Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel on "Glee"

My interview with Glee star Chris Colfer is in my top five favorite celebrity interviews I have ever conducted, in a pile of over one hundred interviews conducted over a period of about five years.

Chris Colfer was actually one interview I did not go after to try and book for PR.com. Chris’s publicist actually approached me explaining that Chris’s Glee character, Kurt Hummel, was being further developed, and would swiftly become a more integral part of Glee, and therefore they were scheduling press for Chris to discuss the breakout popularity of his character Kurt Hummel on Glee.

I have to admit that when I first spoke to Chris Colfer’s publicist I had yet to ever watch a full episode of Glee. I had seen snippets here and there, but had never tuned in for a full episode. For this reason I requested that they send me some upcoming episodes of the show to watch, and much like a large part of the country, I was hooked! The combination of comedy, great musical talent and raw emotion was truly magic on the small screen, and something that had been lacking in television for quite some time.

I spoke with Chris Colfer on an afternoon in April 2010 and at that point I had watched three full Glee episodes and could legitimately call myself a fan. I am not a gusher, so when I gush over someone, they are worthy of the praise I am giving. Chris Colfer is a uniquely gracious, mature, witty and compassionate young man without a hint of ego to him, and we got each other’s jokes which always makes for a comfortable conversation .

When I asked Chris how he is able to get through scenes with Jane Lynch (who plays Sue Sylvester) without breaking out into laughter, his replied, “It’s probably the hardest thing any of us have to do. She is so funny, and she will adlib and go off the script. Even things she says to you in between scenes are hysterical. She’s a comedic genius and it’s so hard. Sometimes you have to think about something really, really horrible like a tragedy of some kind just to get through it, because she’s just that good.”

Chris was also absolutely bowled over by his sudden stardom and his access to some of his own musical icons, admitting to me, “It’s so surreal. I used to be a total fanatic for all of these people. Now that I get to work with them, and I know them and they know me, and I have their email addresses. It’s very strange. I’ve always been a huge fan of Kristin Chenoweth’s. She really is a fantastic role model for all of us, showing how she is just as nice and sweet to everyone as she is talented. She’s an incredible person.”

At one point during our interview it became painfully obvious to both of us how much older (at 36) I am than him, when I questioned him about fanmail. Here is that excerpt from my Chris Colfer interview for PR.com:

PR.com: I would think that young people out there who are gay would take comfort in watching your character on the show. It gives them a reflection of themselves to look to, which is something we really didn’t have on television, even a decade ago. Do you get fan mail from young people telling you that?

Chris Colfer: Every day; usually in the hundreds. Either fan mail through the actual mail or on Facebook, on Twitter and on MySpace. People write to me every day telling me how glad they are that there is a character like Kurt, and how much they look up to him. It’s very rewarding.

PR.com: I feel like I am definitely showing my age, because I’m asking about fan mail and you’re like, “No, people contact me on Facebook and Twitter.”

Chris Colfer: That was a complete surprise for me. Not to say I was expecting fan mail, that’s pretty vain, but I was expecting it to all come through the mail, like what you said. But I guess everything is digital now. Who actually writes a letter? Who pays forty-four cents to send a letter? (Laughs).

READ MY ENTIRE INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS COLFER