Q: Who on Glee inspires you the most?
A: Burt Hummel inspires me to be accepting of everyone I can, and to push myself to embrace things that are different and maybe uncomfortable at first, just as he learned to do with his son, Kurt.
Q: What song would you want your potential character to sing as your introduction into the show?
A: The first song I would want my character to sing on the show would be “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” the John Mayer version. It’s got a killer guitar lick, I love Ray Charles, and it’s bluesy. Right up my alley.
Q: If given the opportunity, who would you like to sing a duet with on Glee? What song?
A: If I could sing a duet on Glee, I’d want it to be with Naya Rivera, and we would sing “Tubthumping,” by Chumbawamba. It would be hilarious and awesome.
Q: Who/what is your favorite singer/band?
A: I think my all-time favorite singer and guitarist is Jimi Hendrix. I never get tired of listening to him.
Q: Do you have any original music, and if so, do you ever plan on recording an album?
A: I don’t have any original music right now, but I might soon! Be on the lookout ;)
Q: Do you play any instruments?
A: I've played guitar for over ten years. I also play some bass, harmonica, and piano.
Q: Other than singing and performing, what are your hobbies?
A: I really enjoy cooking, hiking, and biking. I’ve recently started playing squash, and love the workout. It’s so much fun!
Q: What acting or theater experience do you have before The Glee Project?
A: Before the The Glee Project, I had taken acting classes with Menomonee, Lookinglass, and Piven. I was also in several of my high school productions.
Q: What was your initial reaction for being cast on The Glee Project?
A: When I found out I was cast on The Glee Project, I was so excited! I couldn’t believe I was going to LA to film a TV show. I knew I would also get to miss some school, so I was happy about that too!
Q: Did you follow Glee before auditioning for The Glee Project?
A: Before I auditioned for The Glee Project, I wasn’t an avid fan of Glee, but I had watched a bunch of episodes and loved it! I was in a short-lived Glee club at my school one year, too. After I auditioned though, I watched every season, front to back.
Q: What is your dream role on Glee?
A: My dream role on Glee is to play a brooding musician-type who also takes his grades seriously. But, Ryan could probably come up with something better.
Q: Who would you like to see your potential Glee character “date” or “hook-up” with?
A: I’m sure that my potential Glee character would go for Dianna Agron. Quinn Fabray is a bad girl on the show, so the she would fit well with the brooding musician. And she’s gorgeous.
Q: Who do you think your character would rival with?
A: My character would definitely rival with Sue Sylvester, since he wouldn’t handle authority very well, even though she is one of my favorites on Glee.
Q: Do you REALLY love Math, or are you just REALLY good at it?
A: I’ve always enjoyed math. Some of it comes easily, but most of the time I have to work really hard at it. Calculus was really engaging because it was abstract and the focus is on the path to the answer, not the answer itself. You’re forced to use everything you’ve learned. I love hearing classmate’s ways of finding answers so I can expand my own creativity. And what isn’t sexy about that?
Q: What would you say has been your strongest week thus far?
A: I think vulnerability week was really strong for me. My time in the booth was great, I’m happy with how the line turned out. It was also the most powerful video we did and I learned so much on set. My scenes with Blake helped me grow so much as an actor.
Q: You’ve been given many notes from the mentors in terms of your “lack of confidence”. How would you explain, or even justify that for yourself and to your fans?
A: Well it’s hard to be confident when you’re 18, never done any of this before, never sang so much, and constantly putting yourself out there and doing ridiculous things on national TV. I attribute the supposed lack of confidence to the way that I get into my head and blow things up.
Q: Explain the trouble you had in the booth when you get too caught up “in your head”.
A: When I get caught up in my head I want to sift through problems individually, but there isn’t time for that in the booth. So instead of just forgetting the last take and giving my all to the next one, I hold on to my failures and put them under a magnifying glass.
Q: It must be difficult being in the throes of a reality television competition. Explain how you, personally, maintained relationships with the other contenders, while competing against them.
A: The nice thing about the show is that even though we are competing against each other, we are not pitted against each other like on other reality TV shows. We are free to maintain which relationships we choose and can remain friendly with everyone. The only one you really have to compete against is yourself.
Q: Your moves in Dance-ability were actually some of the best out of the whole cast. Did you have any dancing experience prior to TGP?
A: I don’t have any real dance experience, but I have been known to bust a move at your local house party, so the Dance-ability music video was right in my comfort zone. Plus, Blake and I practiced until exhaustion.
Q: During Sexuality week, you were placed in the bottom three. How did it feel knowing that may have been your time to leave the show?
A: I didn’t feel that was going to my time to leave the show. But if I did, I would have left with some incredible life experiences and would have felt changed all the better for it. Every moment since callbacks has been a blessing, and I tried to live each one like it were my last. I felt so grateful to be on the show every day, and knew that whenever I left it would be with a feeling of pride and accomplishment.
Q: Your last chance performance in Sexuality was obviously very difficult for you. Can you explain why singing “Lucky” was such a disaster for you?
A: Singing “Lucky” was really bizarre. I had never choked like that on stage before. Maybe it was because I was in a giant auditorium with four people [in the] spotlight and one of them was Ryan Murphy. I don’t really know what happened, but I still went for it and made up some funny lyrics. I actually talked to a friend who had the same lyrics issue with “Lucky.” Maybe something about Jason Mraz?....
Q: You were in the bottom four during Fearlessness and Theatricality week; what do you think you did that kept you out of the bottom three both weeks?
A: There’s a multitude of reasons why anyone is in the bottom three, and it’s based on different facets of each week's performance. There’re so many variables and ultimately it’s the mentor’s decision in the end. I’m glad I was spared from those last chance performances.
Q: How would you explain Theatricality, and how did you apply that to your performance in that episode?
A: I think theatricality is all about being bigger, funnier, and faster. It’s about a heightened sense of realism. It has to be a little more over the top. The tricky part is taking all of that and trying to adapt it to the camera.
Q: Michael, your fans absolutely love you! Do you have any last words to them to wrap up this Q&A?
A: The response from my fans has been just incredible. I feel so blessed to have so many supporters and am so glad that I can inspire some. It’s been such a great ride. I love each and every one of my fans, and I’m sorry I’m so inactive on Twitter/Facebook! It doesn’t mean I don’t care or don’t notice you – believe me I do. So follow your dreams and stay true to yourself. And tune in every Tuesday :)
HUGE shouts to Michael for completing this Q&A for me! It's such a blessing to have the entire cast engage themselves in my blog! It's a dream come true, and I am so thankful to each one of them! Thanks for reading, everybody! I hope you all LOVED it!
Twitter: @bobfoundGLEEK FOLLOW, BITCHES!
