In a new Q and A with Darren Criss, the Glee star shares his thoughts on fandom, Blaine’s role in season 4, and which iconic break-up song he suggested for usage in the show. Warning: the following contains spoiler material for the new season of Glee.

Speaking to Billboard after Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out in New York City – where he shared a signing table in Saks with Anna Wintour – Darren revealed that a huge upcoming number being used in the season’s fourth episode, “The Break Up,” was his idea:

I texted Ryan Murphy a while back just saying, “hey, if you ever have any of the characters break up don’t miss out on the opportunity to use one of the greatest break-up pop songs of the last 100 years. You have to use ‘Don’t Speak.’ It can work as a duet, it can work as a four-part harmony. It’s a gold mine, you have to use that.” And I would rarely do stuff like that, but it’s one of my favorite songs ever written and I remember listening to it in the car and I pulled over and texted Ryan, “just a thought…” Then the script showed up and there it was and I was like, “yes!” I don’t want to take credit for it, but I did suggest it.

Don’t forget your tissues! Addressing a moment a little sooner than episode 4×04, as more spoilers and promos arise for the season 4 premiere, there has been significant discussion by fans about Blaine’s apparent personality transplant. As Darren describes:

Blaine’s like a meanie now. I don’t know what really happened! […] When we read the script I was like, “since when is Blaine really competitive?”

While the arrogance and vying for stardom is somewhat expected from most of New Directions – they’ve always been pretty self-serving, and newfound popularity is set to enhance what’s already there – Blaine has always seemed like the only one in that choir room who’s always a team player, happy to lead performances when given the position by others but never seeking to put himself on top, and it seems that this has gone so far as to confuse even the actor who plays him!

The article also features Darren discussing several elements of fandom – from discovering the “Darren Doesn’t Know” meme, a somewhat creeptastic meme based on an old photo and comments screen-capped from Darren’s private Facebook, to how he’s grateful to be able to rationalize with fans, describing an incident of filming the aforementioned “Don’t Speak” in a public park. Darren, who was “emotionally exhausted” and “upset” coming to the set directly from a moment of immense closure performing as Harry for the last time in Team Starkid’s A Very Potter Senior Year, had to ask fans at the set to move out of his eyeline during a take, and the fans were happy to comply and help him out.

Billboard also asked Darren whether he was aware of the fan campaign to have “Dress You Up”‘ the Madonna cover he sang for this year’s Fashion’s Night Out promo, released as a full track – and it linked to our article in the process! He admitted that he hasn’t heard the full version himself, so in his words: “I’ll get behind that.” Thanks, Darren!

You can read the full Q&A here.

Here are a few pics of Darren from the event:

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What was your favorite part of this interview, and how do you feel about “Don’t Speak” and competa-Blaine?