'What We Do In The Shadows' star Harvey Guillén speaks with HL about how the guts of season 4 has been the vampires reconnecting with 'their human instincts.'
Notice: Spoilers for season 4 of What We Do In The Shadows.
“I believe it’s vital to point out, this season with the present, the query is nurture versus nature with elevating a toddler and what takes over,” Harvey Guillén tells HollywoodLife when discussing the latest episodes of What We Do In The Shadows. As those that have saved on the most recent episodes of the vampire-themed mockumentary comedy – and have listened to Straw Hut Media’s Behind The Shadows, the official companion podcast hosted by Guillén – would know, season 4 has targeted closely on household.
For Guillén’s character, Guillermo de la Cruz, that theme of household has primarily taken form in serving to increase “The Boy” – aka the creature that burst out of the chest of Colin Robison (Mark Proksch) – with vampire Laszlo (Matt Berry) to probably turn into one thing apart from the spirit-draining vitality vampire of the prior three seasons.
“I believe it actually does take a village to boost a toddler. They’re like sponges, and so they bear in mind, they observe,” says Guillén. “And in addition to not overlook that unconditional love is all the time wanted as an ingredient to boost any little one. And so, it’s good to see that with Guillermo — folks on-line have known as him ‘Tio Memo,’ which is ‘Uncle Memo,’ which is Guillermo’s nickname. It’s good to see that.”
“He's the one human in his family,” continues Guillén. “And as a lot because the vampires had been human at one level, they’re simply getting their maternal instincts again so as as a result of they’ve let go of their human instincts for some time.”
“However, they’re attempting their finest,” he provides. “And so, in a approach, Laszlo and Guillermo’s characters turn into co-parents, one being dangerous cop, good cop. And I’d like that Guillermo’s the maternal one, who nurtures and loves [young Colin] and exhibits him that he can do something. They usually’re the primary supporter on their YouTube channel, leaving feedback.”
This season of WWDITS has seen Guillén shine on this position. Gone is the nervous and uncertain acquainted of season one; Guillermo now stands assured and confident in his place as a once-familiar, now vampire bodyguard (who occurs to be a descendent of legendary vampire killer Van Helsing.) That confidence and power had been on show in episode seven (“The Pine Barons”), which additionally put the give attention to the season’s present themes of “love and help” and “nature versus nurture.”
Sure, Guillermo’s resolution to host a de la Cruz household dinner within the vampire residence virtually resulted in Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) having extra stakes in her than a Texas Roadhouse (Apparently, the whole de la Cruz household inherited a pure hatred of vampires.) Nevertheless, the near-disaster resulted in a pivotal second: Guillermo has overcome this Van Helsing nature, this organic repulsion – primarily via a want to turn into a vampire – to nurture a love for his undead household.
And extra importantly, on the peak of the episode, Guillermo makes the daring resolution to return out as homosexual to his household. As a substitute of dealing with scorn and rejection, Guillermo is met with love and help from his total clan. It was a touching second that confirmed he had no cause to concern hiding his true self from them.
Although Harvey has been christened “Tio Memo” for his character’s arc in elevating Child Colin Robison, Guillén has been the What We Do In The Shadow’s cool uncle from the get-go, due to Behind The Shadows. And although the podcast has debuted this season, Guillén has been creating an area for Shadows followers for years.
“It began off as a one-time factor that I did on Instagram dwell,” he tells HollywoodLife in regards to the origins of Earlier than The Shadows, the pre-show chat program, “after which we structured it extra after we partnered up with FX within the following season to did it with them.” Earlier than The Shadows noticed Harvey discuss with visitor stars like Mark Hamill, manufacturing marvels like costume designer Amanda Neale, and movie star followers like Felicia Day. That spirit carried over into After The Shadows, the post-show chat program that featured actors like Doug Jones and Kristen Schaal and results gurus like prosthetic make-up designer Paul Jones.
