In this episode Harvey Guillén discusses saying goodbye to 'What We Do in the Shadows', doing his own stunts, and much more, including TV Topics.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:03):
Hey, where's the remote? It's time for TV TOPICS, where
those who love television discuss the series and
performances that should be on your radar.
Welcome back to TV TOPICS. I'm your host Stephen
Prusakowski. Hanging out today on TV TOPICS
is an actor who took flight as Nightwing on Max's very animated
(00:24):
Harley Quinn. His career went to the dogs in a
good way, with Pareto in The Puss in Boots, The Last Wish,
then as Odie in the Garfield movie.
We've also gotten very familiar with him over five seasons as
Guillermo on What We Do in the Shadows.
Of course I'm talking about the great Harvey Guillen.
Hi, this is Harvey Guillen and today I'm hanging out with
(00:45):
Stephen Pusikowski on TV Topics.So into some of your work and
what we do in the shadows in just a few.
But first, let's talk some TV topics.
Remember, there's no pressure, there's no right or wrong
answers, It's all just a bit of fun.
So looking back over the years, what is your relationship with
TV? Ben?
Are you ATV junkie? Do you watch everything or
you're very selective? I think TV has been a huge part
(01:06):
of my life. I fell in love with acting while
watching TV and I was watching amovie.
Actually, it was Annie, the 1984classic that was being played
during the holiday break when I was home from school.
And I thought, I thought it was ATV show.
I thought it was not a movie because we didn't really go to
the theater growing up. We, my mom was a single mom, you
(01:29):
know, working two jobs. That was a luxury going to the
going to the theater. And so watching TV was actually
like a, a nice treat. Like it was like, you know,
after working, if you got your homework done or if you, my mom
came home from work and she decided to watch like Salvador
Gigante or something. It was a treat.
(01:50):
It was like a that was the the luxury.
It was like, you deserve an escape for a little bit.
And so my relationship with TV has always been something to
look forward to. And so to be a part of the
entertainment industry and it's specifically being on ATV show
that's been on the air for, you know, now five seasons is
nothing, you know, but incredible.
(02:12):
It's just it's just been great. It's my relationship with TV is
I love it. It's the the TV kind of molded
me into like the performer I am today.
It's beautiful. And again, you're giving that
same joy to someone else. There's someone else who's like,
this is my break, This is my free time.
I'm gonna go watch Harvey and the and the the Staten Island
(02:33):
crew of vampires and you know, and release and enjoy and
escape. Yeah, it's so true.
And like, I mean, going into thefield of television and acting,
I, you know, you don't do it forlike accolade or you don't do it
for, you just do it 'cause you're lucky enough to do what
you love. And when I every day when I go
to work, I'm like, wow, I get todo what I love.
It's just to, to look back and to see if that helps anybody,
(02:57):
anyone at all. Like, you know, during pandemic,
we had a lot of people who kind of reached out and told us that
the show kind of became their escape during a really hard
time. I notice that that was amazing
because, you know, we aren't first responders or we're not
medical professionals or doctorsand we can't prescribe anything.
But the only thing we can do is give you the, I guess the best
medicine is laughter because youdo an escape.
(03:20):
We can make you escape for, you know, 30 minutes and for 30
minutes. We're not in that world here in
this world that we create it foryou.
And I think we all can use an escape, you know, once in a
while. So I'm very lucky to be part of
that formula. So OK, that's a good segue.
What show makes you laugh most? Is it one that you put on when
you need need to pick me up or just always makes you laugh?
(03:42):
You know what? I, I, I, when I was little, I
would, I would watch shows that were not age appropriate.
Like I remember watching like SNL and I remember watching and
wanting to be on SNL so bad and wanting to host SNL.
And I remember watching Mad TVI also remember watching, which
became my ultimate favorite, which is strangers with candy
(04:03):
with Amy Sedaris. And I remember watching that in
chess, quoting that at school and getting in trouble because
it was very much adult humor. And I just got it.
I don't know why I was just like, I get it.
It's so funny, but some things you don't get, you know,
sometimes you you're as a kid, you're as you become an adult,
you're like, oh, oh, like that makes sense now.
(04:28):
But yeah, I would say my go to would be, you know, classic like
SNL and Strange with candy. Any current ones that are kind
of made that list? Current ones aside obviously
from the great show I get to work on, there's there's so much
(04:48):
good TV out right now. It's just I, I tend to like
escape from what I do for a living now as an adult with
watching just reality TV. So I escape and do that for a
little bit, but then I come back, you know, I've been
watching dramas a lot lately andShogun has been really great.
(05:10):
Another, you know, couple of comedies that are the great that
are always like, you know, we always see them at events and
stuff that are always our contenders for for events and
whatnot is like hacks. The cast is great.
The creators of that are great. Got to meet them and they're
fantastic. Also, you know, I'll say Hacks
(05:32):
is probably the one that I'm watching and the other two, the
other two has another shown also, you know, know, the cast
and creators of that. And so just fun to always see
like people that you know, and then you're like, Oh my gosh, I
have to go out. And then you watch the show and
they come up to you and they're like, I just love you on your
show. I love you on your show.
It's like, it's really nice, like moment of like when you
(05:54):
have this like instant rapport with a fellow, you know, artist
who appreciates the work you're doing because you're
appreciating the work they're doing obviously.
And it's like a a love fest. And with so much different
content out there now, like the other two is one that I don't
feel it ever got the audience itdeserved.
And it came and it's gone now. And you're like, you know, I
mean, there's so much to discussabout it.
(06:15):
Same with what we do in the shadows.
I said, I try to pitch it to my friends.
I said, you know what, I'm not going to pitch it.
Just trust me. I've told you before, I watch a
show you you've watched it, you liked it.
Do it with this one because I cannot do it justice.
And it's a shame that, I mean, it's great that we have so much
content to choose from, but you really wish like that everybody
(06:35):
had like a, a Guillermo tattoo on their.
Shoulder, you know that everybody was like people do.
The old days when you had three networks, it was like.
Yeah, it's true. You're right.
It was three networks. It was much easier.
I think there's just so much content out there that's so
saturated with so much good stuff and so much stuff that's
just filler. You know that you're like, I
watched that for a whole season.I wasted my whole time frame
(06:55):
watching that when I could have been watching.
I don't know, But I feel like with our show, you know, I never
knew we were going to make it past the pilot 'cause it was, I
thought it was so good. And usually good things like
don't last long. And so I was kind of like, oh,
here we go. Any minute now they're going to
tell us we got the axe and we didn't.
And we got first seasons, we gotpicked up and 2nd season and 3rd
season and then four and five and then then, you know, now
(07:19):
with our 6th and final season. And that's in today's, you know,
like age, like that's a long run.
Like no one gets six seasons in a show.
And for the vampire show with their human familiar that could,
it's kind of like that's the biggest, you know, kind of badge
of honour. It's like people like the show
and, you know, people love the show and whether people don't
(07:39):
know about it yet, I think we'regoing to become one of those
things that we'll discover. And they're like, Oh my gosh,
why didn't I discover this sooner?
And then it's like, well, you know, Steven trying to tell you
and you didn't listen, but that's OK because everyone who
who ends up discovering at whatever time to discover it,
that's the way it was meant to be.
Like some people come and I've met people at comic cons.
(08:01):
They're like, my husband and I just discovered this show two
weeks ago. We watched all the seasons and I
was like in two weeks. And I was like, wow, they're
like, no, we couldn't stop. So sometimes it's meant for
people to watch it and their trajectory is like watching it
all at once and binging it. That's probably the way it, you
know, it was meant to be for them.
But yeah, you know, you can't force someone to watch
something. It's going to happen naturally.
(08:22):
And and the people who do find us and love us is were meant to
be, you know, in our in our world.
Well, just a little follow up. I had several people who I did
recommend this to who all did the same thing.
They all binged it. I said, did you watch it yet?
And like, I'm like ready to be disappointed.
But yeah, I'm on season 4. I'm like, what?
You know, it was like 2 weeks ago.
You, you finally. Yeah, they love it.
(08:42):
And they have like to tell me, Ilove this character.
I love this. It's such, I mean this, I think
it's one of the most dense comedic shows out there with
like every, you know, every edit, every line, every raised
eyebrow is part of the comedy. And I'm like, and if you like to
laugh, you know, it's, it's 30 minutes back-to-back, you know,
or you get it to end of, of comedy.
(09:05):
I love that. Yeah, it's true.
It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a quick burn.
You know, they go so quickly andwe cram so much in and like, and
really it's 30 minutes, but withcommercials you really get like
2122 minutes. So we're moving along, you know,
we move the story along. Is there one TV character that
you connected with most? It could be.
It doesn't matter if you know good or bad or ugly, just one
(09:25):
that like you remember that like.
I mean, growing, growing up, I, I remember watching reruns as
well with my dad of Cantinflas, which was kind of like the male
equivalent of Isle of Lucy in black and white.
Very farcical physical comedy. I tend to be very expressive and
(09:46):
I can't hide what I'm thinking. My face can't hide it.
So, you know, all those Guillermo like kind of
mannerisms and facial expressions are just me like
trying to not trying to show what I'm really thinking, but
I'm definitely showing. So I think like that and like
Lucille Ball, like I Love Lucy watching her and like how it's
(10:10):
just it's it's an art, you know,like watching how to convey
something without words. And for the first part of the
show, Guillermo didn't talk a lot in season one.
He didn't say much. Guillermo was a familiar.
He was there as a right hand. And to Nandor, he was almost
like a ornament. And the story moved along
without him saying much words. It said it with his face.
(10:33):
And so I think that's that goes a long way, you know, like
trying to tell a story where youdon't need subtitles, you don't
need any translation, you don't need even words.
The face can get tell a whole story just by by showing what
you're thinking. Did you practice those in the
(10:54):
mirror or do you just like feel it?
Like where? Where does that come from?
I think it comes naturally in inmy household or very expressive.
My mom is very much like, she can say one thing.
