Anyone who’s ever worked in high school theater knows about the dangerous and often tragic cocktail of teenage drama and hormones. Even the unsexiest plays (like Thorton Wilder’s Our Town) have at least one-fourth of the cast knockin’ boots. Which explains why Ryan Murphy, the gay creator and producer of Glee had to enforce a “no sex in the trailers” rule for his young cast. He says it’s “to maintain discipline” and “keep romances between the young actors spiralling out of control.” He’s right, but he’s also insane if he thinks young actors — armed with fame and cash and invincibility — will let rules keep them from bumpin’ ugz.
“I’ve certainly dated people I’ve worked with and, you know, when you work on a set for 18 hours a day I think it’s natural,” Murphy says. “But I have a rule: don’t do it in your trailer. They’ve broken that rule on many occasions. I’m like, ‘I know you guys are young and hormonal, but don’t do it in your trailer’. I’m the dad, that’s what I say.'”
Working in a theater cast is kinda like serving time in prison — even if you despise your fellow inmates, you gradually find yourself becoming attracted to them purely because you’re forced to look at their dumb faces for hours on end. It doesn’t help that every single member of Glee is totally doable. In fact, co-stars Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz (who play wheelchair-bound Artie Abrams and Tina Cohen-Chang on the show) have already been snapped at a London nightspot and a Monaco beach together. Rehearsing?
Also, don’t buy into the idea that theater was ever about high-culture; it’s always been mega-sexual and dirty. In ancient Greece, festivals coincided with drunken orgies, or so we’re told. Even back in Billy Shakespeare’s day, his plays were the cultural equivalent of WWE Smackdown. He competed against dog fights and bear baiting. Groundlings didn’t come to Billy’s plays for the iambic pentameter, they came for the pig bladders filled with blood and the hot man-on-boy action.
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Murphy’s right, though: Letting Romeo kiss Juliet backstage always ends in tragedy. It’s better to save all that pent up sexual aggression for the stage, and let youthful star get frisky offstage where you can safely blame their parents. And their agents.
alan brickman
What a control queen!!!
rayy
What’s the point of singling out Colfer for the headline? Implying “nasty gays” can’t control themselves?
Ryan B
I get the jest of this article (and I like the behind-the-scenes scoop), but why does the title specifically point out Chris Colfer as primary suspect for this type of activity?
Not saying he might not be, hell, I totally agree with the high school hormones (for that matter, any attractive person working with another attractive person for that long can become subject to the sudden ping of emotion/lusty feeling), but when the source article quotes point out the straight actors as actual proof of sex/dating happening.. why credit the gay?
Or more appropriately asked, why did this writer choose to single the gay kid out.. don’t we want people to *stop* doing that to us, so why do it to ourselves?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
I sure would have liked to seen some of that action in those trailers! :-p
Bubba in TX
It’s a gay website, so the writer was putting a gay spin on a story about a(n obnoxious) rule that applies to straights and gays alike.
And it worked: I clicked on the link as soon as I read the headline. Actually, I was a bit disappointed that the story wasn’t about Chris getting it on in his trailer.
Scarlet
@Bubba in TX: I share your disappointment!
J. Clarence
“Young cast” is a bit of a stretch, they are all in their 20’s. (Chris is the youngest, at 20) Everyone else is around 22-24. Monteith (Finn) is 28 for goodness sake.
If they can’t control their groins at that age, trying to have sex is the least of their troubles.
adams
Why does the article talk about BACKSTAGE hookups, when the quote is about OFF SCREEN romance…?!
It’s about TV, not theatre. They are totally different things… I doubt unsexy productions of Our Town have individual dressing rooms for the stars, let alone trailers!
And Glee isn’t even about doing theatre, it’s about show choir otherwise knows as GLEE.
James
@J. Clarence: Thank you! It seems like people are forgetting that although they are playing kids on TV, they’re adults in real life.
midnightcyn
He’s not the daddy; they are all above the age of consent. He may have the right to demand no sex in the trailers (and that would be based solely on contractual terms, not his position, but he is an idiot if he thinks that he has a say in peoples’ sex lives or love lives.
Dylan
Murphy’s comments are probably towards Puck and Santana, as they are dating in real life. The author of this piece just named Kurt because they had to make a very small non story some how gay to justify posting it. Not that that is okay.
Robert
@rayy:
I completely agree!