In all of them What We Do in the Shadows‘ run, we saw the imposition on the ordinary Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén) pursuing his goal of becoming a vampire, even after realizing his heritage of Van Helsing-before finally, at the end of the fifth season, he realized that he is actually better. who deserves to remain human. That gives him new momentum going into season six, and io9 was excited to ask him what’s in store for the jersey-wearing fan favorite.
Cheryl Eddy, io9: One of the funniest moments anywhere The episode is when something funny happens and Guillermo looks through the camera at these four wall spaces that he knows very well. How would you describe his relationship with the documentary crew?
Harvey Guillén: The choice I made at the beginning of the show … in the pilot, Guillermo didn’t talk much. He introduced the documentary team to the house. He opened the door and quickly explained everything to them. Then it’s off to the races. They’re there to follow vampires—that’s what they’re there to write about, a group of vampires living together on Staten Island with the people they know. At first, Guillermo did not speak much because he always felt this fear of speaking out of place and turning away. He doesn’t say much because remember, in the pilot, Nandor always scolds him for everything… [nothing he does is ever] good enough. He is always in a state of panic because every time he does something wrong, he gets demoted and gets another year of servitude to them for free. He has no money—he’s been there for ten years.
So the relationship he has with the documentary crew – he knows who they are, and when [the vampires] he says surprising things, the way he looks, “You didn’t get that on tape, did you?” Or “Please don’t use that!” Yes, he has no power over that. But the way he looks on camera is what the audience thinks. Like, “I can’t believe I just heard that!” That’s the kind of relationship he has with the documentary crew.
io9: Guillermo’s wardrobe has been pretty consistent throughout the seasons. She’s a very stylish person—she always has amazing red carpet outfits—do you have any input into her outfits, especially her choice of sweaters?
Guillén: Well, you know, it’s funny. When I auditioned for the show, the actor was 20 years older than me. Guillermo was 20 years old. So I wanted to age myself a little bit … I don’t usually do this for an actor, but … I went to my closet and found this long-sleeved shirt with this brown sweater vest. Then I said, “Well, I don’t know what he would look like, but this would be close.” Then I saw a poster of Guillermo del Toro [At Home With Monsters book] and there is a picture of him with his hair parted. And he has glasses. And I said, “Well, you’re Guillermo.” So I literally imitated that. I got these Harry Potter glasses and I took the lenses out, and I parted my hair in half and put it in a bun, and I wore that to the audition. After booking it, the wardrobe [department] he asked [executive producer] Taika [Waititi]”So what do you think of Guillermo?” [He said] “Well, what did you wear during the test?” And I said, “I’m wearing this…” “Yeah, that!”
And they recreated the look I wore for the interview … I had this idea of who Guillermo was, and they just took that and made more of it and more. And as the years go by [costume designer] Laura Montgomery, it’s like a collaboration. He already knows he wants a season, but he’s very good at talking to the characters once [asking]”What are you seeing this season?”
When [Guillermo becomes] Van Helsing, we tuck his pants [into] boots, and we do like a little pin shirt that we roll up the sleeves, but we have brown gloves because he has to be able to grab the wooden poles very quickly. And that alone—along with a composite vest with pockets that can hold different things, like holy water—gives you a different structure. He is very fit, he looks like a superhero, and it gives him more of this confidence. He moves differently when he’s in that outfit than when he’s wearing a big sweater like the 1988 pattern. [laughs]. So he just acts differently when he’s wearing different clothes, like when he’s wearing his trench coat that’s on fire when he’s fighting… that’s a different vibe. It’s something we talked about, even the size of the coat—we added a layer so that it comes out the back, so when he does stunts, it gives movement, like it looks magical. Things like that we discussed well. It was not by accident. And Laura, who won an Emmy for costume design for the show, is nothing short of amazing, and I’m going to miss working with her. It was such a collaboration, every year the character created something new, even if it was a small thing in his outfit.
io9: Very good. And in season five, we saw Guillermo achieve his dream of becoming a vampire and then realize that it wasn’t really what he wanted. In season six we see Guillermo set new boundaries with vampires—but those boundaries are also pretty porous. Where do you think his starting position is when the season starts?
Guillén: I think his headspace is “Yes, again”—like taking chances this year. I think that for so long he has been comfortable in a situation that does not benefit him. He is not fit to stay long in this world. That’s not what he was meant to do. That’s not what he’s up to, naturally. And that’s fine. And I think that as humans, we forget that sometimes that’s the scariest thing, to take the first step into the unknown. But what do you have but nothing to lose, everything to gain? And so I think that’s where we see him. And I’m really happy because it’s a different side of Guillermo that he has to adapt to this new corporate world and make a life for himself. Now, does it pay off? You have to find out and see. Is he learning anything? It is possible. You know, we learn something every day. I think there are a lot of possibilities. But it also makes good jokes that put him in a place, a situation he is not used to. And then bringing the vampires to join him is just comedy gold.
io9: And as you say, in season six we see Guillermo climbing the corporate ladder, with a little push from Nadja—but also some direction is his idea. We know you are good at solving problems. Do you think he would have been successful in that area?
Guillén: I think so. I think you have some great ideas on your own. Some of the obstacles that may come in his way, which may have been hiccups, are left by Nadja and the gang who try to make it a smooth transition for him. But [that] it might also hinder him, because he thinks he’s helping, but he’s actually adding to the problem, and I think he’s easily distracted that way. But I think he would have done well on his own because—as you’ll find out later in the season—it’s his thought process that puts things together that leads to the big ending and the big climax of this year’s story.
io9: What character trait about Guillermo would you say you enjoy the most, or did you enjoy playing the most?
Guillén: I really like that Guillermo is a very loving person. You are really lovely. I really like how he thinks the best of people, and wants the best… He’s always nice. He always leads with his heart and is compassionate. And that is not a weakness. People think that is weakness. And I think we’re trained to think that’s weakness. I think that’s the power. And being beautiful is strength. And I think we should encourage it more.
What We Do in the Shadows season six airs its three-episode premiere tonight on FX, airing the next day on Hulu.
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