She's like, oh, it's like, is that OK if we go there or
whatever? Yeah, that's fine.
You know, birthdays the same an opposite kind of like way.
And it's like, mom, we can tell that you don't.
No, no, no, it's fine. We should.
(11:14):
It's like it's just a it's very expressive and just like no one
can can lie like their faces just tell everything.
And so it's being very transparent without sometimes
having to use like, you know, kid gloves or something where
you're just being like, you're just like, I can tell.
It's just let's talk about it, you know, And so that's where it
(11:35):
kind of came from. But also I've always been very
expressive and I'm very a big fan of like, you know, big
farce. And I love 3 Cam and so those
and I love Broadway. So reading to the backroom was
always like a thing that I was like told, you know, growing up
and doing theater, it was like, it's bigger.
It has to reach at the back of the room, you know, and and so
(11:58):
how to do that for television, it's it's harder because you
have to condense that and it can't be as big as to be
grounded. And Guillermo is probably the
most grounded character I've I've ever played because he's
very soft spoken. He's not a farce.
He's very subtle. And he never raises his voice
louder than a soft whisper, you know, And it's just the way that
(12:19):
he is and his his emotions come from what you see him on his
face. And so it's kind of great that I
get to play a little bit of a old, you know, Broadway and
stage trick on television while still being grounded, which
usually it's not, you know, don't go hand in hand, I think.
And talking about emotions and and expressing them.
(12:39):
Are you a crier? And if so, what's the last show
that made you cry? I think the last show that made
me cry was probably the a drama I was probably watching where I
got teary eyed. It was it was probably Shogun.
Like I was watching Shogun. It was a scene where he has to
(13:00):
go back and and basically sacrifice their male son baby.
And I was just like, what? That was.
Yeah, that was probably the lasttime.
That's why I probably stopped watching dramas for a little
second. But that's for the last time.
I it's so funny for a comedy that in the show, we, we, we're
doing the comedy. But for a comedy, I always think
(13:21):
jokes that Guillermo has had themost emotional dramatic growth
and journey on this show becausehe cries a lot because he's a
human. And we have to remember that in
this world that we created with vampires, the vampires are
bigger than life. They're, you know, their voices,
their, their glamour, their wealth, their sex drive,
(13:43):
everything is just bigger than life.
And Guillermo's still human and he still has aspirational, you
know, moments that he wants to like, see through.
And sometimes things don't work out for your for yourself, Like
you him wanting to be a vampire and not working out and saying
goodbye to his mom is really traumatic as a human.
Imagine saying no to your mom and knowing that you'll never
(14:04):
see them again. Because if you do see them,
they're Van Helsing as well. And they have it in their blood
to kill you, to kill their own son.
And you would have the instinct to defend yourself and attack
them. So it's like this.
It was so funny because we wouldjoke on set all the time that
how many times is Guillermo going to cry in one season?
(14:26):
And like, the idea that like even the, you know, the camera,
the GP, the joke is that, you know, Guillermo is the only one
with a beating heart. Like, you know, he's the only
one with the emotions and, and fears like that because he is
still human and we're so fragileas humans.
We're here today and gone tomorrow.
And time is of the essence. And so he lives every day, like
(14:49):
with this, like, fear of, you know, of what could happen and
what is not happening and what is ahead of him.
And so, like, I feel that I got to play that so well in the last
five years thanks to the writers.
But such a beautiful story are that we see an emotional side to
this one human character on a comedy show.
They're making people laugh, youknow?
(15:11):
And so how was the role of Guillermo pitched to you?
Because he changed quite a bit since that's first season, as
you, as you mentioned, you know what, what was it about him that
you wanted to play and what did you, you know, expect him to be?
I think the first time I let me think, I think if well, they
didn't pitch it to me. They literally did not pitch it
(15:34):
to me. They basically said didn't I
went to one in cheese night. I went to one in cheese night
that my friend Mimi was having and I met her and her brother.
There were seeing her the new, her newborn baby who's now like
8 years old. We were going on 9 like this is
a baby. When I met this baby was like a
(15:56):
couple months old and I met themat her brother's house.
And at that party there was a girl by the name of Yvonne that
I met. And I said hello.
And then basically she got my number from Mimi.
And the next day, she texted me and said, what's it called?
It said, hey, you should audition for my fiance's new
(16:16):
show. And I was like, OK, what?
I was like, yeah, you should audition for the show.
And I said, OK. And I called my agent.
I said, this girl I met at a party, her name's Eva.
And she told me to audition for this show.
And then they're like, what's her last name?
And I was like, hmm, good question.
Did not get a last name. And so we're going back and
forth and finding out that, like, she was engaged to one of
(16:38):
the producers on the show and they had already cast Kayvon,
Natasha, Matt and Mark. That was the last piece.
And they gave me a complimentaryedition with, you know, Allison,
and she's a casting director. And I wanted to meet her so
badly because I'd never gone in for Allison Jones.
And so I wanted just to go and make an impression with her.
I, I knew the part wasn't right for me because Viera was 25
(17:00):
years older than I am. And so the part was never right
for me. And I went in there and thought,
what would this character be like in my like body, in my age
and my everything? And I just went and did it.
And I was told within a couple of hours that they saw the tape
that I would be testing. But I was the wild card and I
made a career to being the wild card.
(17:20):
Like if you look at my resume, most of the things that I booked
are never things that were meantfor me, that were written for
someone else. Usually it's like blonde, blue
eyed, tall, 6 pack. Like they're usually not written
for me. I'm usually the wild card for
the most part, which means you go in, you do your best of the
character and they're like, thatis very good.
And they think, well, why couldn't he look like this?
Why couldn't they be, you know, this height?
(17:42):
Why couldn't they have, you know, why couldn't the DPOC, why
couldn't they? All these things come to play
and with the Guillermo was no exception.
Like they said, I was a wild card, I never tested.
Couple weeks went by and I knew they started filming that
Tuesday after Martin Luther KingHoliday Monday and it was
Sunday, Sunday night and I was driving around with my sister
and I was like, I didn't get it.They started filming this week.
(18:03):
I was a wild card, I never tested.
They probably found someone, they had opened the auditions up
to a female I think, at one point.
And it was just weird because I was like, I didn't get it.
And then I got a call from a 16 digit number or something and
picked it up and it was like, hey, is this hobby?
And I was like, yeah, so hey, it's Tycho and Jermaine.
And I was like, oh, hey, yeah, Ithink I'm testing.
You're not testing. And I was like, oh, thank you so
much for the opportunity. I wish you the best.
(18:24):
And I was like, no, no, you're not testing because you're the
main. We'll see you on set and booked
it. And I knew I they had called me
directly. They never called my agent.
So I called my agent on a Sundayon a holiday weekend and told
them I booked it. And they're like, no, Harvey,
they call us and I was like, no,I booked it.
They told me. And I must have sounded crazy to
them, but I booked it. And then the holiday happened
(18:45):
Monday, sometime in between that.
By Monday we knew that I had booked it and I was I had a
fitting on Tuesday and then I was on set and I was filming the
pilot. That's a a wonderful story and
it can now it's like, can anyoneimagine anyone but you in this
role? I don't think so.
I know it's so funny because when I first met Natasha
Dimitri, like on the trailer, she the first thing she said to
(19:08):
me was not hello. The first thing she said was
like she goes hi. She was like, hi, I'm Natasha.
You know, my brother was up for your pot.
I know what you did, but you gotit.
I was just like, hello, nice to meet you.
She basically said that. She said my brother was up for
your for your part. I think he was on hold for
Guillermo La Cruz, her brother Jamie, which I don't know.
That would have been a differenttake on Guillermo La Cruz if if
(19:30):
Jamie Dimitri did it, but that he was on hold for the role.
And it was just funny that the very last minute, the very last
minute, I came in and kind of swooped in and, and, and, and
show what I could do. And here we are.
And so much revolves around the character.
So did that. Do you know if that changed?
Like what did you expect when you came in and and and do you
(19:51):
know if your casting changed the, you know the trajectory of
of Guillermo? Yeah.
I think there was always a sensethat like Guillermo, like the
relationship between him and Andrew was like, what kind of
relationship is this? It's a love relationship.
And can you be in love with the same sex you know?
Employee an employer and is thathealthy and is it sexual or is
(20:14):
it admiration? Is it from so I remember early
on I I was very careful about the way that I play Guillermo
wits not to feel like it was like a like he was.
He had admiration for his masterand and boss and whatnot, but it
didn't have to feel like it was crossing the line of love, even
(20:35):
though the fans really love that.
I needed to walk on that tightrope because it's still a
workplace and it's still like, is this what he wants?
Is this Also at that point, Guillermo was not talking about
sexuality because he doesn't like he quoted.
He doesn't kiss and tell becausehe doesn't, you know, kiss and
he wasn't very like these vampires are very sexual.
They have multiple partners, same sex partners that are all
(20:57):
queer. All the all the vampires, the
energy vampire included, are allqueer.
And so we're very queer show without it being known as being
a queer show because it's like it's normalized.
It's like they're just vampires that do what they want.
And it's like that's true. They do what they want.
Wouldn't it be funny if they would be normalized to just let
people, human beings do what they want to do and be who they
(21:18):
want to be and love who they want to love?
And it just, that's normal. Let them be.
But it's funny because we put inthe world of vampires.
Everyone accepts it. You know, we're like, yeah,
that's cool because they're vampires.
But it's also like if the human,which is Guillermo, never talks
about sexuality. And when he finally does, he it
took a while for him to kind of come into his own.
And remember, when people come out, they don't really, you
(21:39):
know, come out that it's not, it's the word coming out.
It sounds so funny. It's like you don't wake up one
day and say I'm queer or I'm gay.
I'm going to go tell everybody. People who are queer know that
they're queer. They're not coming out.
The, the, the, the wording should be changed to letting you
in. When they tell you who they are,
they're letting you in. They're welcoming you into their
home. They're opening the door and
saying, hey, I want you to take a look.