Behind the Shadows continues this path, permitting sequence stars (Myrna Cabello, Parisa Fakhri, Anoop Desai, Fred Armisen), crew (Tig Fong), and followers to share particulars of the present with followers. ”
“It is a totally different variation,” Guillén says of the podcast, “which I really feel may be extra attainable and reachable worldwide as a result of lots of our followers may not have Twitter, however they've Instagram, or they solely have YouTube, or they generally have TikTok. So in a approach, that is like, ‘For those who simply hearken to a podcast, you’ll discover us.’ It’ll be a one-stop store; you will get that there and watch streaming on YouTube. It’s simply simpler, I believe, to listen to these tales.”
“I believe it’s so enjoyable that we have now that capability to simply discuss to the visitor stars,” he continues,” and to speak with celebrities who're followers of the present, who don't essentially come and play with us on the present. Possibly they are going to at some point, however [right now] they’re simply followers of the present.” Harvey shares that after three years, he’s nonetheless stunned when he goes to occasions with different stars and actors, and so they come as much as inform him that they’re his greatest fan.
“It's so loopy to listen to one other actor who’s in their very own proper simply have carried out superb work and whatnot, to listen to that,” he says. “So, I like to listen to their tales like, ‘Why does this present imply a lot to you? Why is it so humorous to you? Inform me your story.’ They usually’re prepared to return on and discuss to us, so we’re actually excited in regards to the friends that we have now this season.”
When requested if there was a memorable movie star that stunned him with their Shadows love, Guillén pointed to the “Skinny Legend” and nation celebrity. “Trixie Mattel,” he says. “You'd by no means anticipate that to be the dialog that you'd have with Trixie Mattel in a full drag outfit — this worldwide celebrity to simply to return up and say, ‘My accomplice and I watch your present, watch it religiously. We watch it each week. It must be seen.’ I used to be like, ‘Whoa.'”
“After which fortunate sufficient, this season, we even have Trixie on the present, approaching the podcast,” Guillén says with a smile. “So, we do have a dialog with them, and what the present means to them, so you may look out for that function episode.”
Guillén — who was a visitor choose on season 4 of The Boulet Brothers’Dragula, the drag-filth-horror-glamor-themed competitors – could have additionally hinted at potential friends when he shared a photograph from Emerald Metropolis Comedian-Con, one which had him share a desk with drag icons Jinkx Monsoon and BenDelaCreme and Halloween goddess Elvira. However, as he places it, doing Behind The Shadows shouldn't be about an opportunity to kiki with celebs however to create one thing particular for the diehard followers who preserve the present alive by tuning in every week. Guillén has fostered a fan hub with episodes devoted to answering fan questions from Reddit in order that the fandom can thrive in between viewings. Plus, with chats with the manufacturing crew and people unsung heroes who don’t get the highlight, Behind The Shadows provides loads for followers to sink their tooth into.
“I satisfaction myself in doing issues which are low key, actually cool and summary, that is probably not essentially mainstream, however then if you recognize, you recognize,” says Guillén. “And in the event you do know, you’re fairly cool, I believe.”
“It simply warms my coronary heart after I’m at a Comedian-Con, and also you get somebody who comes up, it’s like, ‘I beloved you on Dragula,’ or, ‘I beloved you the podcast.; As a result of it's a must to go and discover these items; they’re not going to be on each billboard. While you do discover it, and other people do like it, and so they have one thing good to say, it simply warms my coronary heart as a result of it's a part of a extremely cool, hip tradition that most individuals may skip over.”
“I’ve had folks come as much as me within the final 12 months, and so they simply found the present, and so they binged each season. They usually noticed all of it inside per week. They saved watching every single day. They usually’re like, ‘I watched all of it, and I need extra,’ he provides. “In a approach, it was meant to be this fashion as a result of you appear to be you want your repair of it immediately. And I can solely think about what it’s like to observe it one season and wait virtually a 12 months for the subsequent season and wait. That could possibly be grueling to a diehard fan. So, I’m glad that the trajectory of whenever you’ve discovered it, you discovered it. It was meant to be. So long as you discovered us, that’s all that issues.”
Episodes of Straw Hut Media’s Behind The Shadows drop each Wednesday.