Out of all the Glee boys, who do you think is Karofsky’s type?
Oh, man. This is a horrible question. [Laughs] I don’t know. I don’t know if he has a type, but it’s probably not a jock. I’d say that Dave is attracted to someone who’s more compassionate and tender. How do I put this? Dave would probably be the “guy” in the relationship between him and another guy. He would want a guy with a more effeminate, motherly quality.Let’s discuss the motivation behind that infamous kiss. Is Karofsky in love with Kurt, or was it just a impulse of horny desperation?
I think it was just curiosity. I can see Karofsky developing feelings for Kurt in the future, and there could possibly be a love story there, because that’s certainly not out of the cards. But at that point, Kurt was the only person he’s ever known who’s actually gay and out, so he just needed to see what it would feel like — what a man’s lips feel like and taste like. It was a curiosity kiss, and we’ll see if anything develops from that.
A lot of Glee fans out there would enjoy seeing Kurt and Karofsky hook up. Are you aware of the slash fan fiction category called “Kurtofsky”?
I’m aware. Chris [Colfer] and I have discussed this, and we’ve decided that Kurtofsky sounds like a mean, famous male Russian ballerina. In all honestly, I haven’t read any of it. I know it exists, but I don’t want to read it, because I don’t want it to influence anything I’m doing on the show. But I am very aware, and I find it amusing. If people are still thinking about the show once it ends, that’s a good thing.
Read the rest: Max Adler: Closet Gleek | Television | The Advocate.
Deconstructing Glee 
Can we just redirect to the “STUFF THAT ANNOYS THIS PERSONA BOUT GLEE” discussion???
When Max Adler says that there could be a love story between Kurt and Karofsky, my inclination is to hope that Karofsky is written out of the show. He can be happy, maybe transfer to Dalton or somewhere where he can be himself, but he should not ever date Kurt.
Good idea, Shanna
For reference, the Kurtofsky discussion (well, the biggest and most recent one) is in these comments:
https://deconstructingglee.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/stuff-that-annoys-this-person-about-glee/#comments
And this is where I confess my (hopefully not as bizarre as I sometimes fear it might be) love for Max Adler, and my soft spot for Karofsky, because he’s a character who’s in such a great position to be dynamic and have a really dramatic, significant arc.
Of all the times celebrities have been asked about fanfiction, this may be my favorite one I’m aware of. It’s thoughtful without being squicky.
I am glad that he rejects the idea of a lovesick Karofsky in the Locker Room scene. That irritates me, the idea that he’s in love with or emotionally attached to Kurt…
I like Max Adler, but he’s no Darren Criss (on a scale of straight guys who play gay and who get it).
Dave would probably be the “guy” in the relationship between him and another guy. He would want a guy with a more effeminate, motherly quality.
I just want to whisper in his ear “Dude, they’re both ‘guys’… that’s the point of gay.” And while I get what he means, he comes off as a straight guy putting himself into his gay character. To me. What about you guys?
That line in the interview really kind of annoyed me. Especially because he’s been interacting with the gay community a lot recently because of his character, he did an “it gets better” video, he talks about all of the mail he gets from gay teenagers, he’s presumably friends with Chris. He’s somewhat enmeshed himself into that community and he seems to see himself as a role model, so one would think that he would realize the problems with that statement (or have done some research, since I think that the idea that someone is the “guy” or the “girl” in a same-sex relationship is a common misconception that I’ve seen a lot of gay people complaining about).
I was honestly more concerned with the line (not quoted here) about how a gay guy in a locker room would be like Max Adler being in a girls’ locker room. Because — no, not really, Max.
But I will say this: it is a very delicate thing to be a straight person trying to speak openly in an interview for a gay magazine. It is an almost untenable situation. You know how people busted Diana Agron for cultural appropriation when she clearly had the best freakin’ intentions in the world? There are some battles you’re not going to win as a straight person in the gay community, no matter how right your heart is on the subject.
I know this to be true as I navigate the discussions here, and I put the Q in LGBTQ. It’s the same way women bristle at men speaking “with authority” on their issues, and so on and so on…
I think it’s best to just try to understand where someone is coming from, and accepting that if it’s from a place of genuine goodwill, know that the education to phrase everything right and step back when you don’t know what the hell the answer is will come in time… He’s a sweet guy. He’s on the right side of things and wants to help.
And he’s an actor who went to LA rather than college… slack please!
Shana, I agree that he is trying, and it is very delicate. (I’ve seen Darren get slammed for saying he’s straight when interviewers refuse to leave the question alone — what is he supposed to say? He is not the one to bring it up). It’s interesting that actors like Max, Darren, and Naya are called upon to be almost LGBTQ representatives because of their characters. There are so many delicate issues that they mostly handle well (and agree that slamming Dianna was ridiculous). I was just really genuinely surprised that he would say that. I guess, although he wasn’t clearly saying this, that he could have meant to be speaking a bit from Karofsky’s head, also.
Max didn’t grow up doing theater in San Francisco, either, though…
Which I say in response to him not getting it like Darren Criss does…
Oh don’t get me wrong — I know there aren’t that many Darren Criss’ in the world. I was just being sad about that.
But, then, I had a problem with the response from the interviewer — who said that Karofsky being “the guy” meant he was “a top”. Because gender presentation totally speaks to that? Hardly. Complete and utter bull pucky. There are better, and more accurate community terms for Karofsky’s identity, and his “type”.
@deconstructingglee: re: “the guy”, yes, unfortunate; I think he means well, though. re: the interviewer’s “the top” comment – ARG, yes. Even when people talk about sex/gender, half the time they don’t know what they’re saying.
Not to bulldoze this topic into the ground, but ugh, Max Adler, could you please show the slightest bit of awareness that one person’s curiosity about another person’s body does not outweight that person’s right to bodily autonomy? Not that the interviewer’s phrasing is any better (“horny desperation”, really? Sounds like that old rape justification trope that men just can’t control themselves when they get turned on. UGH.) but still. Just, ugh.
“And while I get what he means, he comes off as a straight guy putting himself into his gay character.”
That’s somewhat true. However, I feel that it works for his character because Dave is still in the closet.
To clarify: I suppose the Adler comes across as awkward or “putting on an act” with his character and that works because Dave IS putting on an act 24/7.
Adler needs to read some Suzy Bright or Judith Butler (among others): how about butch bottoms and femme tops? Maybe we (for Adler, et al’s sake) can reframe the discussion to consider the binarizing [this one’s for you, Mr. Deconstructing 🙂 ] tops and bottoms, butch and femme–wouldn’t it be nice to see the complexities of gender identification? to stop finding new ways to conjure up Others?
P.S. You are my intellectual leader.
Totally agree. Someone needs to send Mr Adler some books!