Darren Criss — On Getting ‘Glee’ & How ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Almost Didn’t Make It

Summary

Podcast Summary: Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Guest: Darren Criss

Episode: Darren Criss — On Getting ‘Glee’ & How ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Almost Didn’t Make It
Date: April 14, 2026
Location: Winston Bakery, Lower East Side, NYC

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Episode Overview

In this lively, candid episode, Jesse Tyler Ferguson sits down with Emmy, Golden Globe, and Tony Award-winner Darren Criss for a feast of Taiwanese-American classics at Winston Bakery. Over scallion pancakes and mochi donuts, the two friends discuss balancing family life and theater careers, Darren’s serendipitous rise from viral college musicals to Glee stardom, his Tony-winning run in "Maybe Happy Ending," the persistent challenges Broadway faces, and share memorable encounters with icons from Daniel Radcliffe to Adele and Stephen Sondheim.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Family Life & Theater Schedules

• Both Jesse and Darren reflect on juggling busy family lives while performing in theater—a reality that transforms social interactions.
• Darren: “If you come see the show...there’s a section right afterwards...we can have office hours. We can catch up and it's nice. You don’t have to go anywhere.” (04:15)
• The two joke about inviting friends to events that suit parents’ schedules, like “bagels on Sunday.”

2. Food & New York Recommendations

• The hosts and bakery staff discuss Winston Bakery’s standout dishes and share excitement over trying bacon, egg, and Havarti cheese on scallion pancakes and mochi donuts.
• Darren talks about favorite places for family activities, highlighting how everything in New York can be an “adventure” for kids. (09:17)

3. Going Viral Before It Was Cool: A Very Potter Musical

• Darren recounts the accidental virality of his Harry Potter parody musical at Michigan and how it snowballed without any strategic intent.
  • “Like a lot of viral moments, no one's aiming for it. The more you aim for it, the farther you're guaranteed to miss...” (12:13)
  • Jesse confesses he thought Darren had majored in musical theater; Darren clarifies he was an acting major, not musical theater. (12:54)

4. Breaking Into Glee

• Darren demystifies how he landed the role of Blaine Anderson on Glee—not through viral fame or a MySpace video contest, but through repeated auditions and cosmic timing:
  • “I had auditioned for it several times...I'd be going on auditions. I was sort of like, you know, moonlighting as an actor, even though I had this day job...at the time, those things didn't intersect. It’s not like people in casting gave a shit about any online traction. They didn’t. Not yet, at least.” (18:00)
  • He credits the show’s success and his casting to “cosmic alchemy...because people really loved Chris Colfer’s character and they wanted something for him.” (19:01)
• Jesse and Darren chat about how Glee and Modern Family both premiered in the same year, with Glee feeling “white-hot” culturally. (20:19)

5. Contributing Music to Glee & Ryan Murphy’s Influence

• Jesse praises Darren for getting to put his own music in Glee, and Darren showers credit on Ryan Murphy for his support:
  • “He let me do it...He’s given me so many good things...my gratitude is endless.” (22:05)
  • Darren recalls being Emmy-nominated for Glee and losing to Amy Schumer “for a comedy song.” (23:19)
• On writing for Glee: “I was very sort of timid about it...but the fact I got to do it was pretty cool.” (23:02)

6. Passing Broadway Torches & The Miracle of “Maybe Happy Ending”

• The conversation shifts to Darren’s work on the original musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” which faced major production obstacles:
  • “This show from the very beginning had like, had every conceivable obstacle again...It’s just a true Cinderella story...that was like a goddamn miracle.” (27:23)
• The show ultimately won Best Musical, and Darren encourages the joys (and humility) of seeing one’s work done by others at regional and school theaters even if the production “misses the mark.”
  • “Those productions...can only happen when the project itself has become so culturally ubiquitous that people do it all the time. So you have to cross a certain threshold...” (30:19)

7. On Legacies and Letting Go

• Darren muses about the layered emotions of leaving a major role:
  • “The show is about the transience of beautiful things. So, in many ways, I’ve said goodbye to it every day. Every time I’ve done it, every time I’ve said hello to it.” (33:09)
  • “I'm going to be in and out of the show the rest of my life. I love doing it. It just simply does not get old, it knows no time. I love it so much.” (32:12)

8. Memorable Moments: Name-Dropping Adele, Sondheim, and Obama

• Jesse shares his “name-droppy” story about meeting Adele at John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s Super Bowl party, only to find Darren is Adele's “favorite actor” for his work in "Gianni Versace." (35:45)
• Darren reflects on the pride of meeting his idols, including Sondheim (with whom he performed in the HBO documentary "Six by Sondheim") and, humorously, ranks “Kermit the Frog, President Obama, and Sondheim” as icons on the same level. (39:05)
• On performing with Sondheim: “The power dynamic was that of, like, actors knocking around set. Not like, I’m in your thing and you’re the creator—which he’s had to do with a lot of actors in his career. It was like, crafty donuts, talking shit, cracking jokes.” (40:23)
• Both reflect on the luck and work of being able to meet their heroes, encouraging listeners to “track them down, actually...educate, cultivate, empower, and collect as many things as you can on the quest...” (37:35)

9. Value of Theater Community

• The conversation circles back to the importance and warmth of the theater community, the meaningfulness of Tony Awards, and their mutual admiration as “theater chums.”
  • “Tony’s is a different thing. It has a different substance to it. It came from a community that we both really respect and love so much.” (24:55)
  • “Can you imagine? We did a show together...that would be fun.” (42:33)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Broadway family logistics:
  “I get adult time with people. It’s so much fun. That’s the hang.” — Darren Criss (04:57)

• Accidental virality:
  “Like a lot of viral moments, no one’s aiming for it. The more you aim for it, the farther you’re guaranteed to miss, you know?” — Darren Criss (12:13)

• On getting Glee:
  “I give a lot of my career’s credit to the sort of alchemy, the cosmic alchemy... people really loved Chris Colfer’s character and they wanted something for him. I’m so lucky that that happened.” — Darren Criss (19:01)

