'Glee' Star Matthew Morrison Recalls 'Worst Year' Ever

By Nicki Gostin Posted Jan 15th 2010 07:15PM

A year ago Matthew Morrison was primarily known only to Broadway audiences. He originated the role of Link Larkin in 'Hairspray' and was nominated for a Tony for 'Light in the Piazza.' But now everyone knows him as Will Schuester on 'Glee.' Morrison is nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series Comedy or Musical. In a chat with PopEater, the actor talks candidly about his whirlwind year, his planned album, the benefits of being a straight actor on Broadway and his stint in the world of boy bandery ("worst year of my life").

Have you prepared a speech for the Globes?
I think I'd be stupid not to prepare a speech, just in the slightest chance I win; I don't want to go up there and sound like an idiot. So yes I have. Oh, I'm not expecting to win. Just gonna goa and enjoy the free drinks.

Who are you taking as your date?
Just my manager. I don't want to have to worry about taking care of anyone.

Do you ever feel like the elder statesman on the show?
No, I don't because I have a lot of scenes with Jane Lynch and other adult characters and when I'm with the kids I kind of feed off their energy and I feel a little more exuberant.

You signed with Mercury Records and are working on an album. What can we expect?
I want the album to be like something by Gene Kelly, Sinatra or Sammy Davis, Jr. People who did it all -- T.V, film, Broadway. I'm going to try and push the boundaries a little bit. I want to put something really original out there that's personal to me. I want it to have substance and tell stories and not be a cheesy pop record. I don't want to do songs about money and handbags.

You have experience with that. You were in the boy band, LMNT.
Unfortunately. I experienced what you shouldn't do. It was the worst year of my life. You know when you're a performer and you're out there on stage and you're embarrassed that you're doing something wrong. It was pretty bad.

You worked at The Gap. Do you fold your sweaters really nicely at home?
No, my maid does it. No, I don't have a maid that was a total joke. I'm a pretty bad folder, to be honest. I was good when I was at The Gap but when it's my clothes I don't really care about it as much. Also at The Gap they gave you a little board to fold everything around and I don't have that board at home.

You're a straight guy who happens to be an adorable Broadway singer. Sorry, I assumed you were gay. You must get that a lot.
I guess so. I sing and dance for a living so that's what people think sometimes. I've been doing this since I was in 5th grade so I've kind of heard everything you can hear about it. It doesn't bother me at all.

Must have been a great ratio when you were working on Broadway.
I don't want to say it but you're onto something there.

You must have had your pick of the ladies.
Let's just say it wasn't hard at all.

How many lines can the writers come up with making fun of your hair?
Oh we've got a lot more to come. It's because the creator of the show, Ryan Murphy is follicelly challenged. So he's very jealous of my hair. It comes from jealousy.

Can you believe how big the show is?
It's unbelievable. None of us really expected it. We all knew we were part of something great but we didn't know if we would find an audience. It's just been overwhelming. It's been quite a year for me.

And how great you get to sing and dance and not be in some cheesy sitcom.
Yeah I wasn't really at the point in my career where I was turning down roles in T.V. and film so I'm just happy I'm not playing a detective with a chimp as a sidekick.

You must be getting calls for movies.
Yeah that's all starting to happen. The problem is filming for the show is so demanding and time consuming it's a little hard to get out for anything like that but I'm not complaining. I'm happy.

Tags: Glee, Matthew Morrison