INSIDE THE MAGICAL WORLD OF CHRIS COLFER

by Denny Patterson Inside the Magical World of Chris Colfer

Millions of people may know Chris Colfer for his iconic role as Kurt Hummel on Ryan Murphy’s hit musical, comedy-drama television series Glee, but he has also gone on to write 16 best-selling, young-adult, fantasy books that readers cannot get enough of. Recently rolling out his latest endeavor, A Tale of Witchcraft, it is safe to say that this book will be on your must-read list. The second installment of Colfer’s A Tale of Magic series, and technically a prequel to his critically acclaimed The Land of Stories series, A Tale of Witchcraft is full of twists and turns while an evil clan tries to exterminate magic. Colfer’s The Land of Stories universe is described as a “modern-day fairy tale,” and more than 6,000,000 copies have been sold. They are beloved around the world, continue to attract new fans, and many tackle real-world issues and topics. OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with Colfer about his books, as well as Glee Image courtesy of Chris Colfer and being an LGBTQ role model.

Hi, Chris! Congrats on your latest book, A Tale of Witchcraft! Without giving too much away, can you tell us more about it?

Yes. It is a whimsical story about a wacky coven of young witches, and it is also a story about a corrupt, secret society called The Righteous Brotherhood who want to destroy magic once and for all. Everything is an allegory for hate, fear, and mental health. Hopefully, if I did my job correctly, it will be a nice way for parents and kids and their kids to talk about mental health. Hopefully readers can recognize some of the situations and feelings that the characters go through, and they will be able to identify with it and be able to talk about it.

Your first two books, The Wishing Spell and Struck by Lightning, were both released in 2012. How would you say you have evolved as a writer since then?

Oh God, I am just so much better! [Laughs]. I feel like the more you do it, the better you are at it. When I look back, I get a little embarrassed at my writing, and I wish I could change it, especially with The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, but I think the beauty of that book and why it resonated with readers so much was because it was a lot of kids’ first chapter book that they read, and it was the first chapter book that I wrote. I feel like there is some kind of symbiosis there. First-time reader and first-time writer colliding.

I would like to move on and ask a couple questions about Chris Colfer the actor, especially your work in Glee, since that was your first major TV role. How would you say the show changed your life?

Oh my God, that is such a hard question to answer because, how did it not change my life? I don’t know where I would be right now had I not been cast as a teenager out of a small town. It was a dream come true. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of work on so many fronts, and it wasn’t always the happiest place to be, unfortunately, but it was a dream come true. I am profoundly grateful that I had that experience.

How did it feel to know that Ryan Murphy created the role of Kurt just for you?

That is still something I have never been able to wrap my head around. Especially since it was such a terrifying time for me because, up until Glee, I was just a closeted kid growing up in a conservative town, like where kids get beat up for being gay. The fact that I went from a closeted kid in a farm town to arguably one of the most famous gay teenagers in the world was quite an experience.

Did you ever think Glee would make such a significant impact on LGBTQ youth across the world?

No. Since they had not come up with a character yet, I had no idea that I was going to play the gay character, or that there was even going to be a gay character in the show. I did know that the performing arts aspect of it, that definitely had an audience because I was very much part of that crowd. Being a performing arts theatre kid growing up, I knew that people would respond to it, but I never could have imagined that it would go on to become this huge phenomenon.

What more do you hope to accomplish as an openly gay actor?

Hmmm, that is such a good question. It is definitely different now than it was when I first started, that’s for sure. I think people are more accepting of gay actors; I think there are more opportunities for gay actors, and I think there is finally some respect for gay actors, which I do not think there was much of any of those things 10 years ago when I started. There has always been this sort of ugly expectation with gay actors where our goal should be to prove that we can play straight. That has never ever once been on my agenda. I think there are enough incredible gay people in this world. So, I hope I get to do more honest trails of what it is like to be a gay man.

Before we wrap up, are there any other projects upcoming you would like to mention or plug?

I can’t announce anything right now, but I do have a few things coming up, and I am very much looking forward to it because they are very, very authentic characters. To stay up-to-date with Colfer, follow him on Twitter and Instagram @chriscolfer. Visit thelandofstories.com for more information on books, tour dates, appearances, etc. To read the full interview, visit outfrontmagazine.com. 10 \\ NOVEMBER 18, 2020