“I think he has a crush on Rachel Maddow and it confuses him,” laughed Chris Colfer Sunday afternoon, describing the main character of his film Struck By Lightning, which had its world premiere Saturday night at the Tribeca Film Festival.  The film follows Carson Phillips, an extremely ambitious high school senior  who, uniquely for most stories with a high school setting, is devoid of a romantic plotline, or even an overt sexual orientation.

“For one, me of all people, I didn’t want to do another sexual identification story,” Colfer, who both wrote and starred in the movie, explained. “In my opinion, if you address a character’s orientation and they have a really strong message to tell, kids who don’t identify with that orientation won’t identify with the message. So I feel like if he was gay in the movie, straight kids wouldn’t listen as much, and if he was straight the gay kids wouldn’t identify as much.  And I think, selfishly, being part of Glee, I didn’t want to do another couple! (Laughs.)  I just wanted the point of the movie to be the message, not who he was sleeping with or what he jacked off to.”

The film has bigger fish to fry than sexual identity, as Carson fights against a variety of forces holding him back — inept teachers and administrators, a student body satisfied with the simple status quo, and a mother who thinks it’s better to sabotage his dreams then let him suffer the same fate of hope and rejection that’s befallen her.  The trick of the film, however, is from the first moments you know Carson is doomed to never achieve his most lofty goals, as he’s struck by a bolt of lightning, with the film told in flashback through his senior year. Colfer says the real tragedy of the story is that Carson doesn’t realize he’s happy until just before his death.

“I think the point was that he focused so much on escaping that he forgot that he was actually doing what he wanted to do,” Colfer said. “He wanted to be this journalist, he wanted to change lives.  He realized that, he found his bliss, and unfortunately he found it right before he died.  He’s also such a driven person that it took a bolt of lightning to stop him.”

Colfer himself is equally driven, and luckily hasn’t met any stray lightning bolts in his 21 years.  The script began as a way to vent his frustration while in high school in a similar town to fictional Clover.  “I internalized everything in high school, I never said anything that I felt out loud,” Colfer explained. “So I created this character who did as a way to do that at home on my computer were no one could beat me up for saying it. I had never seen a character like this before with a passion for writing, except for Harriet the Spy.” As for other young people with similar aspirations, Colfer said the best inspiration he could give them was “pictures from last night.”

“I can’t believe, when I would sit in my small bedroom in the house where I grew up looking at my view of my side yard and gardening tools, and now I’m sitting here with a view of a Chrysler Building.” (When someone tries to claim it’s the Empire State Building, Colfer schools them — “I’ve seen Ninja Turtles, I know that’s the Chrysler Building!”)

Colfer, who is strongly identified with his breakout role of Kurt Hummel on Glee, pointed out many stark differences between Carson and Kurt and how they handle situations, nothing that they come from very different backgrounds.

“When Kurt walks into a room he thinks he’s the most fabulous but he doesn’t let people know.  He lets people discover that for themselves.  I think Kurt comes from a long line of very harsh bullying and has unfortunately learned to keep quiet.  Like, you’re in a conservative town, you do not make yourself really known in this environment.  Kurt’s more subdued and internal, where Carson doesn’t give a crap about anything.  He’s very much more outward, he’ll never die of a heart attack.  He has no filter.”

He also cited Glee as a training ground for being able to play Carson, noting  “If this had been my first acting thing I would have been so stiff and terrified.”  Colfer was admittedly nervous on Saturday night before the premiere, likening it to his wedding. “It kind of feels like my wedding, to be quite honest.  Everyone I know is here, they’re all here supporting me.”  The star took time to sign for fans on his way in, and he even described that as nervewracking.  “I was shaking, I felt bad,” he said.  “They probably have me on this pedestal and now they’re like ‘oh he’s a wimp.’”

He was calmer by Sunday, post a warm reception that included a standing ovation from a packed house of both people associated with the film and diehard fans, and celebrity supporters including two of his Glee co-stars, Ashley Fink and Amber Riley.  Harry Potter star Emma Watson also attended, and managed to ask a question during the film’s Q&A session to which Colfer jokingly replied, “You look so familiar!”

Struck By Lightning isn’t the only project on the Golden Globe winner’s plate.  His children’s novel “The Land of Stories” comes out July 17th, and he doesn’t yet have adaptation aspirations for that piece of work. “I really would like it just to be a book first.  People jump the gun way too fast. Let’s let it be a book first, people!” He will, however, go into production for his next movie during the Glee hiatus this summer.  “It’s a genre change for me, it takes place in a 1930s asylum, which is similar to high school but it’s a very different film. I wrote it as well, I play a supporting character.  I’m a crazy ass patient, crazy crazy patient.”

