New Glee Star Dean Geyer Is Ready, Willing, and Able-Bodied

If you haven’t heard of Dean Geyer before — and it is possible you know the 26-year-old South African-born actor/musician from his appearances on Australia’s Australian Idol and Neighbours or his stint on FOX’s short-lived Terra Nova — that will all change this month when he makes his debut as NYADA student Brody Weston on FOX’s hit series Glee, which returns for its fourth season on Thursday, September 13.

Brody, an upperclassman who helps show NYADA newcomer Rachel Berry (played by Lea Michele) the ropes, seems to be a perfect fit for Geyer. But he originally auditioned for a different character. “I think they didn’t know what they wanted from me, and I only found out I was going to screen test for Brody a couple of days before we shot it,” he says. “But to me, a screen test is the real audition. You don’t get the real feeling of the writing and the character until you get in a room with another actor. I find acting is reacting.”

Geyer reveals that he was up against two other actors for the key role — but had the support of his new co-star. “After the screen test, Lea came up and told me I was fantastic and the best of the three guys,” he says. “There had to be lot of chemistry between us, and even though we had to wing it, it worked.”

As those who have seen FOX’s promotional videos know, Glee viewers — and Rachel — will first meet Brody in a very revealing situation, as he comes out of the shower. (To watch the video, click here).

Not surprisingly, Geyer admits he was nervous going onto the Glee set. However, he found the cast extremely welcoming and feels his run is going quite smoothly, in part because of his affiliation with his character. Of course, I am also still learning who Brody is, but I definitely relate to him,” says Geyer. “Like me, he comes from a small town and has big expectations for his career, which is why he moved to New York,” adds the actor, who moved to Los Angeles two years ago. “What I like about Brody is that he lives in the now.”

So far, the majority of his on-screen work has been with Michele, and he’s thoroughly enjoying that experience. “She is so easy to work with — I think because she’s so passionate about the work and loves being on the set,” he says. “And I think Lea is really enjoying exploring the new Rachel. This new storyline is giving her a chance to break out of who she’s been.”

Geyer has also worked a bit with Oscar nominee Kate Hudson, who has a multi-episode role as tough NYADA dance teacher Cassandra July. “She is so wonderful and so funny, and she can change it up from take to take. I feel blessed to be on the set just watching her.”

Asked if he’s ready for the fame — and fan reaction — that’s surely going to result from his Glee gig, Geyer seems surprisingly sanguine. “I know my world is definitely going to change,” he says. “I think I had some good practice from Australian Idol; all of the contestants had to learn quickly how to handle good press and bad press and being noticed in shopping centers,” he says. “But I know Glee is 1000 times bigger than anything we did back home. I am on Twitter like 24.7, and I am already getting messages on Twitter from the fans, as well as all these videos and photos from the show that I haven’t seen.”

And while no one at Glee has yet to confirm or deny that Brody and Rachel will become romantically involved, Geyer is ready for any backlash from the show’s fans. “In this business, you are never going to please everyone, and so maybe you’re going to get hate mail,” he says. “But this is just my work, and it’s fun to play this character who may be shaking things up.”

Geyer also admits he has a couple of his own ideas for Brody, even though he has yet to formally suggest them to the show’s creator, Ryan Murphy. “I really want to sing something by Ed Sheeran. I just love his album,” says Geyer, who was a recording artist in Australia. “But I am happy to just get back to doing anything musical, so Ryan can throw any song on me that he wants to.”

“Acting-wise, I haven’t done a lot of comedy, so I would love to work with Jane Lynch,” adds Geyer. “I think she’s hilarious. Sue is one of my favorite characters, and I think she would give Brody just as hard a time as she gave Rachel. I might even get a slurpee thrown in my face, but I don’t care.”