(22:00):
This is it. This is my home.
These are this is a wallpaper. This is the furniture.
This is a painting. Please don't destroy my home.
Like please, I'm being so vulnerable and letting you into
my home. Please wipe your feet before you
come in. And letting people in should be
the phrase. I think we go forward.
With yeah. And be respectful, you know,
it's like. Yeah, you don't have.
(22:21):
To come back if you if this if this is not your place.
Then yeah, or, or also don't destroy it, just make me board
up the walls and never welcome anybody.
And because I, I opened up the door, you know, that's kind of
the, the, the way the analogy I like to look at.
And and Speaking of Kayvon, youryour chemistry with him is
impeccable. Was this something from day one
(22:44):
or has it grown and evolved? You know what's so funny?
I never had a chemistry with him.
And that was the one thing I feared that I never would kind
of like I was, if I don't have achemistry with this guy, this
isn't going to work. Because it's very much like, you
know, early on, the idea of Guillermo and Nando was very
kind of like a little sadist masochist, a little bit like
where it was leaning towards cruel almost.
(23:06):
But Nandor or Kayvon doesn't have a cruel bone in his body.
And even though when he plays this wonderful strong, you know,
Al Konodar, like, you know, leader, there's still a softness
to him that doesn't convey like killer, you know, which I think
is why his comedy is so brilliant because talking about
(23:27):
pillaging villages and whatnot, coming from this, you know,
actor portraying his character, even the character is a soft
spot. Even though he's supposed to be
feared. Guillermo doesn't fear him that
way. Like he fears him.
He's seen through the veil. So even in the first episode of
the season, when he goes, we're very scary creatures, vampires,
(23:49):
you know, and then Guillermo goes, he's all get out.
You know, he's just like the idea that he doesn't even like
that whole scene was improvised like that scene with with Nandor
and Guillermo, because I just had some great chemistry.
The first second I met him, I was so worried.
I was like, I hope this works because it doesn't work.
This pie doesn't get picked up. And you know, as a as a as an
actor in LA, you're trying to get the next gig and you're
(24:11):
trying to book, you know, and you're really kind of wanting
something to take off. And at that point, it's been a
while since I've been in a series as a series regular.
So I was like, you know, I really need this gig, you know,
and to meet him was just like a breath of fresh air.
Like when I just saw him, he just went hey, man.
And he gave me the biggest hug. And that's when I knew just like
in my heart of hearts, like knowing like my friend is here,
(24:33):
you know, like, it's like, this is my friend.
Like I have a friend here. This is my friend.
And we've been like, he always makes fun when we're on set.
He just makes a joke. He goes you my best friend.
Like the, the, I've never met anyone that I've had just
chemistry with and, you know, just talking to him like
yesterday and he's a London. And like the idea that like it's
(24:53):
just, it's grown stronger and, and he's been lovely and checks
up on me and my family and I do the same.
So it's the show brought us together, but it's leaving a
lasting impression that it will last, you know, for the rest of
our lives. And it shows up on screen.
It's it's beautiful. It's great to watch.
So last season Guillermo finallyhe got his dream to become a
(25:16):
vampire and it really wasn't what he expected.
So what was that that journey like for you?
Yeah, I mean, I feel like at theend of season five, you know, we
he's getting what he thinks he wants.
And I think he spent so many, you know, over a decade being a
familiar, dreaming about this day.
And then when he finally does it, it's just not the good.
(25:38):
It's not a good balance. It's not it's not in him because
he has a van housing and becauseof that, and Nandor spends the
whole season doing experiments on him to find out what isn't
taking so long and why is he notbeing turned into a vampire as
he should like anyone else. And it's because sometimes
things are out of our hands. You know, it's out of our
control. Like the universe has plans for
us and, and sometimes we get like hints from the universe and
(26:00):
we just ignore them, you know, just like some things are not
meant for us. And we keep fighting it.
And it's like, stop fighting it.The sooner you let go of things
and the sooner you like, just, you know, let the universe send
you messages, like, kind of accept that.
And I feel like with Guillermo, Guillermo did that this season.
It was just not in him, you know?
And then when they killed Derek at the end, you see how
(26:20):
heartbroken he is of like, you can't do this.
This poor guy cannot live this lifestyle.
His lifestyle is not for everyone.
And even at that point when Nander steps in is like, all
right, come on. And then we go back to see
Benny, you know, the necromancerand we put we put him in there.
So we just like no one ever really dies.
And you know what we do in the chat?
(26:42):
That's we always joke. And it was just where do we go
from there? You know?
And now we leave him off in season 5 where he got his wish.
It wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't what was meant for
him. He didn't feel like he could
leave his mom and and his familybehind.
And, and now where do we go? And that's where we start.
Seeing The Six is a new chapter.Yeah, it was kind of sad to
(27:03):
watch 'cause you're like, OK, he's there, he's getting the
dream, you know, he's reached the the finish line and then
you're like, oh, wait, this isn't for him.
And, you know, wait, that that'sgot to be heartbreaking for him
and, you know, and the fans. Yeah.
And it was tragic to see him. Like, you know, there's a scene
where Myrna who plays his mom and such a great actress, It was
(27:24):
just like saying goodbye to yourmom, knowing that you'll never
see her again because of the choices that you've made.
Not because you have to go far away, not because you're going
out to school or you're, you know, it's because of the
choices that you made. This was your choice.
You want this so bad that it's kind of it's going to compromise
the only like family member thatyou you have close to your, to
(27:45):
you. And if that's worth it to you,
if that's worth it so much that you're going to lose your only
blood relative that's close to you is your mom.
And that's how bad you want this.
And it's kind of asks you the question of like, when do we
draw the line? You know, when does our
aspirations become kind of selfish and, and, and take over
(28:07):
what really matters in life? You know, it's just like you
want something so bad that it you'll get it at any cost.
And, and Guillermo got to that point and it was like, I he
couldn't do it. And so you had to back
backpedal. And do you have a favorite
episode? From this season or just in
general? From just in general, just, you
know, it doesn't matter if it's,you know, because it has to be
(28:27):
because of your performance, butjust just one that really stands
out for you. You know what?
I really love all the writers onthe on the show.
I think I really resonate with alot of Sarah Neftalis writing.
Every time I read one of her scripts, when Sarah started on
the show, I kept telling her I was like your your writing is
like, you know, I always know when you write for Guillermo
(28:47):
because she really kind of captures Guillermo's voice
really well. So whenever I read a script, I
would never read the cover page.I'd try to figure out who the
writer was and I would just go straight to the dialogue.
And then as soon like a couple of pages in, I would go, this is
Sarah Nefalas. And I looked to the front and it
was she wrote a really great episode, which was The Curse,
which is the the vampires get cursed by Bloody Mary.
(29:12):
I think that she's on the phone and he, Guillermo goes with the
mosquito hunters of the tri-state area and they found a
vampire home and they're like, we're going to we're going to go
and confront them. And he thinks it's them.
And I just love the the setup ofthat comedy because it's like he
has to sneak in the back of the van and call him the phone and
(29:33):
he has to call and he has the answering machine and they think
it's bloody Mary calling and theanswer she goes peep and it's
like, it's me going like you getout of the house, you got to get
out, you're going to die, you know, whispering in the back of
the van. And the idea that they hear it
on their end, like you're going to die.
It's like they, they just the the comic, like, you know, the
comical like moments of just like the silliness of that of
(29:54):
like this set up is so perfect. Like they get me calling them to
warn them. They think it's bloody Mary.
Like that's one of my favorite episodes and I love the mosquito
gang. I really do think we could have
had them more. I think as the years went by
because they added such a different formula to the show.
And also Guillermo was kind of like idolized by them.
Like they thought he was cool and like it showed a different
(30:15):
way. It showed a different kind of
light on Guillermo. Like he goes home and he gets
treated like crap by the vampires, but then he goes out
with these, you know, people their his own age and they think
he's the coolest. And it's just like, is it
nature, you know, versus nurture, you know, because it's
like, if Guillermo grew up in this environment, would his
personality, would his self esteem be different because he
(30:38):
was with these, with these, you know, with the mosquito hunters
and they made him feel great. Like he was like, wow, why do I
not hanging out with you guys all the time?
Then he goes back home and they're like, yeah, well, you
stupid. You know, it's just like, it's
like nurture versus nature, you know.
And so that was a nice dynamic that I saw.
And so that I think that's one of my favorite episodes, but
there's so many to pick and I could change my mind tomorrow.
(30:58):
But I think I was very fond of that.
I think Kayvon's very fond. He loves the mosquitoes, too.
I I mean, I think every episode you watch like, Oh, that's my
favorite and then you watch the next one.
Oh, wait, that's my favorite. Then you know, it's like you go
back and rewatch one, like, Oh, wait, no, they're, they're all
good. There's it's like one of those
shows that just has a steady level of quality.
It never dips, but it's the bar is so high.
(31:20):
It's, it's really if someone wants to jump in 3rd season,
first season, there's no like, oh, no, wait, wait till the 2nd
about halfway through. No, it's like start episode one
or start episode. You know, 57, you're out.
You're it's a winner. So if there's a 57, so your,
your role became much more physical, you know, over the
(31:42):
years, over the seasons. Do you do your own stunts to do,
to do a lot of training to to prepare for it?
Yeah, so I did pretty much all my own stunts with the exception
of like, maybe one or two that for insurance purposes they
wouldn't let me do. They were like, no, 'cause there
was one scene where, like, Josh was an amazing my stunt double,
he rolled back off the staircaseover his neck.
(32:04):
And so I was like, yeah, probably better, probably
better. I don't do that one.
That was probably the best one to not do.
And for the most part, people don't believe that I do my own
stunts. But I'm glad that I took like
rehearsal footage and because people are amazed at like, you
know, people judge a book by their cover, you know, and the
that's, that's unfortunate. But I wanted to do as much as I
could. And they tested me.
(32:25):
You know, they're like, can you do this?
