Unless you’re a YouTube connoisseur, chances are pretty good that you never heard of Darren Criss before he became a guest star on one of the world’s most talked-about TV shows.

Criss exploded onto the set of Glee, scoring massive attention with his debut number “Teenage Dream,” and rumor has it that he’ll be a regular cast member in Glee’s third season. So … uh, where the hell did he come from?

Criss is not a former child actor, nor is he a Hollywood vet. He isn’t a recording artist, he’s never been on Broadway and he never made a splash in an indie film. Darren Criss got his start when he uploaded a low-quality video on YouTube. Criss and several of his University of Michigan theater buddies posted “A Very Potter Musical” on the popular Internet site…and the rest is television history.

The video quickly picked up steam, gathering followers and prompting Criss to create two more straight-to-YouTube productions. From here he jumped to the now-canceled series Eastwick before landing the role that thousands wanted.

And Criss isn’t taking anything for granted. In a recent interview, he talked at length about his success and his character. “Even if Blaine was to get hit by a bus in two episodes, I’m really thankful for the time I’ve been given on the show.”

Darren Criss garnered attention early for playing the openly gay, extremely talented head of the Warblers, a competing glee club. He says he didn’t hesitate for a minute accepting the role.

“To be quite honest, [sexuality] doesn’t take up a huge chunk of what really matters about Blaine. After having gotten to know the show a little bit, I was really excited to see that a character like this -- such a strong gay character, especially a young male, out-and-proud teen -- was going to make its way onto network television, much less FOX.” (You’re telling us.) “When other shows present the gay character thing, it’s typically been in much more adult situations, like gay men living in New York or closeted men who are married and struggling with that ordeal, but never really the core of the journey of defining your sexuality.”

“It’s a really positive thing, and I feel very privileged to be the vessel for that, and I hope it speaks to a lot of people who struggle to find a model for who they are and where they fit in.”