the kids that goes into cartoonish is Brittany but I never thought Heather is much of an actress either. I'm not talking of a single episode, but of how the show has been.

[ComfySweater]

You could bet on Jenna just as easily. She's at least as good. It sort of works if you squint enough.

[Ceeg]

There's also a difference in saying a character is OTT and an actor is OTT. Darren is OTT, while I don't actually think Blaine is written that way at all. Conversely, I think Santana is OTT, but Naya doesn't play it that way overall, in specific moments.

 

So, when people complain about Darren being OTT, it's for moments when Blaine is actually not being written that way. Like the break-up with Kurt. Darren and Chris were either not on the same page at all (which, I doubt, since that's the whole purpose of having a director), or Darren just overplayed tremendously. And I suspect it was the latter.

[fakeempress]

To confirm, which # breakup do you mean? Because I don't think he did well in either breakup. 

Edited February 2, 2015 by fakeempress

[Hana Chan]

Opinions about Darren's more subjective attributes (appearance and charm) vary wildly. Whether or not he has enough of either than makes him stand out from all the other modestly talented, good looking male actors in LA remains to be seen. The quality of his acting ability, IMO, is not much of an asset. I don't think that there was one time during his tenure on Glee where his performance stood out in a really exceptional way. At best, he carried his weight in a scene. More often than not, especially in season five where he think he got particularly lazy, his acting took me out of a scene. Especially in dramatic scenes where he showed a lack of subtlety and nuance that the better actors in the cast show as a matter of course. And in the broad comedy scenes, he became cartoonish (and I mean that Darren became cartoonish, not his character). I've actually found Darren the most effective when he plays the straight man in a scene, reacting to the crazy around him (like his "no more candles" line in the face of Kurt's outlandish musings).

 

I've never seen Darren really carry a scene where he was depended on to give it the depth that it needed. I think back to Big Brother, where instead of showing the layers that he needed to in order to make Blaine's discomfort with his brother believable, he came across like a peevish toddler. I think that the show has given Darren plenty of opportunities to show what he is capable of and has failed in every scene  where he didn't have a stronger actor to carry the weight.

 

Look, I'm not saying that Darren is unemployable but I can't see him really taking off as an actor. I'm not a fan of his music, but his best chance is likely to release his album independently if the label doesn't want to and really put his effort into touring. He's just not strong enough as an actor and I can't see him trying to do more than short runs on Broadway (like he did in How to Succeed in Business) because his voice just isn't strong enough to sustain a regular run.

[Ceeg]

To confirm, which # breakup do you mean? Because I don't think he did well in either breakup. 

 

I meant the 2nd one, but point taken.

[Myrna123]

See, I think all of the characters on this show are over the top and cartoonish or they are irrelevant. The only exception to that is probably Artie. I think that's the intent of the directors too. 

 

I don't think post show success will be about "talent" for these kids. It rarely is. (And some of that is a shame..why Meghan Trainer and Ke$ha get a music career and Lea Michelle doesn't..) My point is Darren has enough talent, and more of the other assets than the others..which would make me bet on him. 

I think what hinders Criss is that he's very dime-a-dozeny.  Close your eyes and poke a stick someone at one of his casting calls for a typical drama or comedy and anyone you poke is probably just as serviceable in a part as he is--and the lesser known actors would be cheaper to higher.  In his favor, I don't think he has much Glee baggage to overcome (assuming the universe has evolved ever so slightly enough that he's not typecast as gay).  I think he'd be fine in a big ensemble drama - your Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood kind of shows. 

[ComfySweater]

He could hold that up, but Shonda has her favorites and it's hard to break into that scene.

[Pink ranger]

To be fair a lot of these criticisms of Darren could also be said of Melissa Benoist and look at her. She is in an academy award nominated movie and will play Supergirl for CBS this fall. Never say never in hollywood IMO. Anything can happen.

[fakeempress]

He was on a network show before Glee, Eastwick on ABC. Now he's higher profile, so can see him on another show. I'm not sure though that's what he's aiming for right now.

 

 

To be fair a lot of these criticisms of Darren could also be said of Melissa Benoist and look at her. She is in an academy award nominated movie and will play Supergirl for CBS this fall. Never say never in hollywood IMO. Anything can happen.

I don't have the same criticisms of Melissa, she wasn't OTT, overacting or had much bad line readings as far as I can remember. I thought the character as in the writing was the biggest problem there. 

Edited February 2, 2015 by fakeempress

[mercfan3]

Quite frankly, opinions on Darren's acting ability vary wildly. There are plenty of people who think he's pretty good. Really. 

 

I think Rachel, Quinn and Santana are just as cartoonish as Sue. Mr. Schu, Blaine, Sam and Tina only slightly less so. Kurt and Mercedes aren't cartoonish so much as they are stereotypes. Finn probably wasn't. But Finn was just simply there. 

