Darren Criss to stop playing gay guys

Criss in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”

Known for playing gay teen Blaine in the musical-drama “Glee” for several seasons, Darren Criss eventually won an Emmy for portraying gay killer Andrew Cunanan in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.”

But, the Filipino-American actor will stop pursuing such roles, he recently told Bustle: “There are certain [queer] roles that I’ll see that are just wonderful. But I want to make sure I won’t be another straight boy taking a gay man’s role.”

Criss said that taking a crack at prominent characters such as Blaine, Cunanan and Hedwig (from the Broadway musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”) is “inherently a wonderful dramatic experience.”

He added, “It has made for very, very compelling and interesting people.”

On being a representative of another group of people, Criss, whose mom is from Cebu, said: “I didn’t choose to be half-Filipino. I mean, I love it, it’s very cool, and if this has been the outcome, sure, I’m very pleased and proud that I can represent people that may see my presence in the media as a beacon for themselves. That’s a real privilege.”—OLIVER PULUMBARIT