DARREN CRISS

Glee star and Emmy winner for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, 34, will be releasing his first album of Christmas songs, titled A Very Darren Crissmas (Oct. 8). It includes duets with Adam Lambert, Evan Rachel Wood and an original song, “Drunk on Christmas,” featuring Lainey Wilson.

What was your goal with this Christmas album?

To reintroduce familiar songs in a new way. But I also wanted to take lesser-known songs and make those feel more familiar. And, most importantly, I wanted to take songs that people don’t associate with Christmas but I do—like Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”—and try to make them feel like Christmas songs.

What inspired you to write

“Drunk on Christmas”? It’s about the end of Christmas, when everything’s been done.

There’s wrapping on the floor, you’ve cleaned things, the inlaws have left and there’s nothing else to do. It’s two people having a sit-on-the couch moment, sipping a glass of cocoa with some SoCo [Southern Comfort] in it.

What did the Emmy you won for The Assassination of Gianni Versace do for your career? Although the Emmy has just my name on it, the number one thing that I’m most proud of is it’s more symbolic and representative of the work of the whole team. It is a validation and celebration of the really hard work of people that I spent a lot of time and energy with creating this role.

You’ve accomplished so much. What’s the dream going forward? The dream is to keep doing me, really. I think all you can do is be as true to yourself and try to do as accessible and as valuable work as you can. And, hopefully, in so doing, represent people, giving them visibility and encouragement toward their own place in the cultural conversation.