Darren Criss: 'Roles are few and far between for someone of my ethnicity'

[Kimmo 79,355]

Here we go again....

Darren Criss has won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a Critics’ Choice Award and now a SAG Award. The 31-year-old admitted after accepting his trophy Sunday that it hasn’t been easy to find leading roles like the one he snagged in Ryan Murphy’s anthology series.

Asked about being the first Filipino-American to pull off such an awards sweep, Criss told reporters backstage, “It’s a shame that I’m the first. It should have been a while ago, but that’s not the conscious fault of anybody.” He added, “The roles are few and far between for someone of my ethnicity.”

Criss, who is half-Filipino, went on to say that “while that’s a tragedy, the winds are shifting and I’m very excited. It’s an honor, and it’s been the coolest year for representation across film and television and culture in general, and I think what’s really exciting about it is that it’s not just some kind of Hollywood agenda. I think consumers have shifted what they want to see; they want to see themselves, they want to see their stories told by new faces and serve that appetite. So to have been a small part of that is a extraordinary privilege that’s much bigger than myself.”

https://ew.com/sag-awards/2019/01/27/darren-criss-celebrates-milestone-win/

also Darren back in March 2018 :

"I always say one of my favorite things about myself is that I’m half-Filipino but I don’t look like it."

Former Glee Star Darren Criss admits he feels 'lucky' he is able to pass for white in an industry notorious for whitewashing where actors of colour often struggle to get substantive roles.

https://www.vulture.com/2018/03/darren-criss-american-crime-story-versace-and-race.html

[LateToCult 39,674]

I thought he was just Caucasian 

[BenG 19,908]

Filipinos are so talented

[Thomas P 18,464]

Just now, LateToCult said:

I thought he was Caucasian 

That’s the point. He says he’s lucky cause you don’t know he’s Filipino so he’s been able to get roles easily which is the problem in Hollywood 

[Dilwyn 4,090]

lmfao, as if he can't pass as any random white boy.

[LordEnigma 11,313]

2 hours ago, Sugden said:

lmfao, as if he can't pass as any random white boy.

He’s not even talking about himself. He’s saying it’s easy cause he’s able to pass as white but for people who are Filipino, it’s hard to get roles. Read past the headline

[gypsy101 5,428]

i’m personally still annoyed at what he said about no longer accepting gay roles

like...funny how he decided that after gaining basically all of his success while playing gay men and now that he’s won an Emmy for doing so again he won’t do it anymore. seems so disingenuous.

[LateToCult 39,674]

1 minute ago, Thomas P said:

That’s the point. He says he’s lucky cause you don’t know he’s Filipino so he’s been able to get roles easily which is the problem in Hollywood 

He’s also saying he’s a part of a change in Hollywood representation which isn’t true at all. He looks white.

[Dilwyn 4,090]

1 minute ago, Alexander Levi said:

He’s not even talking about himself. He’s saying it’s easy cause he’s able to pass as white but for people who are Filipino, it’s hard to get roles. Read pass the headline

 

I read though, i don't see where he states it's easier for him because he's "white passing".

[Ryusei 60,798]

I would have never known he is half-filipino if he didn't say it tbh, hopefully the industry changes more with the success of movies like black panther and crazy rich asians, those movies showed that the leads can have any race and the movie will still succeed. I also don't think that movie-goers and watchers really care about those things, in the end we all wanna see a great movie, watch a great series I hope that gets into the top people's heads and we can enjoy some more diversity overall and not just the token black couple and the token asian couple thrown in here and there

[LordEnigma 11,313]

3 minutes ago, Sugden said:

 

I read though, i don't see where he states it's easier for him because he's "white passing".

Did you read the last paragraph?

[Defmix100 5,935]

2 minutes ago, gypsy101 said:

i’m personally still annoyed at what he said about no longer accepting gay roles

like...funny how he decided that after gaining basically all of his success while playing gay men and now that he’s won an Emmy for doing so again he won’t do it anymore. seems so disingenuous.

Think of it more from a creative career standpoint, like Daniel Craig doesn't want to be Bond forever but it's what he's most known for. Most actors don't want to be typecast and always play similar roles, you want diverse characters and to play the protagonist and antagonist rather than caught in one role type that you keep playing

[Runway 27,876]

He white lol

[LordEnigma 11,313]

5 minutes ago, gypsy101 said:

i’m personally still annoyed at what he said about no longer accepting gay roles

like...funny how he decided that after gaining basically all of his success while playing gay men and now that he’s won an Emmy for doing so again he won’t do it anymore. seems so disingenuous.

Well what do you want him to do? Go back in time and not do it? Denounce himself and never act again? Continue playing gay characters? 

[Mirages 20,259]

Literally thought he was white