• On writing for Glee:
  “I'm forever grateful for [Ryan Murphy's] belief in me... He's given me so much, so many good things... my gratitude is endless.” — Darren Criss (22:25)

• On challenging theater productions:
  “This show from the very beginning had...every conceivable obstacle. It’s just a true Cinderella story.” — Darren Criss (27:23)

• On the bittersweetness of closing a chapter:
  “The show is about the transience of beautiful things. So in many ways, I’ve said goodbye to it every day... It’s built into the very programming of the nostalgia I already have for the show.” — Darren Criss (33:09)

• On being present for your dreams:
  “It’s always beautiful when you’re living the thing that you’re like, oh, this is my dream... I know that these are the good old days. I know these are the times I will always cherish.” — Darren Criss (33:39, 43:43)

• On idols:
  “American icons: Kermit, Obama, and Sondheim. Major, major figures of culture.” — Darren Criss (39:05)

• On meeting Adele:
  “She sees you from across the room. And she goes, ‘Oh my God, my favorite actor just walked in.’” — Jesse Tyler Ferguson, recounting Adele’s reaction to Darren (36:19)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 04:05 – 07:00: Food banter & family life as working actors
• 11:00 – 13:10: The origin and virality of “A Very Potter Musical”
• 17:07 – 23:37: How Darren joined Glee and got to write music for the show
• 27:23 – 30:55: “Maybe Happy Ending” obstacles & the meaning of passing on theatrical legacy
• 33:09 – 34:19: The bittersweetness of closing a Broadway chapter
• 35:03 – 37:12: Jesse & Darren’s Adele story from John Legend’s Super Bowl party
• 39:05 – 41:22: Darren on working with Sondheim in “Six by Sondheim”
• 42:33 – end: Theater community, dreams, legacy, and mutual admiration

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Tone & Atmosphere

The episode feels like an intimate hang between old friends, blending sharp humor, heartfelt nostalgia, and genuine warmth. The conversation is equally full of humility and pride, offering practical wisdom for creatives and theater fans on persistence, gratitude, and the beauty of fleeting artistic moments.

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Transcript

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right now, our family is living that New York theater life. I'm performing in a play right now called Tru where I get to play Truman Capote. And the kids are here with me. And I'm working in the city, which is amazing. I love it so much. It also means I'm juggling a lot between rehearsal schedules, school drop offs, figuring out dinner in between shows, and then making sure everyone has what they need. It's hard enough just getting through the day, let alone planning ahead. And while we're here in New York, fully immersed in this, you know, season of life, it got me thinking about how our place back home is just sitting empty. If you're going to be away for a while, like me, listing your space on Airbnb can be a great way to put your space to use and earn a little extra cash while you're gone. And the idea of doing it all by yourself, see, that just feels like too much. That's where Airbnb's co host network comes in. You can partner with a local vetted co host who can handle all the behind the scenes details. So hosting feels manageable. Even when your schedule is as packed as mine might be, co hosts can create your listing, manage reservations, handle guest communication, and even provide on site support. So you're free to focus on the busy season ahead. If you're ready to get started, find a co [e-mail] host so right now I'm in New York City. I am doing a play about Truman Capote and it's basically a one man show. It's just me for 90 minutes. I am basically eating, breathing, sleeping Truman Capote and this play. And I have very little time time for myself, let alone time to cook for myself. That's why Home Chef has been a total lifesaver at this point in my life. They deliver fresh pre portioned ingredients straight to my door. And the recipes are are so easy to follow. Whatever kind of day you're having, Home Chef has you covered. From classic recipes with fresh ingredients and home 30 minute meals to oven ready trays and quick microwavable lunches. There's even a dedicated family menu for easy 4 to 6 serving din. And this is the most important part. They all taste amazing. Like restaurant quality. Amazing. Home Chef has worked with chefs like Gordon Ramsay and now Giada De Laurentiis bringing chef inspired recipes right to your kitchen. Plus, it's affordable. Home Chef customers save an average of $86 per month on groceries. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering my listeners 50% off and free shipping for your first box. Plus free dessert for life. Go to homechef.com that's homechef.com Dom for 50% off your first box and free dessert for life. Must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert. Hey, it's Jesse today on the show. You know him from Glee, his Emmy award and golden globe award winning performance and the assassination of Gianni Versace. He's also a Tony award winner for maybe happy ending on Broadway. It's Darren Criss.

[Darren Criss]

I know that these are the good old days. I know these are the times I will always cherish.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

This is dinner's on me and I'm your host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. So today I'm at Winston Bakery on New York's lower East side. I have been really excited about trying this place. They are very popular. There's always lines outside the door waiting to try some of their Taiwanese American classics. I have heard tale of this bec bacon havarati, cheese and eggs smashed on a scallion pancake. If you think I'm not going to try that, you're sorely mistaken. Their mochi donuts are also supposed to be incredible. Darren is very excited that we are trying this place and I'm so excited that we get to skip the line today and catch up over some incredible food. All right, let's get to the conversation.

[Darren Criss]

Hey, man, this is so nice.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm so glad you're doing this.

[Darren Criss]

I could just talk to you for hours. We do that anyway. You figured it out.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You figured out I gotta eat. You get to eat my friends.

[Darren Criss]

Yes, exactly.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Darren Criss]

I know the next best thing, dare I say may. This might be a segue, but doing a Broadway show is a bit like this because I have people come to me.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, I know.

[Darren Criss]

And I very much appreciate. We're both family men. People are like people that are younger than us that don't necessarily have families. Like, oh, we should catch up sometime. Let's go get a drink. I'm like, here's the deal. I'm in one spot eight times a week. If you come see the show or even if you don't come see the show, there's a section right afterwards. You can come by and we can have office hours. We can catch up and it's nice. You don't have to go anywhere.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Your dressing room set up because I want to see after your show, after your prompt movie happy ending. You have like a little greeting room. It seems like it's a place where you could.

