Cory Monteith
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How do I put this? Glee is like High School Musical if High School Musical had its stomach punched and its lunch money stolen.
—Cory Monteith comparing Glee to High School Musical
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Cory Monteith (b. 1982) is a Canadian actor and semi-musician. After dropping out of high school in grade nine, he worked several odd-jobs, including Wal-mart greeter, cab driver, roofer, school-bus driver, and car washer.
His acting career began in Vancouver, with bit parts in a plethora of shows such as Supernatural, Smallville, and both Stargates. He also had a recurring role as Charlie, Amanda's initial boyfriend in Kyle XY. He also starred in some lesser known horror movies like Hybrid and Killer Bash, both of which seemed to be banked on his incredible attractiveness. No really, the former has him shirtless throughout most of the movie because he is a werewolf; the latter was directed by David DeCoteau, famous for having his male actors appearing in shirtless homoerotic scenes for no purpose other than appearing in shirtless homoerotic scenes.
He eventually auditioned for Glee. His audition wasn't exactly like the others, the biggest difference being that he didn't actually sing. Which the producers found odd, since the show centered around people who sing. Instead, his tape included some acting samples and a clip of him playing the drums (on tupperware). While they liked him, the producers still wanted to hear him sing and, despite never singing a note in his life, Cory impressed them enough with a "cheesy 80s rendition" of Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon that he was able to be beat out other auditioners, such as Aaron Tveit and Darren Criss (although nobody's complaining about the latter).
Despite being a good actor and what amounts to the male lead in Glee, Cory hasn't exactly achieved as much as his other Glee co-stars. However, he has been gaining publicity - he co-hosted the 2010 Teen Choice Awards with his fellow Glee guys and Katy Perry, as well as the 2010 Gemini awards (they're Canadian). He's an accomplished drummer, and when not partaking in Glee he performs with his band Bonnie Dune. Cory is set to appear in the 2011 Romantic Comedy Monte Carlo, so be on the lookout for him.
Exhibits:
- Canada Eh
- Dark and Troubled Past: He had serious drug problems in the past that led him to drop school and steal from family members. Thankfully, he has recovered and is set on being a good role model now.
- Dawson Casting: Hell yes. Finn is about 16-17, and Cory is nearly 30. Its especially jarring when he was playing an adult security guard two years before Glee.
- Even the Guys Want Him
- Huge Guy Tiny Girl: He's 6'3, so essentially him and any girl he can find, although he and Lea Michele (who is 5'2") stand out.
- Launcher of a Thousand Ships: Commonly found in every slash pairing, but of special note are Monfer fics that seem to pop up just as much as Kinn fics.
- Older Than They Look: The Glee writers are seriously pushing on suspension of disbelief if they think he looks like a teenager. That said, he does look very baby faced for someone who is pushing thirty.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: In Hybrid.