Spare any freak lightning storms, there’s nothing stopping Chris Colfer right now.

[source]

Struck by Lightning
Chris Colfer and Brian Dannelly
Sunday, April 22
5:00 pm
Apple Store – 401 West 14th Street, New York

 

Join Golden Globe winner Chris Colfer (Kurt on Glee) and director Brian Dannelly for a discussion of their new coming-of-age comedy, Struck by Lightning. Starring and produced by Colfer, this film tells the story of Carson Phillips (Colfer) who (after being struck and killed by lightning) explains how he blackmailed his classmates into contributing to his literary magazine.

[source]

Chris will be on Chelsea Lately on E! this Thursday (the 12th).

2012 is poised to be the biggest year yet in Chris Colfer’s already incredibly successful career.

On April 10, Glee will return with a fresh batch of new episodes, which all lead up to Kurt’s big high school graduation (fret not, as Insider.com first reported, Chris will be back in season four). April 21 brings the world premiere of Chris’ feature-writing debut as Struck By Lightning is unveiled at The Tribeca Film Festival while his debut novel, Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, hits shelves on July 17.

Like I said, big year.

But that’s not all! As I discovered during my exclusive chat with Chris this afternoon, another idea that’s been banging around his brain has finally made its way to paper. So what is Chris’ next script about? And what do the final season three episodes ofGlee have in store for us? Keep reading to find out!

Insider.com: We’re less than a month away from the world premiere of Struck By Lightning — how are you feeling?
Chris Colfer: I can not wait. I’m giddy [but] terrified to see it with an audience. Recently I saw it with an audience full of my family and friends. It’s going to be quite a different audience in NY – I’m terrified of that. There’s a lot of pressure on this for me.

Insider: What were some of the reactions you got at that friends and family screening?
Chris: The best reaction I got, and I got this a lot, was, “Oh my God Chris, we’re so glad that was good! We talked in the car on the way here about what we’d say if it was bad.” That was the most honest reaction, so it was the best.

Insider: Are you working on any other movie scripts right now?
Chris: Yes. This next one is definitely a genre change for me. It’s not set in the high school world. For the first time, it’s something I had to do a lot, a lot, a lot of research for before I started working. It’s a period piece that takes place at an asylum in the early 30s. It’s interesting because while I was doing my research I met with a UCLA professor to talk about different disorders and conditions of asylums back in the day and I got so many suggestive looks on the Glee set because I would have all my books with me. People kept asking, “Chris, why are you reading books on asylums and schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder?” I think everyone thought I finally lost it when I was reading the Coping With Mental Illness book [laughs].

Insider: Sounds scary — is it a horror movie?
Chris: It’s not horror. There’s no ghosts or monsters popping out at you. It’s almost like a movie about characters after they have an experience like characters do in a horror movie. Almost like the aftermath of what a traumatic experience, a la a horror movie, would do to someone.

Insider: What inspired you to write this movie?
Chris: Honestly, I just wanted to do something really fun and something I hadn’t done before — something kind of creepy. Instead of waiting to find a script, I just thought, “I’ll write it myself.” And we have a director and producer attached already.

Insider: Will you be starring in this one as well?
Chris: I created a supporting role for myself in this one. I’m not the lead. It’s a role that people don’t write for young men, unfortunately. These types of roles are few and far between, so I thought, screw it – I’ll write it myself!

Insider: It feels like the only hurdle left for you to jump is directing — does that interest you?
Chris: It’s so funny because every one wants me to direct. I’d rather just create the characters at home in my pajamas than be on a set for 20 hours a day, coming up with shots. There are definitely a few things that I would absolutely direct – like if someone called me and said, “Do you want to direct a Candyland movie?” I’d jump at it, but directing is not my goal.

Insider: Fair enough. On another note, Glee is coming off a pretty sizable hiatus on April 10 — how excited are you for fans to see what’s coming up?
Chris: Oh, very excited. We have some great episode coming up – there’s the Whitney Houston tribute episode, a Bee Gees tribute episode and the episode where Rachel & Kurt finally audition for NYADA. We got to work with Whoopi [Goldberg] who I absolutely love more than life itself. It’s really cool because Whoopi is the reason I started performing in the first place. Sister Act came out in 1992 and it was the first movie I was obsessed with. My mom used to tell me that she’d come home from work and I’d be standing in the living room with a towel on my head saying, “I want to watch Whoopi!” Singing along with the nuns in Sister Act is the first time I’ve ever performed.