[Darren Criss]

It's a huge part of the gig for me is the hang. I get a adult time with people. It's so much fun. No, this is great though. Win some cakes. Do you know the one in Brooklyn?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I haven't been to either one.

[Darren Criss]

Dude, this. I've never been to this one. When I heard we were coming here, I was so amped. It's fucking amazing. So excited. This is the worst thing I could be eating the daily show.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But we've got enough time. We have plenty of time.

[Darren Criss]

We're taking some stomach stuff. We should be all right. The acid reflux, it's real baby. But I'm going to eat some fried food, some spicy.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm not singing so like, you know, you got to sing.

[Darren Criss]

I got to say doing a play is always nicer because you don't have to worry about that. So tonight might be a little wobbly. I don't know timestamp this date but if you see the show or saw the show this night if you see maybe some things are a little warbly

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

evening March 27th performance. You're like Darren sounded a little acidy just because of.

[Darren Criss]

Send your regards to win some.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah exactly.

[Darren Criss]

And we'll decide if it was worth it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But when you were saying like people come to you. The last time I saw you was when I was in town last summer doing Shakespeare in the park.

[Darren Criss]

You came by.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You said come by my apartment like I'm bagels on Sunday. Yes, exactly. And I just like it's an open door policy.

[Darren Criss]

Yes.

[Unidentified Speaker (possibly a brief interjection or background voice)]

And.

[Darren Criss]

And you did.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I did.

[Darren Criss]

And you're very sweet to take me up on that because you're in the category of people that would. Because you also have a family and you understand that dynamic of getting up early and doing that on a weekend which the other category that I was mentioning. I would. I would never put that on though. Like you can sleep in sleep to a regular normal 20 something time for many reasons. Put a pin in that. Hi there. So well, so excited.

[Winston Bakery Staff]

I have some menus right here. Let me know if you guys need any suggestions or you guys have any.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You've eaten here so you kind of.

[Darren Criss]

I haven't eaten here. I mean this is the bakery. I guess I haven't really. I mean there's a couple things. Can you give us the hits? Because I know there's a lot of big.

[Winston Bakery Staff]

Yeah. So we're very popular for our scallion pancakes, egg and cheese bacon. Egg and cheese are like the classic ones here. We still have other good options as well. Like my favorite Is the joy, which is egg, cheese, chives, and rice.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So good.

[Winston Bakery Staff]

Shrimp is also really good. Very popular.

[Darren Criss]

The sesame chicken. The. The. That. That sandwich. You guys have that. Oh, no, that's a salad. Excuse me. That's.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Never mind.

[Darren Criss]

There was a sandwich that I think is like, pretty famous over at the Brooklyn spot that blew my mind.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Was it a fried chicken?

[Darren Criss]

Yeah, I forget what it was. Is that the one?

[Winston Bakery Staff]

Yeah, just. It was in the bakery or in the restaurant?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It was the restaurant.

[Winston Bakery Staff]

Oh. So, yeah, the restaurant has a whole different menu.

[Darren Criss]

Right, of course. But I was just trying to remember what it was. It's a shout out to win some.

[Winston Bakery Staff]

Yeah, yeah, it is.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's not the fried chicken.

[Darren Criss]

This isn't like a B side. This is like top hit on Spotify. Like, it's. It's the thing. But shout out.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

What's the fried chicken mukbang situation? That looks like a good.

[Winston Bakery Staff]

It comes with a set of fries or salad. So it's basically a fried chicken leg and then pickles, lettuce.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That sounds good there.

[Winston Bakery Staff]

Really yummy.

[Darren Criss]

I want everything.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I know what I'm gonna have.

[Darren Criss]

Okay.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Okay. I'm gonna do the Becky bec. Yeah. And I want to try. I want a mochi donut.

[Darren Criss]

Oh, nice. Are you gonna do anything? Any caffeine or.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, I'm gonna do a caffeine. I'm gonna do a latte. Could I do the five spice latte?

[Darren Criss]

As for me, I. Boy, if we're gonna do all those things you mentioned, the bec does sound good. Are you a cooties person? Can we share bites, please?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Share.

[Darren Criss]

You have to have a bite of mine as well.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

So the bec. What are the other things here in the scallion pancakes?

[Winston Bakery Staff]

Shy is shrimp. So that's the shrimp.

[Darren Criss]

Are you. Can you eat shrimp?

[Winston Bakery Staff]

Yeah, shrimp is really good. Mortadella is a type of ham, pastrami, beef tongue, egg and cheese.

[Darren Criss]

I'm gonna do the pastrami.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Beef tongue.

[Winston Bakery Staff]

Pastrami, beef tongue.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah. Nice. Can we do the. The. How do you pronounce that? The bonsai.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, bonsai.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah, just as a grabby vegetable thing

[Winston Bakery Staff]

and it's like more like a side.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Great, perfect.

[Darren Criss]

That'll be good.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm so excited. Cool. Me too.

[Darren Criss]

No, that's good for now, man. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Appreciate it. I was before my show the other day. I. Have you guys been to Space Club in Brooklyn?

[Darren Criss]

What's Brooklyn?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

No, no, no, no.

[Darren Criss]

I've heard of it. Yes. I've heard about it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yes.

[Darren Criss]

I've had friends that'll go there.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Their kids might be a little young. Your daughter might be.

[Darren Criss]

Okay, well, I'll say this. There are all these great kids things all the time, everywhere, especially in New York City. But they're at an age where Space Club is just called any fucking wear.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Darren Criss]

Space Club. Is this anything? Everything's an adventure. This is a.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That's actually a great, wondrous.

[Darren Criss]

You know, every. Everything is wonderful.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You can just walk down the block and it's like.

[Darren Criss]

Exactly. So I'm leaning into that as much as I can.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, no, you should. Because a point where they're like, we need more.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Curate the day. Yeah. But I went to Space Club with.

[Winston Bakery Staff]

What is Space Club?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Space Club is so. Space Club is, like. It's an indoor playground, but it's, like, done great for cold with what feels like very thoughtful artists, like, put their thought into this.