And they add a little more, can you do that?
And, you know, take our stunt director and coordinator.
He was amazing. He was, you know, like kind of
taken back. He was like, you know, a lot of
actors don't even bother to do their own stunts.
And I was like, well, I'm not like other actors.
You know, I want to do the most I can because for so long I've
been told you can't do, you can't do do, you can't do A, you
can't do B, you can't do C And so if I can do this as much as I
(32:47):
can, I want to do it. If I'm capable and you think
it's possible, then I want to domy best.
And some of my favorite moments are rehearsing for, you know,
the stunt scenes, you know, likeI had to learn how to like do
like a whole stick, you know, routine in an hour, you know,
and like do it and then show it off on the camera with an hour
after learning and stuff like that, where it's like it
(33:08):
challenges a different part of your brain because I call it
like a ballet. And I always say that doing
stunts is like you land on your mark like a ballet, like it's
like, or, or a dance, like you have to go with one and two and
three. And if you miss that count,
someone gets hurt. So your counts have to be, you
know, on point and they have to be on the right mark.
So that's for me, I see it as a dance.
(33:29):
And so when I see the dance, it's an easier pick up as
opposed to like seeing as like aoh, and then my arm goes here
and then I jump out the window. It's like, and you go here and,
and one and two and kick. And you know, for me it works
that way and it's exciting and it's fun and got you out of a
window and do flips and parkour.I do some parkour this season
coming up and I wanted to do parkour for like a while, which
(33:52):
is a really quick moment. But like it's still fun that
like they they were able to throw it in there.
But I do, I love being my own stunts and people are always
amazed of it, you know? That's great.
I I'll have to watch it again and not knowing now that that's
you except for the the rolling in your neck now that it's over,
(34:13):
how has the series changed you? Well, I made it's been such a
journey. Like it's definitely been used
as a platform to use my voice has been used as a launchpad to,
you know, other projects that people have become such fans of
this show that, you know, I didn't really do voiceover at
(34:35):
all until I did shadows. And I have not not for lack of
trying, because I've been tryingto voiceover for years.
But I think voiceover is so hardto get into because if you think
about everyone who goes to LA and Hollywood and doesn't want
to be in front of the camera, they're self-conscious about
their looks or how they sound oncamera or whatnot.
Voice over. It's just you behind a
microphone. You can sound however you want.
And so I think it's a harder, you know, bubble to break into.
(34:58):
And I wasn't able to break into that until probably second
season of Shadows when casting directors were really kind and
saw the show were like, oh, you might be a good fit for this
voice. And then you get another call
and then you get an offer. And then before you know it,
you're just doing tons of reallycool voice over.
Like I got to be like, you know,childhood dreams of like
Nightwing, you know, got to playNightwing and got to be part of
(35:20):
the Shrek world with Puss in Boots and things that I grew up
like watching and like want to be a part of.
And then also live action stuff that I get to be a part of and
stuff that is yet to come out, stuff that I'm about to film,
stuff that like, you know, everything led to something
bigger and better just because of your last, you know,
(35:41):
production. And for me, Shadows was that
because it's been that for the last six seasons, you know, or
six years. So I'm very grateful to, you
know, Tycho, Jermaine, the creators and FX and everyone.
And I'm excited for what the future holds.
And I'm so glad to be part of something that I know is going
to be part of people's memories and hearts and and TV history.
(36:08):
And now that it's it's done, howtough was it to say goodbye?
How? How tough was that last day of
shooting? So we wrapped on May 2nd, which
is Matt Berry's birthday. And so they held this big cake
for Matt and whatnot and we wentfor like 1130.
And you know, it was emotional. We were drinking champagne and
crying and at midnight, my birthday is May 3rd.
(36:28):
And so at midnight someone said oh, it's your birthday.
And I was like, oh, and I just completely was like, wow, like
closing of a chapter and then starting to have a new year
around the sun, you know? And so it's kind of this weird,
like cathartic, you know, like way of like letting go of like,
oh, man, that's so many years ofmy life in this set with these
(36:51):
people. So emotional.
But life is going on. Like we started a new birthday
year, which is nice to like celebrate.
I always say I'm always gratefulto be if it's my birthday and
people say, oh, do you have, if you have to work on your
birthday, do you get, you know, are you upset or sad?
I was like, no, I was like, I love working on my birthday
'cause if I can work on my birthday and I have family and
friends visit or you know, if I'm on set, everything I love is
(37:16):
tangible within 5 feet. And so if it's my birthday and I
can see everyone that I love to work with, see my family, give
them a hug and I'm working, I'm doing what I love.
Everything you love is within 5 feet.
That's wonderful. And I like your outlook in life.
You've a lot of, you know, things you said just in this
(37:36):
last 20 minutes or so that like,yeah, that's it, that's a better
perspective. I I need to adopt them?
Well, you know, you just got to think positive.
Well, you do and it seems to be working out, so I'm going to
I'll try to start it tomorrow. I'll.
Take a break. And then I'll jump in.
So let's close in this with the What We Do in the Shadows talk,
but three words to describe Guillermo. 3 words to describe
(38:00):
Guillermo. I would say determined, loving
and aspirational. 3 positive words.
Yeah, we could all be a little more like Guillermo sometimes.
I I agree, I like it. Myself included.
(38:22):
Giving that impression today. So it's it's great to put
characters out there, though that that give people something
to latch onto something, especially a character that is
kind of the underdog and say, wait, you know what?
There are things to appreciate or to respect or to, you know,
kind of aspire to within this character who wasn't, you know,
the top billing, who wasn't the vampire, who was, you know, just
a human. So yeah.
(38:44):
So let's close out with some TV topics.
My first question is you grab your remote control, a genie
comes out granting you one wish.Based on this question, what TV
show would you like one more season of?
And it could be an extra season and at the end, so the season
series could have ended like youcould have a season 7 to What We
Do in the Shadows, one in the middle where you want to add a
(39:05):
little more depth and dive into the characters or even like a
prequel season. Same cast, same crew, no matter
what the situation. This is magic.
So any season, any series. I mean, I have to go back to
strangers with candy. I would love to get another
season of strangers with candy just I love it so much.
Or I mean, I Love Lucy ran for so long.
(39:27):
But like, you know, those are always great episodes.
But I've seen strangers with candy for sure all.
Right. Would it be at the end with like
an extra season or where would it fit in?
I would say it could either be in the middle, another season in
the middle 'cause I think the way it ended was great, or a
little bit of a prequel, like with flashbacks of where,
(39:51):
because Jerry always has like, you know, moments of where she
was in high school and whatnot. So yeah, I would, I would say go
back to the beginning or somewhere in the middle.
Sounds good and what would Garammost favorite TV show be if he's
watching TV right now? Probably if he was watching TV,
if he was watching, he's probably watching What We do in
(40:11):
the shadows. Like if it wasn't me playing,
you're probably watching that because he loves vampires.
He loves, you know, folklore andlike vampire lore and like he
loves that world. So I think he would be watching
that or Interview with the Vampire, which is his favorite
movie. You.
(40:33):
Know sounds right and if you could live in one TV show
popping in and out whenever you want to so you don't have to
give up any of your life, your real life.
You just have like a magic door.You open it up.
You can be part of that world. Which would it be and why?
And it could be a show that's existed, you know exists now or
has been off the air for 50 years.
It could be anything. I I think it'd be fun to pop in.
(40:54):
When I was younger I always had reruns of like the Brady Bunch
and I was thought they'd just like the most random stuff
happen and, and, and day-to-day stuff.
So they'll be kind of fun to like pop into the Brady Bunch.
Yeah. Probably the The Brady Bunch
would be fun to pop into, yeah. You never know who's going to be
there. Yeah, you ever know, it's just
(41:14):
Davy Jones or. Yeah, exactly.
All right, I like it. So that's it for now.
That's the last the TV topics questions.
I really enjoyed listening to all your answers and getting
this, you know, this real insight into, into your, your
work and your character. And I'm looking, oh, yeah,
actually, I have one more question.
You know, I guess you may as well ask what can we expect from
(41:35):
the final season? Well, it's a new chapter and
everyone kind of goes on the journey and I think there's some
really funny, funny, funny stuffthat happens this season.
I've already said that we can expect some more parkour and a
couple more fight scenes. You don't know between who but
(41:58):
or I won't tell between who, butthere are fight scenes to be had
and and it's gonna be a great season for them to go on a new
journey together. Were you pleased with the
ending? Like when all said and done, was
it a good good, good closure? Yeah, I think when I read it, I
was like, oh, I was like, actually, yeah, yeah, that does
(42:19):
make sense. Yeah.
You know, I think it's gonna be without getting you to say too
much. I'm not looking for too much,
just I don't. I don't like spoilers myself.
I think it's gonna be, it's gonna be the, the ending that,
(42:41):
that, that you walk away with and say, yeah, that's how I
would put it. That's how I see it.
Yeah. I think people are gonna walk
away with the with the with thatmentality, I think.
All right, I'll come back in a few months, review these words
again after watching it and say,oh, wait, was he right or wrong?
(43:02):
So, yeah, well, thank you so much.
Yep. Thank you so much for your time,
your work on the series. I'm glad that we have another
season to watch and that there'salways rewind so I can always go
back and and enjoy my pals in Staten Island.
So thank you so much. You're always welcome back.
Thanks so much. Have a great day.
Thank you. Thank you so much to Harvey for
being our guest on TV Topics. Congratulations on all of his
(43:26):
amazing work. We're looking forward to season
6 of What We Do in the Shadows. Be sure to watch Harvey's work
on What We Do in the Shadows seasons one through 5 streaming
on Hulu as we wait for that season 6, which is supposed to
premiere sometime this year. A shout out goes to Emily Au for
our funky theme song and also toour announcer, Carrie Loya.
You can find him at carrieloyavo.com.
(43:48):
It's in our profile. You can follow me directly on
Twitter, Letterbox and Instagram, all at Film Stork.
Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more TV Topics.
