Darren Criss Dishes on Comic-Con, Harry Potter and, of Course, ‘Glee’

Darren Criss is a seasoned Comic-Con goer, so it's no surprise that he was happily available to offer his two cents on the event. The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the 'Glee' familiar face, aka Blaine, who opened up about going from a convention attendee to a panelist. Criss also took the time to share his thoughts on 'Glee' Season 3.

Criss is gearing up to head to Comic-Con once again July 20-24, and this time, he'll be apart of the much-hyped 'Glee' panel. Last year, before he joined the cast, he sat in on the Harry Potter fan panel on behalf of 'A Very Potter Musical,' and was pretty sure he'd be talking to an empty room. " I was worried nobody would come to the panel because it was at the same time as the 'Glee' panel," Criss says.

Now, Criss is sitting on the coveted 'Glee' panel, and that's a big change from just a few years ago. When he was in high school, Darren was lucky enough to attend the convention with a bummed pass and actually slept in his car outside the event.

"I’d always wanted to go and kept missing it. I’m a big fanboy and every year it’s become more of a big deal. When I first moved to L.A. about three years ago, I finally got to go. Someone had an extra pass and my friend and I drove down -- without a hotel to stay in," he admits. "We found a magical parking spot Friday at the one spot with no meter in all of San Diego. We lived out of the car all weekend. We slept outside in line for the 'Lost' panel and were basically homeless for the weekend."

But like a true gleek, Darren Criss likes to dream big. If given the opportunity to actually form his own panel, he'd pick some unexpected guests. "Harrison Ford, Christopher Walken, Guillermo del Toro, Bruce Lee even though he’s no longer with us, Gandhi, Jesus Christ of Nazareth and John Lennon," he says of his dream panel. Yes, that list includes Jesus.

Thankfully, THR did get Blaine (okay, Darren) to chat about Season 3 of 'Glee,' which starts this fall. The Warbler says he's pretty stoked about the season, especially since the series added more writers to help Ryan Murphy and the gang. "I’m excited for that. It’s a tough show to pull off and they’ve done a great job with only three writers. I’d love for them to be able to share the load of the show with other people," Criss reveals. "I have no idea what to expect, but I think it’s going to be nothing but positives."

We think so too! As for Comic-Con, that runs July 20-24, 2011 in San Diego, California. Oh, a little advice from Darren himself: Bring a phone charger!

Watch Blaine and the Warblers Perform Keane's 'Somewhere Only We Know'