Sebastian Smythe may be up to no good on "Glee," but the actor behind the snark and perfectly coiffed "CW hair" -- Grant Gustin -- is just having a good time playing the guy that every Gleek loves to hate.
In the highly anticipated Michael Jackson tribute episode (airing Tues., Jan. 31 on 8 p.m. EST on Fox), Sebastian may take things a little too far on his quest to steal Blaine (Darren Criss) away from Kurt (Chris Colfer), and his actions could lead to total alienation, even from the Warblers.
But Klaine fans can breathe a sigh of relief because Gustin tells HuffPost TV that by the end of "Michael," Sebastian's priorities will change. "[He] is more concerned with winning Regionals than he is with stealing Blaine away from Kurt," says Gustin.
Find out more from Gustin about the upcoming "Michael" episode, what we can expect from Sebastian and why Darren Criss is stalking the Warblers below.
I'm a really big Klaine fan...
Oh, no! This is not going to go well, is it?
Yes, I'm just going to start by saying that I hate you. No, not at all! I'm one of those weird Klaine fans who really loves Sebastian.
Good. I was worried for a minute.
Kurt and Blaine's relationship needs to be tested, right?
For sure! Every other relationship on the show has had some type of bump in the road, so it's only realistic and appropriate for Klaine to have one as well.
Exactly! But unfortunately for you, the majority of Klaine fans hate your guts. You've probably experienced a lot of Twitter backlash.
Yeah. It's quite scary sometimes, but I just have to let it roll off my shoulders.
Did Darren and Chris offer you any advice?
To be honest, one day, Colfer said to me, "Be scared. Be very scared." You just don't take it seriously. It's just like when someone tells me that they're in love with me and that they want to marry me. It's like, "That's sweet," but you don't take it seriously. The fans are intense in the best way possible.
Let's talk about the "Michael" episode because Sebastian is up to a lot of scheming, right?
Sebastian finds himself in some kind of a mess. By the end of the episode, pretty much everybody has turned on him. It's like everyone vs. Sebastian, including the Warblers. He's a major douche. Whatever Sebastian gets at the end of this episode, he deserves.
You have that great scene with Naya [Rivera] coming up where you two sing "Smooth Criminal."
That was probably my favorite scene to film, by far. She is just super fun to work with, and the cello arrangement was amazing. I'm really proud of that scene. Santana also has the best one-liners, and she and Sebastian definitely get into it in this scene ... The dialogue between those two characters is just hilarious. They're both so snarky.
I have to say that my favorite line this season was directed toward Sebastian. It was when Kurt called out his "CW hair."
Santana has another jab at my hair in this "Michael" episode. It's pretty hysterical. They are not letting it go. Now, when I'm not filming, I'm wearing a hat.
There's a lot of dancing going on in this episode, too. What can we expect from the Warblers?
In this "Michael" episode, the Warblers are dancing more than they've ever danced, and it's really exciting ... especially in the "Bad" number. And the Warbler number that we do at Dalton, "I Want You Back," was another one that was super different than anything that they've done thus far ... People are going to be excited to see some real dance routines going on with the Warblers.
Did Kevin [McHale] help you nail down the choreography? He's the Michael Jackson expert on set, I hear.
He is Michael Jackson. It's such a shame that he's in a wheelchair as Artie, because the kid can kill some Michael Jackson dance moves. What he can do is pretty unbelievable, more so than anybody else on the show. He knows how to capture Michael Jackson's essence. We were allowed to do full-blown Michael Jackson moves, and they wanted us to freestyle and do our own thing, so on the day when we were shooting "Bad," me, Kevin and Harry [Shum Jr.] definitely messed around in the parking lot, doing different Michael Jackson moves. I definitely stole a few moves from them.
How does it feel wearing that Warbler ensemble?
It's the coolest thing in the world. The Warblers are pretty badass.
I bet Darren misses it.
Oh, he does! I can confirm that. Whenever he sees me in that Warbler uniform, he's very vocal about how jealous he is. [Laughs.] When we filmed the Warbler number for "Michael," he was there, stalking us. I think it kind of kills him to see a cool Warbler number happening when he can't be a part of it. But it would be hard for me too! The Warbler numbers are some of the best on the show, and if it was happening and I didn't get to be apart of it, I'd be jealous too. Granted, Blaine has some pretty cool things happening on his own in this episode.
Let's talk about that amazing still from the episode, where Sebastian throws a slushy in Blaine's face. It looked pretty epic.
It's a still from "Bad," and yes, it is very epic. I felt so cool getting to throw that slushy because that's what "Glee" is, you know? It was also nerve-wracking, though. It was the end of a 15-hour day, and the cast was like, "You better get this in one take. If you mess this up, we have to stay for another hour." Darren would have to go through hair and make-up again if I messed up. They were riding me, so I felt a lot of pressure. I was like, "Guys, this is, like, my third episode. Please, take mercy!" Thank god I got it in one take!
It was also your first time throwing a slushy, which I hear is pretty hard to get right.
I had slushy practice with a dummy for that one scene. At first, they gave me water to practice the momentum, and then I practiced throwing water in a dummy's face probably a hundred times before I was allowed to throw a slushy. Apparently, it's not always like that. Usually, it's like, "Here's your slushy! Good luck!" But they did not want me to mess up, especially Darren's face. [Laughs.]
At least you were the one throwing it.
That's true, but I would love to receive a slushy to the face. Sebastian deserves one, and I think that it's only fair if he was slushied.
Do you know how many more episodes you're doing this season?
I'm not positive. I would love to be around for as long as they'll have me. It definitely looks like Sebastian will be in-and-out for the rest of this season, but I don't know if he'll be in every episode.
Will he still be going after Blaine?
I don't know. I'm not sure where that relationship is going. Right now, it's kind of off to a slow start. Sebastian was pursuing Blaine pretty intensely right off the bat, and Blaine's not really giving him much, and in this "Michael" episode, I think it definitely dwindles away a little. Sebastian is more concerned with winning Regionals than he is with stealing Blaine away from Kurt. I'm not sure if his want for Blaine will carry on after the "Michael" episode. It could definitely go either way.
"Glee's" tribute to the King of Pop airs Tues., Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. EST on Fox. Watch Sebastian and Santana go head-to-head, performing "Smooth Criminal" below.
Take a look at some of the official photos from "Michael" below.