[Darren Criss]

It's like.

[Unidentified Speaker (possibly a brief interjection or background voice)]

It's just.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I mean, it's. I was, like, blown away when I went in. I was like, oh, I. I'm down to, like, hang out here. Like, the slides that go into, like, you know, these foam pits are. Oh, yeah. More incredible than anything I ever would have places. There's, like, you know, magna tile walls and, like, places where you can create beaded necklaces and. Anyway, I was. My son was like, I need to go. I need to go potty. So I'm taking him to the bathroom. Who walks out but Daniel Radcliffe and his son. And we're like, I haven't seen him in a while. Like, we're, like, saying hello, but also, like, dealing with our children needing to use the restroom.

[Darren Criss]

It's a lousy time to run into friends. It's not a. Because you are excited, but you're like, yes.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But it's definitely the place where, like, it's funny to, like, watch him just, like, in dad mode as well, like, before his show.

[Darren Criss]

Of course.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's so. Yeah, I think I definitely understand what you're talking about. Like, when you have those. That. That whole half day to, like, fill with your kids, and then you get to go do this other thing that's, like, so artistically satisfying for yourself. It's such a.

[Darren Criss]

It's fun. Cheers, man. Speaking of being. Being parents.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

Coffee and caffeine, that was a new element of my life. I didn't. I didn't, like, drink coffee until, like, did you? My mid-30s? No.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

My acupuncturist is begging me to, like, stick to one cup a Day. Oh, wow. Yeah. And I'm like, I don't know.

[Darren Criss]

Acupuncturist is begging you to Acupuncturist. God, if there was a transcript of this, I didn't know who you were. I'd be like, you have to go to Space Club. My acupuncturist told me I have to one cup a day.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And this, of course, after I ran into Space Club, I must have more than one cup of coffee.

[Darren Criss]

I told my acupuncturist Dan, Daniel Radcliffe is my. Is was my Broadway gateway. I took over for.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That was my Broadway debut.

[Darren Criss]

So shout out to Dan.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And you and Daniel, I think, had a few overlaps, because one of the things that made you kind of, I don't know, famous to me at the beginning was you created this Harry Potter parody musical. You're still Michigan, right?

[Darren Criss]

Yeah, I was in Michigan. I. I mean, I would have never thought that you would have seen it,

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

but absolutely I did. It went viral. No, for something to go viral, it was an accident.

[Darren Criss]

It was a total accident.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I had 2009 or something.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah, 2009.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah. Is kind of, like, was unheard of because it took a lot for something to go viral. Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

I mean, and, like, a lot of viral moments, no one's, like, aiming for it. Like, the more you aim for it, the farther you're guaranteed to miss, you know? So it was a genuine sort of funny thing that we did just with friends and we put on the Internet. Not because we were trying to have anybody see it. It was just a way to share it with other people that were in the show.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right. And so, you know, it was. I mean, it was pretty incredible to watch, you know, these kids in college. And I knew. I have so many friends who went

[Darren Criss]

to the Michigan Forest. Our dear. A lot of our friends.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So many friends.

[Darren Criss]

But something. Little footnote for musical theater nerds that might be watching this, I'm very proud of the fact that I was not a musical theater major. I don't think you know that, actually.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah. It's not a thing.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

What were you there for?

[Darren Criss]

Oh, just the regular. They need to not call it straight theater.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh. But no. No singing.

[Darren Criss]

No singing. Can you believe it?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But you, you've always been singing.

[Darren Criss]

Acting major. If you had told me in college that I would be doing a musical on Broadway, I would have been like, you're fucking high.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

There's no way. Are you kidding me?

[Darren Criss]

I'm dead serious

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back. Darren tells me about going viral before that was even a thing that ever really happened, and we get into his journey of being cast in Glee. Okay, be right back. If you're a small business, the right hire can be make or break. It's not just about finding someone talented. It's about finding someone talented who also gets it. Someone who understands your needs and actually makes things easier, not harder. If I had to hire someone tomorrow, which I don't, thank God, but if I did, I wouldn't want to waste time sorting through a pile of resumes from people who don't really understand what we do. I'd want to reach the right people right away. And that's why I'd use Indeed Sponsored Jobs when you need the right person, not just another CV that is a job for Sponsored Jobs. Sponsored Jobs posted directly on indeed are 95% more likely to report back a hire than a non sponsored job and join the 3.3 million employers worldwide that use Indeed to connect with quality talent that fits their needs. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results when you need the right person to cut through the chaos that is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help your job get the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com podc just go to Indeed.com podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Dinner's on me. Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply. Hiring do it the Right way with Indeed.

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[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And we're back with more dinners on me.

[Winston Bakery Staff]

We have the bacon, egg, and cheese and pastrami. We have our homemade sauce right here.

[Darren Criss]

Do you want to do one in one?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I don't care. Yeah, let's do it.

[Darren Criss]

No, I'm just saying it's, like, half. I'm gonna dive right in. Cheers, man.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Food. Cheers.

[Darren Criss]

Cheers. Cheers.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Wait, which one are you trying? This is the pastrami. Oh, wow. We need napkins.

[Darren Criss]

Dude. Melted Havarti.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I know. That's the one I was reading about.

[Darren Criss]

I think it's on everything, though. It's like the bacon, egg has Havarti on all of it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh, my God. Thank you.

[Darren Criss]

Anyway, so I didn't do that stuff, and that's so crazy.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I really thought you were a musical theater major.

[Darren Criss]

I was really glad to be around it. And so everybody in, except for, like, two people in the very Potter musical were just a bunch of the, like, non musical theater majors sort of just taking the piss.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That's so funny. I have no idea. And was the Harry Potter musical what Ryan Murphy saw? I mean, did he.

[Darren Criss]

Definitely not.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

No, definitely not. How did Glee happen? Because that happened shortly after Michigan, right?