TV Topics is produced by StephenPrzukowski.
ZAP.
Hey, where's the remote? It's time for TV TOPICS, where
those who love television discuss the series and
performances that should be on your radar.
Welcome back to TV TOPICS. I'm your host Stephen
Prusakowski. Hanging out today on TV TOPICS
is an actor who took flight as Nightwing on Max's very animated
(00:24):
Harley Quinn. His career went to the dogs in a
good way, with Pareto in The Puss in Boots, The Last Wish,
then as Odie in the Garfield movie.
We've also gotten very familiar with him over five seasons as
Guillermo on What We Do in the Shadows.
Of course I'm talking about the great Harvey Guillen.
Hi, this is Harvey Guillen and today I'm hanging out with
(00:45):
Stephen Pusikowski on TV Topics.So into some of your work and
what we do in the shadows in just a few.
But first, let's talk some TV topics.
Remember, there's no pressure, there's no right or wrong
answers, It's all just a bit of fun.
So looking back over the years, what is your relationship with
TV? Ben?
Are you ATV junkie? Do you watch everything or
you're very selective? I think TV has been a huge part
(01:06):
of my life. I fell in love with acting while
watching TV and I was watching amovie.
Actually, it was Annie, the 1984classic that was being played
during the holiday break when I was home from school.
And I thought, I thought it was ATV show.
I thought it was not a movie because we didn't really go to
the theater growing up. We, my mom was a single mom, you
(01:29):
know, working two jobs. That was a luxury going to the
going to the theater. And so watching TV was actually
like a, a nice treat. Like it was like, you know,
after working, if you got your homework done or if you, my mom
came home from work and she decided to watch like Salvador
Gigante or something. It was a treat.
(01:50):
It was like a that was the the luxury.
It was like, you deserve an escape for a little bit.
And so my relationship with TV has always been something to
look forward to. And so to be a part of the
entertainment industry and it's specifically being on ATV show
that's been on the air for, you know, now five seasons is
nothing, you know, but incredible.
(02:12):
It's just it's just been great. It's my relationship with TV is
I love it. It's the the TV kind of molded
me into like the performer I am today.
It's beautiful. And again, you're giving that
same joy to someone else. There's someone else who's like,
this is my break, This is my free time.
I'm gonna go watch Harvey and the and the the Staten Island
(02:33):
crew of vampires and you know, and release and enjoy and
escape. Yeah, it's so true.
And like, I mean, going into thefield of television and acting,
I, you know, you don't do it forlike accolade or you don't do it
for, you just do it 'cause you're lucky enough to do what
you love. And when I every day when I go
to work, I'm like, wow, I get todo what I love.
It's just to, to look back and to see if that helps anybody,
(02:57):
anyone at all. Like, you know, during pandemic,
we had a lot of people who kind of reached out and told us that
the show kind of became their escape during a really hard
time. I notice that that was amazing
because, you know, we aren't first responders or we're not
medical professionals or doctorsand we can't prescribe anything.
But the only thing we can do is give you the, I guess the best
medicine is laughter because youdo an escape.
(03:20):
We can make you escape for, you know, 30 minutes and for 30
minutes. We're not in that world here in
this world that we create it foryou.
And I think we all can use an escape, you know, once in a
while. So I'm very lucky to be part of
that formula. So OK, that's a good segue.
What show makes you laugh most? Is it one that you put on when
you need need to pick me up or just always makes you laugh?
(03:42):
You know what? I, I, I, when I was little, I
would, I would watch shows that were not age appropriate.
Like I remember watching like SNL and I remember watching and
wanting to be on SNL so bad and wanting to host SNL.
And I remember watching Mad TVI also remember watching, which
became my ultimate favorite, which is strangers with candy
(04:03):
with Amy Sedaris. And I remember watching that in
chess, quoting that at school and getting in trouble because
it was very much adult humor. And I just got it.
I don't know why I was just like, I get it.
It's so funny, but some things you don't get, you know,
sometimes you you're as a kid, you're as you become an adult,
you're like, oh, oh, like that makes sense now.
(04:28):
But yeah, I would say my go to would be, you know, classic like
SNL and Strange with candy. Any current ones that are kind
of made that list? Current ones aside obviously
from the great show I get to work on, there's there's so much
(04:48):
good TV out right now. It's just I, I tend to like
escape from what I do for a living now as an adult with
watching just reality TV. So I escape and do that for a
little bit, but then I come back, you know, I've been
watching dramas a lot lately andShogun has been really great.
(05:10):
Another, you know, couple of comedies that are the great that
are always like, you know, we always see them at events and
stuff that are always our contenders for for events and
whatnot is like hacks. The cast is great.
The creators of that are great. Got to meet them and they're
fantastic. Also, you know, I'll say Hacks
(05:32):
is probably the one that I'm watching and the other two, the
other two has another shown also, you know, know, the cast
and creators of that. And so just fun to always see
like people that you know, and then you're like, Oh my gosh, I
have to go out. And then you watch the show and
they come up to you and they're like, I just love you on your
show. I love you on your show.
It's like, it's really nice, like moment of like when you
(05:54):
have this like instant rapport with a fellow, you know, artist
who appreciates the work you're doing because you're
appreciating the work they're doing obviously.
And it's like a a love fest. And with so much different
content out there now, like the other two is one that I don't
feel it ever got the audience itdeserved.
And it came and it's gone now. And you're like, you know, I
mean, there's so much to discussabout it.
(06:15):
Same with what we do in the shadows.
I said, I try to pitch it to my friends.
I said, you know what, I'm not going to pitch it.
Just trust me. I've told you before, I watch a
show you you've watched it, you liked it.
Do it with this one because I cannot do it justice.
And it's a shame that, I mean, it's great that we have so much
content to choose from, but you really wish like that everybody
(06:35):
had like a, a Guillermo tattoo on their.
Shoulder, you know that everybody was like people do.
The old days when you had three networks, it was like.
Yeah, it's true. You're right.
It was three networks. It was much easier.
I think there's just so much content out there that's so
saturated with so much good stuff and so much stuff that's
just filler. You know that you're like, I
watched that for a whole season.I wasted my whole time frame
(06:55):
watching that when I could have been watching.
I don't know, But I feel like with our show, you know, I never
knew we were going to make it past the pilot 'cause it was, I
thought it was so good. And usually good things like
don't last long. And so I was kind of like, oh,
here we go. Any minute now they're going to
tell us we got the axe and we didn't.
And we got first seasons, we gotpicked up and 2nd season and 3rd
season and then four and five and then then, you know, now
(07:19):
with our 6th and final season. And that's in today's, you know,
like age, like that's a long run.
Like no one gets six seasons in a show.
And for the vampire show with their human familiar that could,
it's kind of like that's the biggest, you know, kind of badge
of honour. It's like people like the show
and, you know, people love the show and whether people don't
(07:39):
know about it yet, I think we'regoing to become one of those
things that we'll discover. And they're like, Oh my gosh,
why didn't I discover this sooner?
And then it's like, well, you know, Steven trying to tell you
and you didn't listen, but that's OK because everyone who
who ends up discovering at whatever time to discover it,
that's the way it was meant to be.
Like some people come and I've met people at comic cons.
(08:01):
They're like, my husband and I just discovered this show two
weeks ago. We watched all the seasons and I
was like in two weeks. And I was like, wow, they're
like, no, we couldn't stop. So sometimes it's meant for
people to watch it and their trajectory is like watching it
all at once and binging it. That's probably the way it, you
know, it was meant to be for them.
But yeah, you know, you can't force someone to watch
something. It's going to happen naturally.
(08:22):
And and the people who do find us and love us is were meant to
be, you know, in our in our world.
Well, just a little follow up. I had several people who I did
recommend this to who all did the same thing.
They all binged it. I said, did you watch it yet?
And like, I'm like ready to be disappointed.
But yeah, I'm on season 4. I'm like, what?
You know, it was like 2 weeks ago.
You, you finally. Yeah, they love it.
(08:42):
And they have like to tell me, Ilove this character.
I love this. It's such, I mean this, I think
it's one of the most dense comedic shows out there with
like every, you know, every edit, every line, every raised
eyebrow is part of the comedy. And I'm like, and if you like to
laugh, you know, it's, it's 30 minutes back-to-back, you know,
or you get it to end of, of comedy.
(09:05):
I love that. Yeah, it's true.
It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a quick burn.
You know, they go so quickly andwe cram so much in and like, and
really it's 30 minutes, but withcommercials you really get like
2122 minutes. So we're moving along, you know,
we move the story along. Is there one TV character that
you connected with most? It could be.
It doesn't matter if you know good or bad or ugly, just one
(09:25):
that like you remember that like.
I mean, growing, growing up, I, I remember watching reruns as
well with my dad of Cantinflas, which was kind of like the male
equivalent of Isle of Lucy in black and white.
Very farcical physical comedy. I tend to be very expressive and
(09:46):
I can't hide what I'm thinking. My face can't hide it.
So, you know, all those Guillermo like kind of
mannerisms and facial expressions are just me like
trying to not trying to show what I'm really thinking, but
I'm definitely showing. So I think like that and like
Lucille Ball, like I Love Lucy watching her and like how it's
(10:10):
just it's it's an art, you know,like watching how to convey
something without words. And for the first part of the
show, Guillermo didn't talk a lot in season one.
He didn't say much. Guillermo was a familiar.
He was there as a right hand. And to Nandor, he was almost
like a ornament. And the story moved along
without him saying much words. It said it with his face.
(10:33):
And so I think that's that goes a long way, you know, like
trying to tell a story where youdon't need subtitles, you don't
need any translation, you don't need even words.
The face can get tell a whole story just by by showing what
you're thinking. Did you practice those in the
(10:54):
mirror or do you just like feel it?
Like where? Where does that come from?
I think it comes naturally in inmy household or very expressive.
My mom is very much like, she can say one thing.
She's like, oh, it's like, is that OK if we go there or
whatever? Yeah, that's fine.
