Chris was part ofThe Hollywood Reporter’sEmmy Roundtable for Comedy Actors along with Neil Patrick Harris, Ed O’Neill, Jon Cryer, Rob Lowe, and Joel McHale. Click here to watch the videos!

I’ve added one nearly HQ outtake from a recent Chris shoot to the gallery!

Home > Photoshoots > #035

I’ve added scans from Chris’s interview with Back Stage to the gallery, as well as three pictures from the photoshoot.

Home > Magazine Scans > Back Stage – June 09, 2011

Home > Photoshoots > #035

Chris did an interview with Backstage magazine, along with Connie Britton, Margo Martindale, Christina Hendricks, Jesse Tyler Fergusen. I’ve only included Chris’s parts, please go to the source to read the full interview.

The 2010–11 television season proved to be a banner year for the medium, with its groundbreaking stories and memorable performances. As Emmy season gets into gear, Back Stage gathered several actors, representing the best in drama and comedy, at Smudge Studios in Los Angeles to discuss how they booked their roles, their most difficult moments from the past year, and what it’s like to be nominated for an Emmy Award. The participants were: Connie Britton, who bid farewell to “Friday Night Lights” this year; Chris Colfer, who headed a bold storyline about gay bullying on “Glee;” Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who took his role on “Modern Family” to new comedic heights both physically and verbally; Christina Hendricks, whose “Mad Men” character struggled with an unplanned pregnancy from an affair; and Margo Martindale, who stole scenes on “Justified” as a criminal matriarch who lived (and died) by her own code.

Back Stage: Can you talk about the process of booking your roles?

Colfer: Mine was an audition. Originally I was auditioning for Artie, and I kept moving through the ranks. They knew they wanted me in the show, but they didn’t want me for Artie. I remember the day of the network test, all my original contracts said, “Artie Two,” because they didn’t know what they were going to do with me yet. I was cast and, a week before we were shooting, I was told I was Kurt Hummel.

Back Stage: Weren’t you living in Northern California? How did you know about the audition?

Colfer: I had an agent and was one of those sort of Make-a-Wish kids that lived in the sticks, and they would send me out on, like, one audition a month. I did that from the time I was a freshman in high school to my senior year, which is when I got “Glee.” And I am not looking forward to those audition tapes leaking someday, because I was horrible. Nothing terrified me more than an audition, and I sucked in all of them. Except “Glee.”

Back Stage: Was there a particular scene or episode that was particularly hard for you in the last year?

Colfer: For me, the most difficult episode I’ve had to do is the “Prom Queen” episode, when Kurt was crowned prom queen. Just picture me in my bed at home, reading the script, not expecting Kurt to be crowned prom queen, and I read that he’s in a kilt and tiara, dancing to “Dancing Queen.” I was like, “No, this cannot happen.” I was so concerned they were just pushing it way too much, because Kurt has been so helpful and progressive for some people, and I was afraid this would damage that—it was just too, too much. But they assured me it would be done in a great way. Originally it was written that Kurt was persuaded by his boyfriend to go back in and accept the crown. But I asked them, “Please let Kurt do that for himself and not be persuaded by a second party.” And they changed it for me, and it did turn out to be a beautiful episode. I was so wrong.

Back Stage: What do you consider your big break as an actor, and did you have any people who championed you along the way? Chris, I know you got a break at a young age—

Colfer: Yeah, and honestly, I hate being so young because I feel like those are the kind of questions I never get asked. Usually people ask us, “Who’s your favorite Jonas brother?” rather than “What were you feeling in this scene?” But I will say, the first time I felt I was taken seriously as an actor was after the Emmy nomination, about this time last year.

Back Stage: Is there any advice you could offer actors that you’ve picked up over the years?

Colfer: I really believe an element of luck is in it. Sometimes you just have to catch the right wave in the perfect storm. I wish I had advice on auditions, but I was terrible. I would actually black out my experiences because I sucked so bad.

[source]

Chris has signed a two book deal with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. His first book -  an adventure novel influenced by classic fairytales – will be released in Summer 2012, and is named The Land of Stories. He’ll also be narrating the audiobooks!

“When I was ten years old, I promised myself that if I ever had the opportunity to write this book, I would jump at the chance,” he said in the press release. “This book has been at the core of my imagination for a long time and I’m excited and nervous to share it.”

[source]