What We Do In the Shadows Could Live as Long As Its Immortal Characters

The post What We Do In the Shadows Could Live as Long As Its Immortal Characters appeared first on Consequence.

What We Do in the Shadows is kicking off its fifth season from a unique position, as FX renewed the series for both Seasons 5 and 6 in 2022, ensuring that we’ll get at least another season of antics from Staten Island’s beloved bumbling vampires. And the potential for the series to stretch beyond that is massive. As star Kristen Schaal explains to Consequence, “I think this is one of the most unique shows to ever come along for an actor. Writers, producers, directors — everybody I talk to on the show doesn’t want to leave it. because it has the ability to kind of be whatever it wants.”

For the cast, there’s a comfort that comes with their relative job security. “It’s nice to know what’s coming up in your life if you can, as much as possible,” notes Natasia Demetriou, who plays the long-lived Nadja. “Because if you don’t know [if the show’s been renewed], there’s always a chance you’re like, ‘Bye then, this is it.’ It’s very comforting to be like, ‘Oh, I did a really bad job in that episode. Well, I’ve got 10 more coming up.'”

“It does help you relax and have fun, instead of over-think every single moment you’re acting,” says Mark Proksch, who plays energy vampire Colin Robinson.

Yet while the security of knowing that at least one more season is confirmed is a benefit, what clearly excites the cast about the prospect of additional seasons is the show’s capacity for change. “We’re living in this tandem reality of ‘vampires can exist’ and anything can happen and everything is sort of on the table,” Schaal says. “The comedy can be completely irreverent, which is so refreshing, and our characters can become smoke. Our characters have lived forever. Our characters could morph. You know, you could cut [to] a hundred years [later] and we’d still be alive. You could do a flashback episode 2000 years ago, we might still be alive. It’s a playground for the most creative ideas imaginable.”

Demetriou notes that the writers’ devotion to creating new scenarios for these characters “maybe is a little bit why the show has managed to continue, because they reinvent everything so much. I think it’s quite purposeful for the writers to be like, ‘Right, let’s completely change it up. Let’s emphasize this element of a character. Let’s put the spotlight on this relationship.'”

Schaal only recently became a series regular, after recurring on the show for several seasons, but says that even when only coming in part-time, “I know that when I go to work or get invited to come play with everybody, that I will be doing something that I’ve never done before. I won’t be like, ‘Oh, this scene again. How do I make this different from the last time I ordered coffee and a thing?’ No, it’s like, ‘You’re going to be talking to a demon. You’re going to be flying over here. You’re going to be making a new soul come to life. It’s just so fun.”

After Schaal says this, I ask her co-star Harvey Guillén how he feels about the experience. “It’s all right,” he replies with a perfect deadpan.

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

He then launches into a story about the first time the show’s writers really surprised him: “[In Season 1], Guillermo didn’t even have a last name. That really bothered me for the first couple of episodes, and I finally asked [creator] Jemaine [Clement] and [executive producer] Stefani Robinson, can I give him a last name? They kept everything really secretive the first season — that was just the way Taika [Waititi] and Jemaine did the [original] film — and I just had anxiety all the time, because I was like, ‘I don’t know where this character’s going. I don’t know where the character’s coming from. Who is he? What’s his last name?'”

When Guillén asked the question, the writers asked him what he was thinking Guillermo’s last name could be, and he suggested “de la Cruz.” Says Guillén, “They’re like, ‘What does that mean?’ And I was like, ‘It means of the cross. Is that okay? Because, I mean, they’re vampires…’ And then Jemaine was like, ‘Actually, that’s perfect.'”

At the end of the season, Guillén found out that one secret the writers had been keeping was Guillermo’s heritage as a Van Helsing descendent — making the last name he’d suggested extremely apt. “It blew my mind how I was portraying this character that they had already fleshed out but never told the actor. I thought it was so great, because then I played him unknowing; when Guillermo finds out is when I found out myself that he was a Van Helsing, So it was perfect that way.”

And as fans of the show know, the twists and turns did not stop there. “It’s nice to get surprised every season,” Guillén says. “They always blow my mind with what they do, especially this season.”

For a show to have the kind of longevity that Shadows has had, a through-line of some sort comes in handy. Schaal thinks that essential to the show is the question of “whether or not Guillermo’s going become a vampire and get his wish. For me, at least as a fan, the big arc of the series is how his relationship with Nandor is going to play out… I think they don’t always have to live in that house. But I think the relationships do have to stay in a similar parallel. Like, I don’t think it would work if Laszlo and Nadja split. I think that would hurt the show. But I’m not a writer, so I don’t know. I’ve been wrong before.”

Are there any elements of Shadows that should remain static? “I genuinely don’t know. Like I have no idea,” Demetriou says. “I know that Nandor and Harvey might have a touching scene, and Colin will say some boring stuff. Lazlo will talk about his penis. I’ll be really shrill. I know those things will be featured, but apart from that, I’m like, who knows? And I think that probably is partly why the show has been able to stay around for so long.”

Adds Kayvan Novak (who plays the aforementioned Nandor), “I guess writing the show, the writers have to be excited by putting the characters in new situations, and I think ultimately that’s where they lead — ‘What a new interesting place to go, a new funny bit to do. And their instincts are so good that as an actor, as a performer, you always feel kind of excited to perform those scripts, to say those words, you know, to remove all your clothes on a cold Toronto night…”

“We weren’t filming then, so that’s irrelevant,” Demetriou laughs, before continuing on in praise of the writers. “They are open to throwing anything out the show, and then they’re very good at finding their way back to something that seems true, and that doesn’t completely shift everything so much that you are like, ‘Well, what show is this?’ I think the writers are very, very good at that. And I wouldn’t put anything past them.”

Overall, the cast is on board for the show’s continued life beyond Season 6, for as Demetriou says, “I just can’t see a world where I’ll get to be in a show like this again. So yeah, make it stretch, make it last. It should never end.”

“Absolutely,” adds Novak, because “my mortgage has just gone up 4%.”

Colin Robinson would be proud of him.

What We Do in the Shadows returns for Season 5 on July 13th at 10p ET/PT on FX, streaming on Hulu. New episodes will debut weekly on Thursdays.

What We Do In the Shadows Could Live as Long As Its Immortal Characters
Liz Shannon Miller

Popular Posts

• Jack White Lashes Out at Guy Fieri for Normalizing Donald Trump

• Jonah Hill Accused of Being "Emotionally Abusive" to Ex-Girlfriend

• Jamie Foxx Spotted in Public for First Time Since Hospitalization

• Porno for Pyros Announce First Tour in 25 Years

• Joaquin Phoenix Holds the World Hostage in Trailer for Napoleon: Watch

• Elton John Plays Final Concert of Farewell Tour: "It Will Stay With Me Forever"

Subscribe to Consequence’s email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.