You know, birthdays the same an opposite kind of like way.
And it's like, mom, we can tell that you don't.
No, no, no, it's fine. We should.
(11:14):
It's like it's just a it's very expressive and just like no one
can can lie like their faces just tell everything.
And so it's being very transparent without sometimes
having to use like, you know, kid gloves or something where
you're just being like, you're just like, I can tell.
It's just let's talk about it, you know, And so that's where it
(11:35):
kind of came from. But also I've always been very
expressive and I'm very a big fan of like, you know, big
farce. And I love 3 Cam and so those
and I love Broadway. So reading to the backroom was
always like a thing that I was like told, you know, growing up
and doing theater, it was like, it's bigger.
It has to reach at the back of the room, you know, and and so
(11:58):
how to do that for television, it's it's harder because you
have to condense that and it can't be as big as to be
grounded. And Guillermo is probably the
most grounded character I've I've ever played because he's
very soft spoken. He's not a farce.
He's very subtle. And he never raises his voice
louder than a soft whisper, you know, And it's just the way that
(12:19):
he is and his his emotions come from what you see him on his
face. And so it's kind of great that I
get to play a little bit of a old, you know, Broadway and
stage trick on television while still being grounded, which
usually it's not, you know, don't go hand in hand, I think.
And talking about emotions and and expressing them.
(12:39):
Are you a crier? And if so, what's the last show
that made you cry? I think the last show that made
me cry was probably the a drama I was probably watching where I
got teary eyed. It was it was probably Shogun.
Like I was watching Shogun. It was a scene where he has to
(13:00):
go back and and basically sacrifice their male son baby.
And I was just like, what? That was.
Yeah, that was probably the lasttime.
That's why I probably stopped watching dramas for a little
second. But that's for the last time.
I it's so funny for a comedy that in the show, we, we, we're
doing the comedy. But for a comedy, I always think
(13:21):
jokes that Guillermo has had themost emotional dramatic growth
and journey on this show becausehe cries a lot because he's a
human. And we have to remember that in
this world that we created with vampires, the vampires are
bigger than life. They're, you know, their voices,
their, their glamour, their wealth, their sex drive,
(13:43):
everything is just bigger than life.
And Guillermo's still human and he still has aspirational, you
know, moments that he wants to like, see through.
And sometimes things don't work out for your for yourself, Like
you him wanting to be a vampire and not working out and saying
goodbye to his mom is really traumatic as a human.
Imagine saying no to your mom and knowing that you'll never
(14:04):
see them again. Because if you do see them,
they're Van Helsing as well. And they have it in their blood
to kill you, to kill their own son.
And you would have the instinct to defend yourself and attack
them. So it's like this.
It was so funny because we wouldjoke on set all the time that
how many times is Guillermo going to cry in one season?
(14:26):
And like, the idea that like even the, you know, the camera,
the GP, the joke is that, you know, Guillermo is the only one
with a beating heart. Like, you know, he's the only
one with the emotions and, and fears like that because he is
still human and we're so fragileas humans.
We're here today and gone tomorrow.
And time is of the essence. And so he lives every day, like
(14:49):
with this, like, fear of, you know, of what could happen and
what is not happening and what is ahead of him.
And so, like, I feel that I got to play that so well in the last
five years thanks to the writers.
But such a beautiful story are that we see an emotional side to
this one human character on a comedy show.
They're making people laugh, youknow?
(15:11):
And so how was the role of Guillermo pitched to you?
Because he changed quite a bit since that's first season, as
you, as you mentioned, you know what, what was it about him that
you wanted to play and what did you, you know, expect him to be?
I think the first time I let me think, I think if well, they
didn't pitch it to me. They literally did not pitch it
(15:34):
to me. They basically said didn't I
went to one in cheese night. I went to one in cheese night
that my friend Mimi was having and I met her and her brother.
There were seeing her the new, her newborn baby who's now like
8 years old. We were going on 9 like this is
a baby. When I met this baby was like a
(15:56):
couple months old and I met themat her brother's house.
And at that party there was a girl by the name of Yvonne that
I met. And I said hello.
And then basically she got my number from Mimi.
And the next day, she texted me and said, what's it called?
It said, hey, you should audition for my fiance's new
(16:16):
show. And I was like, OK, what?
I was like, yeah, you should audition for the show.
And I said, OK. And I called my agent.
I said, this girl I met at a party, her name's Eva.
And she told me to audition for this show.
And then they're like, what's her last name?
And I was like, hmm, good question.
Did not get a last name. And so we're going back and
forth and finding out that, like, she was engaged to one of
(16:38):
the producers on the show and they had already cast Kayvon,
Natasha, Matt and Mark. That was the last piece.
And they gave me a complimentaryedition with, you know, Allison,
and she's a casting director. And I wanted to meet her so
badly because I'd never gone in for Allison Jones.
And so I wanted just to go and make an impression with her.
I, I knew the part wasn't right for me because Viera was 25
(17:00):
years older than I am. And so the part was never right
for me. And I went in there and thought,
what would this character be like in my like body, in my age
and my everything? And I just went and did it.
And I was told within a couple of hours that they saw the tape
that I would be testing. But I was the wild card and I
made a career to being the wild card.
(17:20):
Like if you look at my resume, most of the things that I booked
are never things that were meantfor me, that were written for
someone else. Usually it's like blonde, blue
eyed, tall, 6 pack. Like they're usually not written
for me. I'm usually the wild card for
the most part, which means you go in, you do your best of the
character and they're like, thatis very good.
And they think, well, why couldn't he look like this?
Why couldn't they be, you know, this height?
(17:42):
Why couldn't they have, you know, why couldn't the DPOC, why
couldn't they? All these things come to play
and with the Guillermo was no exception.
Like they said, I was a wild card, I never tested.
Couple weeks went by and I knew they started filming that
Tuesday after Martin Luther KingHoliday Monday and it was
Sunday, Sunday night and I was driving around with my sister
and I was like, I didn't get it.They started filming this week.
(18:03):
I was a wild card, I never tested.
They probably found someone, they had opened the auditions up
to a female I think, at one point.
And it was just weird because I was like, I didn't get it.
And then I got a call from a 16 digit number or something and
picked it up and it was like, hey, is this hobby?
And I was like, yeah, so hey, it's Tycho and Jermaine.
And I was like, oh, hey, yeah, Ithink I'm testing.
You're not testing. And I was like, oh, thank you so
much for the opportunity. I wish you the best.
(18:24):
And I was like, no, no, you're not testing because you're the
main. We'll see you on set and booked
it. And I knew I they had called me
directly. They never called my agent.
So I called my agent on a Sundayon a holiday weekend and told
them I booked it. And they're like, no, Harvey,
they call us and I was like, no,I booked it.
They told me. And I must have sounded crazy to
them, but I booked it. And then the holiday happened
(18:45):
Monday, sometime in between that.
By Monday we knew that I had booked it and I was I had a
fitting on Tuesday and then I was on set and I was filming the
pilot. That's a a wonderful story and
it can now it's like, can anyoneimagine anyone but you in this
role? I don't think so.
I know it's so funny because when I first met Natasha
Dimitri, like on the trailer, she the first thing she said to
(19:08):
me was not hello. The first thing she said was
like she goes hi. She was like, hi, I'm Natasha.
You know, my brother was up for your pot.
I know what you did, but you gotit.
I was just like, hello, nice to meet you.
She basically said that. She said my brother was up for
your for your part. I think he was on hold for
Guillermo La Cruz, her brother Jamie, which I don't know.
That would have been a differenttake on Guillermo La Cruz if if
(19:30):
Jamie Dimitri did it, but that he was on hold for the role.
And it was just funny that the very last minute, the very last
minute, I came in and kind of swooped in and, and, and, and
show what I could do. And here we are.
And so much revolves around the character.
So did that. Do you know if that changed?
Like what did you expect when you came in and and and do you
(19:51):
know if your casting changed the, you know the trajectory of
of Guillermo? Yeah.
I think there was always a sensethat like Guillermo, like the
relationship between him and Andrew was like, what kind of
relationship is this? It's a love relationship.
And can you be in love with the same sex you know?
Employee an employer and is thathealthy and is it sexual or is
(20:14):
it admiration? Is it from so I remember early
on I I was very careful about the way that I play Guillermo
wits not to feel like it was like a like he was.
He had admiration for his masterand and boss and whatnot, but it
didn't have to feel like it was crossing the line of love, even
(20:35):
though the fans really love that.
I needed to walk on that tightrope because it's still a
workplace and it's still like, is this what he wants?
Is this Also at that point, Guillermo was not talking about
sexuality because he doesn't like he quoted.
He doesn't kiss and tell becausehe doesn't, you know, kiss and
he wasn't very like these vampires are very sexual.
They have multiple partners, same sex partners that are all
(20:57):
queer. All the all the vampires, the
energy vampire included, are allqueer.
And so we're very queer show without it being known as being
a queer show because it's like it's normalized.
It's like they're just vampires that do what they want.
And it's like that's true. They do what they want.
Wouldn't it be funny if they would be normalized to just let
people, human beings do what they want to do and be who they
(21:18):
want to be and love who they want to love?
And it just, that's normal. Let them be.
But it's funny because we put inthe world of vampires.
Everyone accepts it. You know, we're like, yeah,
that's cool because they're vampires.
But it's also like if the human,which is Guillermo, never talks
about sexuality. And when he finally does, he it
took a while for him to kind of come into his own.
And remember, when people come out, they don't really, you
(21:39):
know, come out that it's not, it's the word coming out.
It sounds so funny. It's like you don't wake up one
day and say I'm queer or I'm gay.
I'm going to go tell everybody. People who are queer know that
they're queer. They're not coming out.
The, the, the, the wording should be changed to letting you
in. When they tell you who they are,
they're letting you in. They're welcoming you into their
home. They're opening the door and
saying, hey, I want you to take a look.
(22:00):
This is it. This is my home.