 

The only actors that have ever had really great moments, IMO, were Kurt's father's growth arc early on, and Santana when she broke up with Brittany and during the Quarterback. (To be honest, I would have put my money on Naya for breaking out, if I didn't know what I do about how she's perceived.) And Coach Bestie a few times. There's no Sasha Pieterse in this cast. There's a few people who are extremely overrated in acting ability. The entire cast is essentially somewhere between mediocre to good, and are really only as good as the material given and how they are directed. 

 

But Criss...Criss is boy next door good looking. He's well connected and well regarded. He's charming. And he's a good actor and good musician. Amazing? No. But good enough to make you smile and tug at your heartstrings a bit.  And he's got a built in fanbase. It's going to be easier for him to get more roles than some of the others, if he wants them..just because his options are more open. 

 

It's going to come down to who gets lucky and gets offered the right projects. But I just think, given Darren's other attributes/assets, it's more likely to be him. 

Edited February 2, 2015 by mercfan3

[Pink ranger]

Looking at the whole casts overall body of outside projects I wouldn't say that Darren is anymore likely to succeed than the others IMO. We already have seen critically and/or commercially successful projects like the Smurfs movies, Hollywood games night, Whiplash and The Flash from Glee alum. 

[fakeempress]

Not to mention that most of the still employed on Glee cast have announced their next projects, or completed projects in the interim. I just don't see any of them waiting around for this one great project to come to them. If Darren's still waiting for that one, that means he isn't getting what he considers good quality projects so his good looks aren't taking him where he wants to go. We'll see how that goes, I'm curious if he'll really work on his music as he's mentioned before for after Glee. 

[Danielle87]

Glee will be ending soon so no one will have to be subjected to his acting unless they seek it out.

 

I'd be interested in seeing reviews from professional critics about his acting in his movie, Broadway stint, Glee in general, etc. I personally don't find him any worse than 80% of the Glee cast, and his acting was on par with most of the other young guy actors like the Zac Efrons of the world in his movie. I've never gotten the criticism of his acting, but then again I find Dianna mediocre and she's beloved, so I tend to go against popular opinion a lot.

 

As far as future roles are concerned, that blonde girl in Big Bang Theory was underwhelming in every way when she was on Ten Simple Rules, now she's on the biggest comedy show in the planet. You just never know who is going to break out.

[Myrna123]

I'd be interested in seeing reviews from professional critics about his acting in his movie, Broadway stint, Glee in general, etc.

I believe "inoffensive" is the overriding professional opinion.

[camussie]

For those who follow Darren I have a question.  Didn't he say he auditioned for Glee when they were first casting and he didn't get the part?  Do you know what part he auditioned for?  I ask because I read somewhere that some people think it was for Finn but I have a really hard time believing he fit the physical description of that role.  He is in good shape but he certainly would not be believable as a football player.  My guess would be that it was for Artie but was just wondering.  

[tom87]

People have been known to audition for roles that do not really fit them though.   If nothing else it gets them in the door, experience in  auditioning and maybe the writers/casting directors will find something they like and use them later. I doubt he ever got past the casting director  in this case.

 

I heard he audition for several different roles.

Edited February 2, 2015 by tom87

[Danielle87]

For those who follow Darren I have a question.  Didn't he say he auditioned for Glee when they were first casting and he didn't get the part?  Do you know what part he auditioned for?  I ask because I read somewhere that some people think it was for Finn but I have a really hard time believing he fit the physical description of that role.  He is in good shape but he certainly would not be believable as a football player.  My guess would be that it was for Artie but was just wondering.  

 

For some reason I was thinking he auditioned for Artie (maybe that was Chris?), but straight from his own mouth, he auditioned for Finn:

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/darren-criss-auditioning-glee-305518

Edited February 2, 2015 by Danielle87

[camussie]

Thank you.  It sounds like he indeed didn't get past the casting director for Finn but Robert Ulrich remembered him a couple of years later when it came to cast Blaine,  

[fakeempress]

The video in the link above doesn't load for me so I base my comment only on the text there.

 

Darren auditioned for Finn and for other role/s, I vaguely recall some mention about auditioning for the paraplegic friend of Finn's. As to whether Robert Ulrich specifically asked him to come in for Blaine, that's debatable or at least is the second stage of the audition process for Blaine. The writeup below (it's The Leaky Cauldron site but they are well informed usually) mentions he sent in an audition tape to an open casting call that summer, and I, again vaguely, remember that mentioned before. Then he got a callback for Blaine, where the story about him cutting his hair comes from. 

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2010/09/26/avpms-darren-criss-cast-on-foxs-glee/

 

In Vanity Fair from the fall 2010, he doesn't mention Ulrich specifically telling him to audition for Blaine: "I first auditioned two-and-a-half years ago, before my senior year in college at Michigan, for the initial pilot. I went out for the role Finn originally, and I’m not a football player. I’m a smaller guy. And I didn’t get it. And I’m glad I didn’t because I got to finish college. So when I got the breakdown for Blaine, it was the first time where I said to myself, this is something I could maybe do and have a shot at it. It’s a great character. So I cleaned myself up and went in." 