[Darren Criss]

There were a couple things happening at the same time. The Potter musical took on a life

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

of its own, and we started a

[Darren Criss]

theater company that was sort of like a production company on YouTube. StarkID.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

StarkID. StarkID. Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

So we would. We would. We would do a show like we did in college, film it, and put on YouTube.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And that is.

[Darren Criss]

That was the model. Has been the model ever since. We've done a lot of original musicals ever since then. But that was the sort of nexus of that company. Then I'd be going on auditions. I was sort of like, you know, moonlighting as an actor, even though I had this, like, day job is, like, trying to keep up this, like, online company. And at the time, those things didn't intersect set. Like, it's not like people in casting or the big suits gave a shit about any online traction Equity. They didn't. Not yet, at least.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Right.

[Darren Criss]

So, you know, it was funny because I had this thing that seemed really, you know, like, it had. It had traction, right? Like, oh, I guess I'm gonna. You know, trying to be an actor. I'm gonna. I'm gonna write. I'm gonna write music, right? And create comedic content.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Because you also. You wrote the music. Music. Yeah, yeah. So

[Darren Criss]

I was auditioning, like, anything else. There was a Glee casting thing they were doing like. Like, you know, send in a video, and I forget what the thing was. It was on MySpace. I don't know what it was, but

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I remember I had an agent. MySpace.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah, seriously. I remember, like, dating it. I remember my agent was like, you should do something for Glee. Because Glee at the time was like,

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

it had already been on. It had already been on.

[Darren Criss]

And by the time it had been on, I had auditioned for it several times. I went out for the pilot in my junior year of college, before I even did. So technically, I'm going all over the place. I had never auditioned for, like, a TV show before.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That was my first audition for, like, a TV show. Right.

[Darren Criss]

But I think if you were a certain age and you played music, you know, everybody kind of went in for this thing, right? And so, yeah, by the time I booked it, I'd gone in for it a few times. But also at the same time, I had made, like, a video for, like, a Glee casting competition. People think I got it from that, which is not true at all. But the point is, I got it without any of those other details. Just disregard those things. How I got it was I had an audition. I went in, and I guess I booked it, but I had already gone in for it maybe two or three times officially with the casting director. And I remember for that at the time, Glee was white hot in the second season. It was for a role. I give a lot of my credit and gratitude to the positioning that I had in the show. That has nothing to do with me. They were going to cast the potential boyfriend for, like, the really popular character. Like, that's just a. That's a golden ticket like any other character. Who knows? I really give a lot of my fuels credit to the sort of alchemy, the cosmic alchemy that was in my favor because people really loved Chris Colfer's character and they wanted something for him. So I really am so lucky that that happened. But, yeah, that was already in the media. Like, who are they gonna cast?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And the rest sort of did it feel. Because the show was already, you know, such a hot hit. I mean, it premiered the same year as Modern Family, so I was definitely, like, they were way more popular than we were. Certainly when we started. You know, they won the SAG Award and they won the Golden Globe, and it was like.

[Darren Criss]

I mean, beyond that, it was a show for, like, a younger. Like, it was a younger audience.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, we definitely had avid audience. Yeah. I mean, now they're all the same. But it was such a white hotel hit. I mean, like, was going into something, like, was jumping onto a train that was moving that fast. A good thing Was it like. I mean, what I have.

[Darren Criss]

Try not to talk with my mouthful. Anyway, hard. Because I joined it after the fact. They were in magazines there, on billboards everywhere. My girlfriend, now wife at the time. By the time my wife. I watched it. I didn't watch it. It was like you had to live under a rock not to be aware of the onslaught of its sort of cult, pop cultural presence. I was fully aware of it. Yeah. I knew how special it was, and I. I knew it from the day I got there to the day it ended. If it's always. I've always been like, wow, I can't believe I was on Glaze.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It also afforded you the But I'm

[Darren Criss]

going to Glee rides. You know what I'm saying? It's like, I don't think I'm Glee. I'm like, Glee happened and I was.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Was there.

[Darren Criss]

Sure.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

No, I get that. I. It also afford the. The opportunity to like, you know, put your own music into the show, which

[Darren Criss]

was, oh, my God, what a good interview.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Segue opportunity. I mean, to have this skill and like, have Brian Murphy or. I know who was the one who came up to you to say, like, we. God bless him.

[Darren Criss]

He let me do it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, I mean, that's. That's huge. I mean, Dante, Ryan. I mean, I have to say I've never worked with Ryan Murphy, but he seems to be the type of person that if he believes in you, he's really going to do everything he can in his power to make sure that you get all the opportunity that you are.

[Darren Criss]

I mean, I'm forever grateful for his belief in me.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You know, it's like, especially when you're

[Darren Criss]

not generating material, you have to rely on, like, you know, your patrons and, you know, he's always believed in me in a way that, I mean, I don't have to explain why. It means a lot to me. But yes, with the music, I remember he was totally cool. I remember there was an edit. They wanted to cut the song down, and I really asked for the whole thing. He let that happen. He's done a lot of things for me that he could do no wrong by me. I mean, he's given me so much, so many good things. And yeah, my gratitude is sort of endless. But, yeah, a lot of people were very supportive me on that show. And by the time I got to write music, I'd been there for a while because it's not something I would

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

have ever pushed forward.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah, you know, I. I was very sort of timid about it, and so I felt like it was appropriate, and I forgot how it came up, but the fact I got to do it was. Was pretty cool.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And you were nominated for an. An Emmy for.

[Darren Criss]

Right, an Emmy. Losing something.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Who won that year?

[Darren Criss]

Amy Schumer had a. Like, a little comedy song for one of her specials.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I feel like I remember this.

[Darren Criss]

It's okay. It's a. It's not a category.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Amy Schumer.

[Darren Criss]

It's also not a category of people like, oh, yes, of course for tv, it's songwriting. But it's cool nonetheless.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Before we move on, I want to ask, did Daniel Radcliffe ever talk to you about the Harry Potter musical? Did you guys ever have a discussion? I think he was aware of it,

[Darren Criss]

you know, Poor guy.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm sure he.