Insider: In addition to Whoopi, you also have Lindsay Lohan coming on the show — what do you think about her going from subject of Glee mocking to a guest star?
Chris: There seems to be a pattern with Glee – first we insult you, then we hire you. We did the same thing with John Stamos. If you’ve been insulted by our show, expect a phone call [laughs]. I think it’s funny. A lot of people have strong opinions about it, but I think the fact Lindsay Lohan is judging a show choir competition is pretty damn funny.

[Insider]

Not only does Glee’s Chris Colfer star in Struck By Lightning, a dramedy about a doomed teen, he also wrote the screenplay. Bravo!

TRIBECA: Tell us a little about STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. How do you describe the movie in your own words?

CHRIS COLFER: I would say STRUCK BY LIGHTNING is a very honest, dark comedy. It’s set in a simple environment, but carries a very important message.

TRIBECA: As the writer (and lead actor), what inspired you to tell this story?

CHRIS COLFER: Many films targeted toward the teen audience these days are all about partying and promiscuity. I wanted to tell a story about a teen with aspirations, whose energy and focus is all dedicated to his life after high school, and not the typical quest for popularity. Carson isn’t after anyone’s approval, and not an ounce of him is living in the present; he’s all about setting himself up for the future.

TRIBECA: What was high school like for you?

CHRIS COLFER: It was rough. I was a major over-achiever, in my own right, except no one ever cared about the things I did. People wondered why I was so busy all the time, because the payoff wasn’t clear to them. I never really meshed well with the other students, even with the “lower class” cliques in the performing arts department. But unlike Carson, I cared what people thought about me. Carson is kind of guy who I wish I had been in high school; he actually says the things I always internalized.

TRIBECA: I’m not giving anything away by saying that your character Carson dies in the very first scene. What led you to make that decision in your script? Did anyone pressure you to consider other endings?

CHRIS COLFER: I wanted to tell a story from the point of view of the person who dies, because I wanted him to look at the people dramatically mourning his death and say, “You’re full of it, we weren’t friends.” It’s kind of the point of the whole movie, so I was never encouraged to explore alternative paths. And I guess that’s the beauty of independent film; you can mostly do what you want.

TRIBECA: Various characters—Carson, Allison Janney’s character Sheryl—go through some pretty heavy story arcs. What do you want audiences to take away from the film?

CHRIS COLFER: I hope the takeaway is that life is much better when you have something to live for. Every character is on their own journey and learns from each other. Carson and Sheryl’s relationship is very unique; she’s stuck in the past and he’s in a constant daydream of the future. If anything, maybe it’ll get viewers to take a look at their own journeys.

TRIBECA: What’s the craziest thing (or “lightning strikes” moment) that happened during production?

CHRIS COLFER: Easy: Rebel Wilson! She was cast the night before she started shooting, and what a miracle it was. We were in such a limbo with Malerie, not knowing which direction to take the character in, and now I can’t imagine the movie without her. She’s brilliant!

TRIBECA: From your perspective as an award-winning actor, what do you think makes a good director?

CHRIS COLFER: I feel like a good director should be willing to work with an actor. There’s nothing worse than being treated like a puppet. I love it when we can discover a scene together. It was so great and fulfilling that Brian [Dannelly] and I saw pretty much everything eye to eye, especially since I was so close to the material. There were moments when we would walk up to each other on set and say, “I’m just pretending to be giving you a note to look official, but what you’re doing is perfect.”

TRIBECA: What are you most looking forward to at Tribeca?

CHRIS COLFER: Watching the movie with a real audience, not one made up of your friends and family. I want to hear and feel the honest reactions to it.

TRIBECA: If you could have dinner with any filmmaker (alive or dead), who would it be?

CHRIS COLFER: I would have to say Tim Burton. I’m kind of a living Tim Burton character anyway.

TRIBECA: What’s your favorite New York movie?

CHRIS COLFER: I’m going to say WHEN HARRY MET SALLY. I loved watching it as a kid for some reason. It was the first time I actually saw New York.

TRIBECA: What would your biopic be called?

CHRIS COLFER: Whatever it takes to attract Meryl Streep to the leading role.

TRIBECA: What makes STRUCK BY LIGHTNING a Tribeca must-see?

CHRIS COLFER: I’m kind of biased, but I think that STRUCK BY LIGHTNING is the type of movie that really makes you feel. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s original, and I hope people connect with it… and that it inspires them to wear rubber-soled shoes.

[TribecaFilm]