These are this is a wallpaper. This is the furniture.
This is a painting. Please don't destroy my home.
Like please, I'm being so vulnerable and letting you into
my home. Please wipe your feet before you
come in. And letting people in should be
the phrase. I think we go forward.
With yeah. And be respectful, you know,
it's like. Yeah, you don't have.
(22:21):
To come back if you if this if this is not your place.
Then yeah, or, or also don't destroy it, just make me board
up the walls and never welcome anybody.
And because I, I opened up the door, you know, that's kind of
the, the, the way the analogy I like to look at.
And and Speaking of Kayvon, youryour chemistry with him is
impeccable. Was this something from day one
(22:44):
or has it grown and evolved? You know what's so funny?
I never had a chemistry with him.
And that was the one thing I feared that I never would kind
of like I was, if I don't have achemistry with this guy, this
isn't going to work. Because it's very much like, you
know, early on, the idea of Guillermo and Nando was very
kind of like a little sadist masochist, a little bit like
where it was leaning towards cruel almost.
(23:06):
But Nandor or Kayvon doesn't have a cruel bone in his body.
And even though when he plays this wonderful strong, you know,
Al Konodar, like, you know, leader, there's still a softness
to him that doesn't convey like killer, you know, which I think
is why his comedy is so brilliant because talking about
(23:27):
pillaging villages and whatnot, coming from this, you know,
actor portraying his character, even the character is a soft
spot. Even though he's supposed to be
feared. Guillermo doesn't fear him that
way. Like he fears him.
He's seen through the veil. So even in the first episode of
the season, when he goes, we're very scary creatures, vampires,
(23:49):
you know, and then Guillermo goes, he's all get out.
You know, he's just like the idea that he doesn't even like
that whole scene was improvised like that scene with with Nandor
and Guillermo, because I just had some great chemistry.
The first second I met him, I was so worried.
I was like, I hope this works because it doesn't work.
This pie doesn't get picked up. And you know, as a as a as an
actor in LA, you're trying to get the next gig and you're
(24:11):
trying to book, you know, and you're really kind of wanting
something to take off. And at that point, it's been a
while since I've been in a series as a series regular.
So I was like, you know, I really need this gig, you know,
and to meet him was just like a breath of fresh air.
Like when I just saw him, he just went hey, man.
And he gave me the biggest hug. And that's when I knew just like
in my heart of hearts, like knowing like my friend is here,
(24:33):
you know, like, it's like, this is my friend.
Like I have a friend here. This is my friend.
And we've been like, he always makes fun when we're on set.
He just makes a joke. He goes you my best friend.
Like the, the, I've never met anyone that I've had just
chemistry with and, you know, just talking to him like
yesterday and he's a London. And like the idea that like it's
(24:53):
just, it's grown stronger and, and he's been lovely and checks
up on me and my family and I do the same.
So it's the show brought us together, but it's leaving a
lasting impression that it will last, you know, for the rest of
our lives. And it shows up on screen.
It's it's beautiful. It's great to watch.
So last season Guillermo finallyhe got his dream to become a
(25:16):
vampire and it really wasn't what he expected.
So what was that that journey like for you?
Yeah, I mean, I feel like at theend of season five, you know, we
he's getting what he thinks he wants.
And I think he spent so many, you know, over a decade being a
familiar, dreaming about this day.
And then when he finally does it, it's just not the good.
(25:38):
It's not a good balance. It's not it's not in him because
he has a van housing and becauseof that, and Nandor spends the
whole season doing experiments on him to find out what isn't
taking so long and why is he notbeing turned into a vampire as
he should like anyone else. And it's because sometimes
things are out of our hands. You know, it's out of our
control. Like the universe has plans for
us and, and sometimes we get like hints from the universe and
(26:00):
we just ignore them, you know, just like some things are not
meant for us. And we keep fighting it.
And it's like, stop fighting it.The sooner you let go of things
and the sooner you like, just, you know, let the universe send
you messages, like, kind of accept that.
And I feel like with Guillermo, Guillermo did that this season.
It was just not in him, you know?
And then when they killed Derek at the end, you see how
(26:20):
heartbroken he is of like, you can't do this.
This poor guy cannot live this lifestyle.
His lifestyle is not for everyone.
And even at that point when Nander steps in is like, all
right, come on. And then we go back to see
Benny, you know, the necromancerand we put we put him in there.
So we just like no one ever really dies.
And you know what we do in the chat?
(26:42):
That's we always joke. And it was just where do we go
from there? You know?
And now we leave him off in season 5 where he got his wish.
It wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't what was meant for
him. He didn't feel like he could
leave his mom and and his familybehind.
And, and now where do we go? And that's where we start.
Seeing The Six is a new chapter.Yeah, it was kind of sad to
(27:03):
watch 'cause you're like, OK, he's there, he's getting the
dream, you know, he's reached the the finish line and then
you're like, oh, wait, this isn't for him.
And, you know, wait, that that'sgot to be heartbreaking for him
and, you know, and the fans. Yeah.
And it was tragic to see him. Like, you know, there's a scene
where Myrna who plays his mom and such a great actress, It was
(27:24):
just like saying goodbye to yourmom, knowing that you'll never
see her again because of the choices that you've made.
Not because you have to go far away, not because you're going
out to school or you're, you know, it's because of the
choices that you made. This was your choice.
You want this so bad that it's kind of it's going to compromise
the only like family member thatyou you have close to your, to
(27:45):
you. And if that's worth it to you,
if that's worth it so much that you're going to lose your only
blood relative that's close to you is your mom.
And that's how bad you want this.
And it's kind of asks you the question of like, when do we
draw the line? You know, when does our
aspirations become kind of selfish and, and, and take over
(28:07):
what really matters in life? You know, it's just like you
want something so bad that it you'll get it at any cost.
And, and Guillermo got to that point and it was like, I he
couldn't do it. And so you had to back
backpedal. And do you have a favorite
episode? From this season or just in
general? From just in general, just, you
know, it doesn't matter if it's,you know, because it has to be
(28:27):
because of your performance, butjust just one that really stands
out for you. You know what?
I really love all the writers onthe on the show.
I think I really resonate with alot of Sarah Neftalis writing.
Every time I read one of her scripts, when Sarah started on
the show, I kept telling her I was like your your writing is
like, you know, I always know when you write for Guillermo
(28:47):
because she really kind of captures Guillermo's voice
really well. So whenever I read a script, I
would never read the cover page.I'd try to figure out who the
writer was and I would just go straight to the dialogue.
And then as soon like a couple of pages in, I would go, this is
Sarah Nefalas. And I looked to the front and it
was she wrote a really great episode, which was The Curse,
which is the the vampires get cursed by Bloody Mary.
(29:12):
I think that she's on the phone and he, Guillermo goes with the
mosquito hunters of the tri-state area and they found a
vampire home and they're like, we're going to we're going to go
and confront them. And he thinks it's them.
And I just love the the setup ofthat comedy because it's like he
has to sneak in the back of the van and call him the phone and
(29:33):
he has to call and he has the answering machine and they think
it's bloody Mary calling and theanswer she goes peep and it's
like, it's me going like you getout of the house, you got to get
out, you're going to die, you know, whispering in the back of
the van. And the idea that they hear it
on their end, like you're going to die.
It's like they, they just the the comic, like, you know, the
comical like moments of just like the silliness of that of
(29:54):
like this set up is so perfect. Like they get me calling them to
warn them. They think it's bloody Mary.
Like that's one of my favorite episodes and I love the mosquito
gang. I really do think we could have
had them more. I think as the years went by
because they added such a different formula to the show.
And also Guillermo was kind of like idolized by them.
Like they thought he was cool and like it showed a different
(30:15):
way. It showed a different kind of
light on Guillermo. Like he goes home and he gets
treated like crap by the vampires, but then he goes out
with these, you know, people their his own age and they think
he's the coolest. And it's just like, is it
nature, you know, versus nurture, you know, because it's
like, if Guillermo grew up in this environment, would his
personality, would his self esteem be different because he
(30:38):
was with these, with these, you know, with the mosquito hunters
and they made him feel great. Like he was like, wow, why do I
not hanging out with you guys all the time?
Then he goes back home and they're like, yeah, well, you
stupid. You know, it's just like, it's
like nurture versus nature, you know.
And so that was a nice dynamic that I saw.
And so that I think that's one of my favorite episodes, but
there's so many to pick and I could change my mind tomorrow.
(30:58):
But I think I was very fond of that.
I think Kayvon's very fond. He loves the mosquitoes, too.
I I mean, I think every episode you watch like, Oh, that's my
favorite and then you watch the next one.
Oh, wait, that's my favorite. Then you know, it's like you go
back and rewatch one, like, Oh, wait, no, they're, they're all
good. There's it's like one of those
shows that just has a steady level of quality.
It never dips, but it's the bar is so high.
(31:20):
It's, it's really if someone wants to jump in 3rd season,
first season, there's no like, oh, no, wait, wait till the 2nd
about halfway through. No, it's like start episode one
or start episode. You know, 57, you're out.
You're it's a winner. So if there's a 57, so your,
your role became much more physical, you know, over the
(31:42):
years, over the seasons. Do you do your own stunts to do,
to do a lot of training to to prepare for it?
Yeah, so I did pretty much all my own stunts with the exception
of like, maybe one or two that for insurance purposes they
wouldn't let me do. They were like, no, 'cause there
was one scene where, like, Josh was an amazing my stunt double,
he rolled back off the staircaseover his neck.
(32:04):
And so I was like, yeah, probably better, probably
better. I don't do that one.
That was probably the best one to not do.
And for the most part, people don't believe that I do my own
stunts. But I'm glad that I took like
rehearsal footage and because people are amazed at like, you
know, people judge a book by their cover, you know, and the
that's, that's unfortunate. But I wanted to do as much as I
could. And they tested me.
(32:25):
You know, they're like, can you do this?
And they add a little more, can you do that?
And, you know, take our stunt director and coordinator.