[Darren Criss]

God knows what he thinks of me. Not like that's something I lose sleep over, but I'm sure by the time we met, I think he was aware of it for sure.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah. You never talked about it.

[Darren Criss]

I mean, I think it was sort

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

of an unspoken thing.

[Darren Criss]

I think by the time we had met, and it's. Our interaction has been very brief, but by the time we had met, it was when I was taking over for

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

the role and how to succeed.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah. And that was a really fun passing of.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

Passing of the baton. And so I think our conversations were mainly about that. And, you know, he's a real theater guy.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And so I think the fact that

[Darren Criss]

we share that is really nice. And he's down the street from me now, which is really special and literally on the same block.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, it's incredible. And I love that you both won Tony Awards in the same year. Right.

[Darren Criss]

Wasn't it before me the year before.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh, the year before you.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's great that, you know, it is cool.

[Darren Criss]

Aren't we all, the three of us. Tony.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Tony recipients at this point.

[Darren Criss]

There's. My brain is. I'm, like, trying to track everything. Cause I knew you want to say things. Even I'm like, oh, God, I remember when you won your Tony.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm.

[Darren Criss]

I was so happy I was there. I just know how much that means to you, and you know how much it means to me. Tony's is a different thing. It has a different substance to.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It came from a community that we

[Darren Criss]

both really respect and love so fucking much. I wore a goddamn Sondheim sweatshirt till it's lunch, for Christ's sake.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

I don't know if I'll ever truly be able to really articulate just how much that whole thing means so it's so special. It's so much beyond the what I think people might think it's about. There's something else going on there that really is.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

I'll always cherish.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Now let's take a quick break, but don't go away. When we return, Darren tells me about his excitement to pass the torch for his role in maybe happy ending. And we reminisce on a pinch me moment we both shared at a party back in the day. Okay, be right back.

[Darren Criss]

K Pop Demon hunters Haja Boy's breakfast meal and Hunt Trick's meal have just dropped at McDonald's. They're calling this a battle for the fans. What do you say to that, Rumi? It's not a battle. So glad the Saja boys could take breakfast and give our meal the rest of the day.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It is an honor to share.

[Darren Criss]

No, it's our honor.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It is our larger honor.

[Darren Criss]

No, really, stop. You can really feel the respect in this battle. Pick a meal to pick a side and participate in McDonald's while supplies last.

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[Darren Criss]

there's no one like you and there never will be.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

From the producer Bohemian Rhapsody. There are many legends, but there is Only Michael Rady. PG13 in theaters April 24th. And we're back with more dinners on me. You know, to win a Tony award for something that you have been working so closely on and producing and believing in and you know, I mean, and this is not. Well, I mean, it's just the way it was, you know, when maybe happy ending first started. I mean, it had a really hard time finding an audience and it was discussions about, like whether or not it's gonna survive the season. You guys opened from what I remember in the fall and you had to survive the winter months. Is this right?

[Darren Criss]

Dude, it's the tip of the iceberg. I don't know how much is out there. I don't know if we have time on this show to talk about this. We'll do it off air. But this show from the very beginning had like, had every conceivable obstacle again. I think some of it is documented in stuff in interviews and stuff. But it doesn't even scratch the surface. Like, this show was not supposed to happen like six ways from Sunday. And it's just a true Cinderella story. Like, we weren't even gonna start rehearsing. Like, we weren't. There's a lot of things that were.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That just kept falling apart. Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

And yeah, by the time we even made it to actually opening previews, that was like a goddamn miracle.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And then one best musical. I mean, and you know, for something that original musicals are rare these days, to have a completely original idea with songwriters who aren't necessarily tested veterans of the. I mean, ip. You're right. No, everything was against it. And so that's all to say it was very satisfying to not only see your win as best actor, but to see the show itself also.

[Darren Criss]

I think it was win for everybody to be part something that is so enduring and has something so special to say and so hopeful and positive, especially to a very fractured world. There are things like that that aren't necessarily ever guaranteed when you join a show for sure. Again, another thing to throw in the pile of superlatives of why it's so great. But just all that stuff, so seeing that be celebrated.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Also, Darren, just being part of. And I know how this feels just from being part of shows that I got to create, but like being a part of the DNA of something that is going to live on and people are going to do this show and you know, regional theaters and colleges and like, that's going to. You're going to see what I've seen with spelling bee and you're going to be so proud to see people. I think I told you when you came over to my house, my.

[Darren Criss]

This is what I know. I mean, I feel like I've made

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

it, but this is one thing that I know has happened to you.

[Darren Criss]

Please tell me what has really special moment that I look forward to. Yeah, I'll be in some part of the world and I have like a day free somewhere. Someone will come up to me and

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

be like, Mr. Chris, you know, we're

[Darren Criss]

actually doing a production of maybe happy ending at the whatever.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Whatever playhouse.

[Darren Criss]

Would you come? And I'll go, of course.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I would love to. Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

And I get to go sit and watch it. And it's a terrible production. And they give it the old college try. They're really giving it their best big swings. Just maybe just kind of miss the mark here and there, but the heart is there. And then I'll go, I did it. And here's why you can see mishandled productions of great shows. Fiddler, west side Story. I mean, these are, like. These are incredible works of art that, you know, Castle, whatever. For whatever reason, it just misses the

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

mark part of many of these.

[Darren Criss]

But those productions, like, that can happen, but it can only happen when the. When the project itself has become so culturally ubiquitous that people do it all the time. So you have to cross a certain threshold. I'm sure you've seen productions of. Of. Of spelling where you're like, oh, my God, I can't believe other people are doing their version of it. Maybe they know I'm in the audience, and they're doing their.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I cry every time. I will. Even if it's not good, listen, I'll find the. The good in everything. What is good, exactly.

[Darren Criss]

As do I.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's a curse. Yeah. So, I mean, I will. I will find the good in everything. But, like, even if it's, you know, not the most successful production, I still. I'm so incredibly moved by the fact that I was so part of that.

