Interview: Chris Colfer Remembers Who Bullied Him in High School (But He's Such a Nice Guy He Answers Their Emails Anyway!)

Yes, Chris Colfer really is as nice as he seems.

I first interviewed the Glee actor, the guy with both the voice and the face of an angel, long before the show debuted last fall, and the 19-year-old couldn't have been more down-to-earth (not to mention intelligent and funny). He and Kevin McHale, who plays Artie on the show, were practically begging me to put Kurt up for AfterElton.com's Gay of the Week.

I did, and he won.

Flash forward almost a year, and I recently had a chance to interview Chris again. Despite the fact that the past nine months have included his show's break-out success, near-universal raves for his performance, and an Advocate-fueled "controversy" about whether or not he was really "out," he couldn't have been more accessible and less jaded.

AfterElton.com readers recently coined the term "Glee-va" to describe a self-absorbed cast member from the show, but it simply couldn't be less descriptive of Chris.

We didn't waste any time dishing on everything from the folks who bullied him in high school who now think they are friends, to Glee's upcoming Madonna-themed episode, to exactly how success has — and hasn't — messed with his head.

AfterElton.com: When I talked to you less than a year ago, no one knew of the Glee kids. But despite everything that’s happened, I know the highlight of the past year had to be when you convincingly won AfterElton.com’s Gay of the Week.
Chris Colfer: [laughin] Absolutely. How could it not? I had mentioned it before. I almost campaigned for him to win that, and actually saved the picture and printed it out. So I see it a lot. But just to know that the community that you represent on the show appreciates what you do means the world. So that’s why it meant so much to me.

AE: What is the biggest external change in the past year for you, and what has changed inside — mentally?
CC: Not much mentally. Really I think in a year I’ve kind of gone from a small-town nothing to a bigger-town somewhat-somebody, so I think that’s been the biggest change. And just finding purpose in what you do. Getting out of Clovis, California, was a good thing.

AE: You've talked before about growing up in Clovis and how difficult it was. Is the fact that you’re now becoming this role model for kids who are different – artistic or gay or whatever – does that help put that in perspective, allow you to turn a negative into a positive?
CC: Absolutely. I think from coming from a small town after having grown up where I grew up, I definitely know on a personal level the type of kids that I’m affecting, because I was one of those kids. And I think whether it’s the character or just my story in general coming straight from a small town to this roller-coaster, to this role of Glee, I hope both stories are helping others out there.

AE: Have you heard from high school friends or people that maybe gave you a hard time back then?
CC: All of them. But no one thinks they gave you a hard time, you see. They all think they were your best friend. And all the teachers that you had, they – even if you didn’t have them as a teacher, they message you. I think I’ve gotten a message from pretty much everyone that lives there.

AE: How do you handle that? Do you ignore some of them?
CC: No, no – I respond to everything. I really came with this kind of an attitude of, you know, people who forget and forgive are stupid. You take down numbers and you take down social security numbers and you get even one day, and I’m still all for that.

But I think you get to a certain point where, you know, what’s the point? What’s the point of holding grudges now, I mean?

AE: Especially with high school kids who are immature.
CC: Exactly, right, right, right. But I’m still very bitter. I’m still very bitter. And if I saw one coming up today, I’d run away probably still.

AE: And he says this with such a smile on his face, it’s hard to believe.