He was amazing. He was, you know, like kind of
taken back. He was like, you know, a lot of
actors don't even bother to do their own stunts.
And I was like, well, I'm not like other actors.
You know, I want to do the most I can because for so long I've
been told you can't do, you can't do do, you can't do A, you
can't do B, you can't do C And so if I can do this as much as I
(32:47):
can, I want to do it. If I'm capable and you think
it's possible, then I want to domy best.
And some of my favorite moments are rehearsing for, you know,
the stunt scenes, you know, likeI had to learn how to like do
like a whole stick, you know, routine in an hour, you know,
and like do it and then show it off on the camera with an hour
after learning and stuff like that, where it's like it
(33:08):
challenges a different part of your brain because I call it
like a ballet. And I always say that doing
stunts is like you land on your mark like a ballet, like it's
like, or, or a dance, like you have to go with one and two and
three. And if you miss that count,
someone gets hurt. So your counts have to be, you
know, on point and they have to be on the right mark.
So that's for me, I see it as a dance.
(33:29):
And so when I see the dance, it's an easier pick up as
opposed to like seeing as like aoh, and then my arm goes here
and then I jump out the window. It's like, and you go here and,
and one and two and kick. And you know, for me it works
that way and it's exciting and it's fun and got you out of a
window and do flips and parkour.I do some parkour this season
coming up and I wanted to do parkour for like a while, which
(33:52):
is a really quick moment. But like it's still fun that
like they they were able to throw it in there.
But I do, I love being my own stunts and people are always
amazed of it, you know? That's great.
I I'll have to watch it again and not knowing now that that's
you except for the the rolling in your neck now that it's over,
(34:13):
how has the series changed you? Well, I made it's been such a
journey. Like it's definitely been used
as a platform to use my voice has been used as a launchpad to,
you know, other projects that people have become such fans of
this show that, you know, I didn't really do voiceover at
(34:35):
all until I did shadows. And I have not not for lack of
trying, because I've been tryingto voiceover for years.
But I think voiceover is so hardto get into because if you think
about everyone who goes to LA and Hollywood and doesn't want
to be in front of the camera, they're self-conscious about
their looks or how they sound oncamera or whatnot.
Voice over. It's just you behind a
microphone. You can sound however you want.
And so I think it's a harder, you know, bubble to break into.
(34:58):
And I wasn't able to break into that until probably second
season of Shadows when casting directors were really kind and
saw the show were like, oh, you might be a good fit for this
voice. And then you get another call
and then you get an offer. And then before you know it,
you're just doing tons of reallycool voice over.
Like I got to be like, you know,childhood dreams of like
Nightwing, you know, got to playNightwing and got to be part of
(35:20):
the Shrek world with Puss in Boots and things that I grew up
like watching and like want to be a part of.
And then also live action stuff that I get to be a part of and
stuff that is yet to come out, stuff that I'm about to film,
stuff that like, you know, everything led to something
bigger and better just because of your last, you know,
(35:41):
production. And for me, Shadows was that
because it's been that for the last six seasons, you know, or
six years. So I'm very grateful to, you
know, Tycho, Jermaine, the creators and FX and everyone.
And I'm excited for what the future holds.
And I'm so glad to be part of something that I know is going
to be part of people's memories and hearts and and TV history.
(36:08):
And now that it's it's done, howtough was it to say goodbye?
How? How tough was that last day of
shooting? So we wrapped on May 2nd, which
is Matt Berry's birthday. And so they held this big cake
for Matt and whatnot and we wentfor like 1130.
And you know, it was emotional. We were drinking champagne and
crying and at midnight, my birthday is May 3rd.
(36:28):
And so at midnight someone said oh, it's your birthday.
And I was like, oh, and I just completely was like, wow, like
closing of a chapter and then starting to have a new year
around the sun, you know? And so it's kind of this weird,
like cathartic, you know, like way of like letting go of like,
oh, man, that's so many years ofmy life in this set with these
(36:51):
people. So emotional.
But life is going on. Like we started a new birthday
year, which is nice to like celebrate.
I always say I'm always gratefulto be if it's my birthday and
people say, oh, do you have, if you have to work on your
birthday, do you get, you know, are you upset or sad?
I was like, no, I was like, I love working on my birthday
'cause if I can work on my birthday and I have family and
friends visit or you know, if I'm on set, everything I love is
(37:16):
tangible within 5 feet. And so if it's my birthday and I
can see everyone that I love to work with, see my family, give
them a hug and I'm working, I'm doing what I love.
Everything you love is within 5 feet.
That's wonderful. And I like your outlook in life.
You've a lot of, you know, things you said just in this
(37:36):
last 20 minutes or so that like,yeah, that's it, that's a better
perspective. I I need to adopt them?
Well, you know, you just got to think positive.
Well, you do and it seems to be working out, so I'm going to
I'll try to start it tomorrow. I'll.
Take a break. And then I'll jump in.
So let's close in this with the What We Do in the Shadows talk,
but three words to describe Guillermo. 3 words to describe
(38:00):
Guillermo. I would say determined, loving
and aspirational. 3 positive words.
Yeah, we could all be a little more like Guillermo sometimes.
I I agree, I like it. Myself included.
(38:22):
Giving that impression today. So it's it's great to put
characters out there, though that that give people something
to latch onto something, especially a character that is
kind of the underdog and say, wait, you know what?
There are things to appreciate or to respect or to, you know,
kind of aspire to within this character who wasn't, you know,
the top billing, who wasn't the vampire, who was, you know, just
a human. So yeah.
(38:44):
So let's close out with some TV topics.
My first question is you grab your remote control, a genie
comes out granting you one wish.Based on this question, what TV
show would you like one more season of?
And it could be an extra season and at the end, so the season
series could have ended like youcould have a season 7 to What We
Do in the Shadows, one in the middle where you want to add a
(39:05):
little more depth and dive into the characters or even like a
prequel season. Same cast, same crew, no matter
what the situation. This is magic.
So any season, any series. I mean, I have to go back to
strangers with candy. I would love to get another
season of strangers with candy just I love it so much.
Or I mean, I Love Lucy ran for so long.
(39:27):
But like, you know, those are always great episodes.
But I've seen strangers with candy for sure all.
Right. Would it be at the end with like
an extra season or where would it fit in?
I would say it could either be in the middle, another season in
the middle 'cause I think the way it ended was great, or a
little bit of a prequel, like with flashbacks of where,
(39:51):
because Jerry always has like, you know, moments of where she
was in high school and whatnot. So yeah, I would, I would say go
back to the beginning or somewhere in the middle.
Sounds good and what would Garammost favorite TV show be if he's
watching TV right now? Probably if he was watching TV,
if he was watching, he's probably watching What We do in
(40:11):
the shadows. Like if it wasn't me playing,
you're probably watching that because he loves vampires.
He loves, you know, folklore andlike vampire lore and like he
loves that world. So I think he would be watching
that or Interview with the Vampire, which is his favorite
movie. You.
(40:33):
Know sounds right and if you could live in one TV show
popping in and out whenever you want to so you don't have to
give up any of your life, your real life.
You just have like a magic door.You open it up.
You can be part of that world. Which would it be and why?
And it could be a show that's existed, you know exists now or
has been off the air for 50 years.
It could be anything. I I think it'd be fun to pop in.
(40:54):
When I was younger I always had reruns of like the Brady Bunch
and I was thought they'd just like the most random stuff
happen and, and, and day-to-day stuff.
So they'll be kind of fun to like pop into the Brady Bunch.
Yeah. Probably the The Brady Bunch
would be fun to pop into, yeah. You never know who's going to be
there. Yeah, you ever know, it's just
(41:14):
Davy Jones or. Yeah, exactly.
All right, I like it. So that's it for now.
That's the last the TV topics questions.
I really enjoyed listening to all your answers and getting
this, you know, this real insight into, into your, your
work and your character. And I'm looking, oh, yeah,
actually, I have one more question.
You know, I guess you may as well ask what can we expect from
(41:35):
the final season? Well, it's a new chapter and
everyone kind of goes on the journey and I think there's some
really funny, funny, funny stuffthat happens this season.
I've already said that we can expect some more parkour and a
couple more fight scenes. You don't know between who but
(41:58):
or I won't tell between who, butthere are fight scenes to be had
and and it's gonna be a great season for them to go on a new
journey together. Were you pleased with the
ending? Like when all said and done, was
it a good good, good closure? Yeah, I think when I read it, I
was like, oh, I was like, actually, yeah, yeah, that does
(42:19):
make sense. Yeah.
You know, I think it's gonna be without getting you to say too
much. I'm not looking for too much,
just I don't. I don't like spoilers myself.
I think it's gonna be, it's gonna be the, the ending that,
(42:41):
that, that you walk away with and say, yeah, that's how I
would put it. That's how I see it.
Yeah. I think people are gonna walk
away with the with the with thatmentality, I think.
All right, I'll come back in a few months, review these words
again after watching it and say,oh, wait, was he right or wrong?
(43:02):
So, yeah, well, thank you so much.
Yep. Thank you so much for your time,
your work on the series. I'm glad that we have another
season to watch and that there'salways rewind so I can always go
back and and enjoy my pals in Staten Island.
So thank you so much. You're always welcome back.
Thanks so much. Have a great day.
Thank you. Thank you so much to Harvey for
being our guest on TV Topics. Congratulations on all of his
(43:26):
amazing work. We're looking forward to season
6 of What We Do in the Shadows. Be sure to watch Harvey's work
on What We Do in the Shadows seasons one through 5 streaming
on Hulu as we wait for that season 6, which is supposed to
premiere sometime this year. A shout out goes to Emily Au for
our funky theme song and also toour announcer, Carrie Loya.
You can find him at carrieloyavo.com.
(43:48):
It's in our profile. You can follow me directly on
Twitter, Letterbox and Instagram, all at Film Stork.
Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more TV Topics.
TV Topics is produced by StephenPrzukowski.
ZAP.
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