[Darren Criss]

I saw you guys at the anniversary.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I am.

[Darren Criss]

I love that production, and I mean, I love that performance. And I was already emotional on your behalf, because I know it's an emotional thing for you. I've already said, while we're going down into more musical theater references.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Is that so?

[Darren Criss]

I saw Topol do Tevye in his, like, 80s, and he did it like Costa Mesa, the playhouse. And at that point, like, obviously, a man of his age is too old to be having five daughters in, you know, a shtetl, you know, whatever part of the century it is. But you're still like, hell, yeah, I get to see Topal do this role. And you're really applauding this man's legacy and his work. And I joke that I'd be happy to be, like, the Topal, to maybe have the ending where I'll be in my mid-90s with, like, a bionic leg and a holographic eye. And unlike Tevye, canonically, it'll make sense, because it'll be like, wow, this Helperbot is really outdated.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That's right.

[Darren Criss]

He's so old, he shouldn't be doing this. But you go, oh, it's sweet that he. Yeah, it's sweet that he's still here.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That's really funny.

[Darren Criss]

And I'd be happy to do that. I'm gonna be in and out of the show the rest of my life. I really love being a part of this show. I love doing just simply does not get Old, it knows no time. I love it so much.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm so glad you still are still in love with it.

[Darren Criss]

I really am. I can't believe I'm leaving in eight weeks.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Forever.

[Darren Criss]

No, I mean, I'm probably. I mean, my mind. I mean, I'm leaving this chapter, but I don't think it's any. Like, I'm going to be part of it, you know, if it goes anywhere, you know, anniversary's, whatever. Like, I'm never fully gonna ever leave

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

that part of my life. Yeah. My God, Darren, that's the end of a huge chapter.

[Darren Criss]

It is. I'm.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Wow.

[Darren Criss]

But the show, Back to the superlative list is about that. The show is about the transience of beautiful things. So in many ways, I've said goodbye to it every day.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

Every time I've done it, every time I've said hello to it. So it's like, built into the very programming of the nostalgia I already have for the show. It's like, it's unbelievable. I just cannot believe that I got to do it. It's the kind of thing that people, like, used to be like, whoa, what's your dream thing? On Broadway, I used to say, hedwig, I got to do it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You got to do it.

[Darren Criss]

So check and like, what's your dream? I don't know. I feel like I can't even imagine. Like, I don't know what.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I don't know.

[Darren Criss]

This was, is, and will forever be.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's always beautiful when you're living the thing that you're like, oh, this is my dream. Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

Oh, I know it's what it would be. I know it. I know that these are the good old days. I know these are the times I will always cherish. The show.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Kind of talks about this, but I

[Darren Criss]

kind of have this duality relationship with great moments at all times, which is like, I'm always really happy and grateful. But of course I'm really sad because I know that it's passing, but that forever, sort of like negative and positive electrons spinning around every moment, like, keeps me here and very happy to be there. And that when it's over, I'm not, like, bereft. Oh, no, I never. Blah. I never did. It's like, no, I was fucking there.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I was there.

[Darren Criss]

I lapped it up. I ate all the scallion pancakes I could. So, yeah, I'm getting misty talking about it. Yeah, it's bitter. Been such a great ride.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, I'm really proud of you.

[Darren Criss]

Eight weeks, guys. Come. Come get a while. It's hot.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So I was going to tell you this story, this name droppy story.

[Darren Criss]

You.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

You already know this.

[Darren Criss]

You can do regular name stories too.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

No. This one's so good, though.

[Darren Criss]

No, I don't have any.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I don't have any. I know. There's a famous person in every single one of my anecdotes. We were at Chrissy Teigen and John Legends super bowl party. You know where this is going to kill us going? I walk in, you aren't there yet. Adele's there.

[Darren Criss]

Del is there.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I'm losing my mind. She's like my number one by herself. She's my number one. Having a panic attack. Jess is like, you have to go say hi to her. I was like, I will, I will. Just give me a second. I have to, like, visit the margarita station first, have a few margaritas, finally go over. Margarita station. Yeah, yeah. She goes over. She's lovely. Adele's lovely. She says hello to me first. I. I basically have to break the ice by saying, look, I'm gonna be really normal with you, but first I just have to let you know how much I adore you. And I think. I just think you're so great. And she's. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Darren Criss]

And.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And we move on. We move on. I'm still in internally, like, freaking out, but I'm moving on.

[Darren Criss]

This, by the way, is the best scenario you could be doing this. You didn't run into her in a supermarket.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So you are in a.

[Darren Criss]

This is. It's game on. This is. We weren't literally.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

We're watching the super bowl, and neither one of us care about the Super Bowl. We're just, like, kind of, like, sitting there, like, enjoying the social aspect of it all. So I'm like, getting in with her. We're talking about real stuff. We're discussing things that are happening. I'm asking her, obviously, about, like, when Sumi is coming out, and she. She's like, you know, talking to me a little bit about that. I'm having a wonderful moment with her. You walk in.

[Darren Criss]

Oh, no.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

She sees you from across the room. And she goes, oh, my God, my favorite actor just walked in.

[Darren Criss]

Oh, you didn't tell me this. And I was like, oh.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I was like, I know him. And I was like, I can introduce you, but there's also a piece of me that was like.

[Darren Criss]

I was like, well, like, you didn't

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

say anything about, like, me, like, being on a show that you liked already. I don't even know. She was. Knew I was on.

[Darren Criss]

I think you all at least. What?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But you were like, you were her number one.

[Darren Criss]

Oh, that's.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It was during Gianni Versace. She was like, have you seen him? And Gianni Versace?

[Darren Criss]

I was like, yes, of course.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh, my God. Freaking genius.

[Darren Criss]

I can't believe I forgot this part of the story.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

This is the best part.

[Darren Criss]

I keen in too much into you. You and your husband being so excited about it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I forgot the part where I got

[Darren Criss]

exalted by one and only Adele.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I had the greatest pleasure of introducing Adele to her favorite actor.

