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Actor Darren Criss, best known for his role as openly gay Blaine Anderson in “Glee”, lands the cover of Billboard Magazine. The 24 year-old actor, who is preparing to go on tour with his GLEE co-stars (tour dates here), admitted Disney inspired him to get into musicals and musical theater.

Darren Criss Goes Straight For OUT Magazine (Photos)

GOOD NEWS: Darren revealed that he has been working on a solo album to possibly release in the future. The actor would love to be able to do that for himself and his fans, and is grateful for the doors “Glee” opened for him.

Here are some highlights from Darren Criss’ Billboard interview:

On his love for musical theater: “For me, it was Disney. I remember seeing people’s reaction to Aladdin and thinking, “Oh, man, I want to be a genie when I grow up!” Robin Williams is a pretty big character in San Francisco.”

On prepping for the Glee tour: “A year ago, I was so psyched that my first show in L.A. was at the Troubadour. Talk about so much for baby steps. It’s like, “Wait—Staples Center, are you kidding me?” I was happy to drive around in a beat-up, crappy old van with my bandmates and just go to small clubs around the country.”

On the possibility of a solo album: “We’re working on it—we’re really excited and it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I’m so thrilled that it’s something that can happen because of Glee and like the Warblers album I hope I can do it justice and make it something that people can really enjoy.”

[images: Billboard]

The cast of GLEE will be hitting the road to showcase their most memorable songs live in a city near you (check out tour dates below). GLEE stars will perform hits like “Empire State of Mind,” “Toxic,” “My Life Would Suck Without You,” “It’s My Life” and the show’s anthem, “Don’t Stop Believin‘.”

Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Mark Salling, Dianna Agron, Naya Rivera, Heather Morris, Harry Shum, Jr., Chord Overstreet and Darren Criss will be ready to rock the stage just for you.

In a statement, “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy said: “The cast and I were so moved by the love and enthusiasm of our fans at last year’s concerts that we knew we had to do it again. There is something magical about thousands of ‘Gleeks’ coming together to share a special night with our cast, and this tour is one way we can thank them for their unbelievable support from the beginning.”

GLEE 2011 Tour Dates Read more »