 

OT but related: 

Chris originally went in for Artie, and at that audition he was handpicked for Kurt who didn't exist yet. They had an ethnic Indian student character some of whose lines were rolled into Kurt's and the rest was specifically for Chris. The story is well known and told by both Chris and Ryan.

 

It's true that people have auditioned for Glee for all kinds of roles, and various amount of times. That's basically how you get cast, you keep trying. Ulrich said Blake auditioned about 10 times before he was cast on the Glee Project, I don't recall if Blake auditioned for the first GP but he wasn't cast there.

"Because Robert meets thousands of aspiring actors during the casting process, Robert only remembered having met Blake once prior to The Glee Project — which was during his audition for Blaine Anderson." (sorry can't remove the bolding)

http://www.wetpaint.com/glee/articles/glees-blake-jenner-as-blaine-glees-casting-director-says-it-almost-happened 

 

his acting was on par with most of the other young guy actors like the Zac Efrons of the world in his movie. I've never gotten the criticism of his acting, but then again I find Dianna mediocre and she's beloved, so I tend to go against popular opinion a lot.

I will comment in the general acting thread.

Edited February 3, 2015 by fakeempress

[mercfan3]

Darren's already said he's going to be working on his album after Glee, months ago. 

 

Professional reviews of Darren on Broadway were mixed, NYT and Billboard loved him. A few other professional reviewers didn't. And some of course said the same thing many say "He's not the most talented, but he's got star power/charisma.." 

Edited February 3, 2015 by mercfan3

[fakeempress]

Darren's already said he's going to be working on his album after Glee, months ago. 

That's been mentioned several times on this forum. It's just not clear if he's still signed with Columbia/Sony or is already in the Amber / Naya boat.

 

He also said before that he'll put something out by the end of last year (people were speculating about a single) - which didn't pan out. 

 

ETA: The reviews for his movie with Kristen Wiig had positive mentions about him, I don't recall any overt negative about him specifically, the negatives were about the movie itself, and most of the reviews were concerned with the script, Wiig and Annette Benning. And I think this is warranted, imo as I said the role he had there suited him better.

 

I don't remember the Broadway aficionados being thrilled by him in How To either, but mentioned that he had stage presence. 

Edited February 3, 2015 by fakeempress

[mercfan3]

There was recent confirmation that he wasn't dropped. Not that he couldn't be in the future. It's not like labels have given artists much of a chance now a days. (Christina Grimmie was recently dropped after the label did nothing for her.) 

 

But once again, what all of those rules made clear was that Darren is quite the teeny bopper draw. A built in fanbase that has proven they'll spend money (something Grimmie's hasn't) to support will at least make a label supportive at first. 

 

Once again, I'm not sure how successful of a musician he'll actually be (in terms of radio play/sales..). He's very disney/broadway influenced. (Although a few of his reimagining of covers are pretty good. Particularly "Part of Me."), but I just don't see it becoming a big billboard hit. Granted, that might not be what he's looking for anyway. 

Edited February 3, 2015 by mercfan3

[fakeempress]

Do you mean what the DCN blog said, I'm not aware about any confirmation from Columbia. 

 

I'm ambivalent about his music, I like a few songs but I'm not a fan especially of the songs he wrote for his tour, and didn't hear anything there that can attract a larger outside audience or get radio play. I think he's best as a live act but needs a solid product, which he hasn't gotten yet (I go by his tour set). 

Edited February 3, 2015 by fakeempress

[Myrna123]

 But once again, what all of those rules made clear was that Darren is quite the teeny bopper draw. A built in fanbase that has proven they'll spend money

But all those teeny boppers Criss drew when he first appeared on Glee are headed for college now and they stopped watching Gleetwo years ago.

[dizzyizzy01]

There was recent confirmation that he wasn't dropped. Not that he couldn't be in the future. It's not like labels have given artists much of a chance now a days. (Christina Grimmie was recently dropped after the label did nothing for her.) 

 

But once again, what all of those rules made clear was that Darren is quite the teeny bopper draw. A built in fanbase that has proven they'll spend money (something Grimmie's hasn't) to support will at least make a label supportive at first. 

 

Once again, I'm not sure how successful of a musician he'll actually be (in terms of radio play/sales..). He's very disney/broadway influenced. (Although a few of his reimagining of covers are pretty good. Particularly "Part of Me."), but I just don't see it becoming a big billboard hit. Granted, that might not be what he's looking for anyway. 

 

I'm almost 100% certain he's been dropped.  Not that being on a major label means as much as it used to in terms of success, but I'm almost positive he's no longer on the Columbia roster.