[Darren Criss]

You at the time, I'm sure it was fleeting. That's fucking insane.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

She was so excited. Wow. And Justin and I laughed about that so hard. We're like, oh, my God. It was so funny because, like, all I was. I was doing, I was tap dancing. Just like, love me, love me, love me, love me, love me, love me. Let me be your favorite person. And then you walk in, she's like, oh, that's my favorite person. She's motley. Do you want to need this donut?

[Darren Criss]

Of course I do. Of course I do.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Thank you.

[Darren Criss]

People say, don't chase your heroes. And I say, track them down, actually. But track them down not by being creepy. Do everything within your power to educate, cultivate, empower, and collect as many things as you can on the quest that can put you in the room without person where you can be there for the same reason. Yeah, that's the chase to me. Like, I look at those people that we've gotten to meet, all the people in theater, singers, whatever, that we just love. Like, it didn't happen by accident, man. We didn't, like, fall ass backwards to do a thing like, yes, we've been fortunate, but it's like, we studied this thing. Like, we did work hard, and there was a lot of legwork, a lot of asinine emails, a lot of things that we had to do to get to a certain extent without blowing ourselves too much up. There's a part of me that goes like, yeah, when I get to meet these people, I get excited. But I'm also very proud that, like, we've beaten enough levels to, like, have gotten to this boss, you know?

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I know you must have had. Speaking of the man who's on your shirt, you must have had interaction with Sondheim. Oh, my God.

[Darren Criss]

Oh, my God.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Do you have, like, an anecdote that you're. It's your favorite.

[Darren Criss]

It's one of the greatest, like, the greatest meetings of my life. President Obama, now I'm Name dropping. President Obama.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

This is good.

[Darren Criss]

Kermit the Frog, Stephen Sondheim.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

In no particular order. They all exist in the same plane to me. American icons Kermit Obama and Sondheim. Major, major figures of culture. And, yeah, Sondheim and I got to do Sondheim and I. Please. They did this documentary. Hbo. James Lapine, did a thing called Six by Sondheim. And it just took six of his songs, had different people perform them in sort of alternative ways, and they used those to weave sort of a mini. It's kind of like a. Kind of like a bio on Sondheim.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah, like, documentary about him.

[Darren Criss]

And one of the six was opening doors, primarily.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And you did it with America Ferreira.

[Darren Criss]

Yes. It was so cool. It was American Ferrero. Jeremy Jordan. Jeremy Jordan and the Rosnons.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And it was another Daniel Radkif overlap for you. Oh, my God. Exactly.

[Darren Criss]

Well, so what was amazing about this interaction is that I wasn't meeting Sondheim as a. Like, well, I'm screwing up the story. Sondheim was in it.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Darren Criss]

He was in this thing that we shot.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That's right.

[Darren Criss]

As the Jason Alexander.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

He played the producer guy.

[Darren Criss]

So the power dynamic was that of, like, actors knocking around set. Not like, I'm in your thing and you're the creator, which he's had to do with a lot of actors in his career. It was like, crafty donuts, talking shit, cracking jokes. So that was the.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

He was on the call of Piece of an actor. Exactly.

[Darren Criss]

And so a lot of the hours of, like, waiting for lights to change was just us shooting the shit.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

So it gotten to the point where

[Darren Criss]

there's, like, bits and callbacks. Like, I forget what it was, but, like, one of the most proud moments of my life was, like, I made him laugh, like, genuinely a couple times. Maybe he's being polite. He was a very good actor. But, like, you know, the dude is insanely witty and something that was really cool because he was in his early 80s at that point.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Yeah. I mean, it's one thing to perform for Sondheim, but you're on a very, very short list of people who actually got to perform with him.

[Darren Criss]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And that's astonishing. Wild. Wild.

[Darren Criss]

You know, I do have a memory from that party that I. It does come up every now and then. I remember leaving early, and Mia needed to leave early for whatever reason. It's like, yeah, I'm not gonna throw her under the bus. We had to go. And I remember going, if I just stayed a little bit longer. I wonder. Cause I remember she kept eyeing the piano. And I'm seeing John Legend. I see Adele. Cause you know me, I'm a sing along girly. It's like. It's like, let's go. I was like, I could turn this shit around, like, so fast.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Can you imagine one.

[Darren Criss]

Just one of those, Game over, game on.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I think. I think it would have happened.

[Darren Criss]

And there's another universe in another awesome dimension where I stuck around. And we did that.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Next time we're at John and Chrissy's house.

[Darren Criss]

Next time we're at John's house with Adele.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

There that you are at the piano.

[Darren Criss]

I. We had to go, but I kept going. Like, that could have really been. That could have been a moment.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

But started with you.

[Darren Criss]

I just adore you. I do love you. And oh, my God, a favorite actor just won.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

No, I was very excited when we became friends because I knew that we were kindred spirits. And, you know, we're theater chums. We're theater kids.

[Darren Criss]

Can you imagine? We did a show together. I can't. That would be like. That would be fun. Thanks, man.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I love you, buddy. This episode of Dinners on Me was recorded at Winston Bakery in the East Village in Manhattan. Next week on Dinners on Me, you know him from scenes stealing roles in shows like Somebody Somewhere and Pluribus and appearances across comedy favorites like 30 Rock and Broad City. It's Jeff Hiller. We'll get into the role that made him a breakout fan favorite. How years in the New York comedy scene shaped his career, and why his journey to this moment is anything but typical. And if you don't want to wait until next week to listen, you can download that episode right now by subscribing to Dinners on Me. Plus, as a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early, you'll also be able to listen completely ad free. Just click try free at the top of the Dinners on Me show page on Apple podcasts to start your free trial today. Dinners on Me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Alyssa Midcalf. Sam Baer engineered this episode, Hans Dale. She composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tameka Balance Kolasny and Justin Makita. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week. And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show. Hey, everyone. Check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date? Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird. Yeah, the bird looks out of your league. Anyways, only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.