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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Over two weeks ago, I was given the great opportunity to speak with Javier “Harvey” Guillén at the end of this year’s Tribeca film festival. He is a queer Latinx-American actor who is highly funny, especially in interviews, films, and television series that he is a part of. He plays the vampire familiar-turned-hunter, Guillermo de la Cruz, in Jermaine Clement’s FX series, What We Do in the Shadows. Guillén also currently stars in Josh Ruben’s horror-comedy film adaptation, Werewolves Within. The movie is based on Ubisoft’s video game of the same name, and he plays a gay married man named Joaquim Wolfson.
If you have not yet seen Ruben’s film, it is in theaters and video-on-demand wherever it is available. Please go see it now because there just may be spoilers for the movie ahead in this article.
Prologue
The following content of this article contains a transcript of my interview with Harvey Guillén. It took place on Friday, June 25th, at 6:05 PM EST.
I logged onto Zoom two hours early and thought my interview would be at 6:00 AM in my timezone. As it turned out, it was actually at 8:00 AM, so I prepared by watching other interviews with Guillén posted online. (The concept of timezones is still confusing to me, especially because I live outside of the United States. I should also note that I was trying not to fanboy during the dialogue.)
Introduction
John Tangalin: Hello, I am a huge fan. My name is John, and I am a lead critic [now managing editor] for The Cinema Spot. My first question is — How did you land and prepare for the role of Joaquim Wolfson?
Harvey Guillén: Oh, that was actually a connection through a friend, Francesca, who is friends with Josh [Ruben], the director for the movie. [She] said, “You guys should connect because Josh is directing this film. I worked with him before and he thinks you would be great for this part, so I wanna make this connection.” So she introduced us, and we talked about the project, and he sold me on the project over the phone. I signed on to do it because he’s so passionate about it, so it was definitely something I wanted to do. When I know someone at the helm is so passionate about what they do and when they have a clear vision, I feel very safe in their hands.
JT: Even [when] preparing for the role, right?
HG: I mean, preparing for the role was kind of like taking elements of — I wanted to make Joaquim someone that we all know, that we’ve been related to, someone that could be your neighbor. So I took elements, like little character traits, from people that I know, personally. He has all these things. He’s fabulous, he’s flamboyant, but he’s very smart, but he’s also sweet, but he also has a sharp tongue on him. There are all these things that … I wanted to incorporate into this character and start from the floor up.
Diversity in Horror, Comedy, and Horror-Comedy
JT: It’s crazy how so much is dedicated to the content of this film. Your character shares a last name with their partner, Devon [played by Cheyenne Jackson], and even the screenwriter, Mishna, [her] last name is, coincidentally, Wolff. What is it like representing the Latinx community even down to the mythologies of the culture? And even as a member of the LGBTQIA community?
HG: It’s great! It’s great to see those characters on the screen, first of all. Because it’s taken a while to have them be there. Representation matters. It really does … and it’s aspirational to see a queer couple who is well off. They’ve earned their living, they’re having the best time, they’re living their best life. They want to live this quiet life down the small town, so that’s their want. And unfortunately, that doesn’t cross with the wants of some of the townfolk who wanna sell the whole thing off and make some money, so now they’re an obstacle.
Everyone has their own dream and goals, but it’s really nice to play a character with Cheyenne as my partner who could be aspirational to someone watching. Like “Well, look! They’re successful, they’re queer, they’re living their best life. Yes!” It’s like that’s the storyline. Whether it pans out in the end, storywise, who knows? You have to watch the film, but what matters is you’re living your life to the fullest, and that’s aspirational for sure.
JT: Thank you.
Fun During Production
JT, con’t.: What was the most hilarious moment for you while working on-set or even off-set?
HG: Oh! Let’s see. There’s so many, there’s a lot [of moments]. I was laughing — I think one of my favorite moments is [during the] first week of filming. Sam [Richardson, who plays the protagonist, Finn Wheeler] and I were just laughing about old cartoons or reruns. And we love The Simpsons together, so we just quoted The Simpsons non-stop. He could pick up a scene, like do the whole thing, and vice versa. Like I’ll be in [one] room, or I’ll be getting in the make-up chair and stuff, and he’ll just be in the other room, and I’ll just yell, “Dental plan!” and he goes, “Lisa needs braces”. Jokes like that where it was so fun to go to work every single day. It was just going to camp with the funniest people at school.
JT: Did any of those jokes make it to the film?
HG: No, those were behind the scenes. They wouldn’t fit well with the storyline. It would just [be] Joaquim yell[ing] out, “Dental plan!” But it was funny to have those BTS moments because sometimes, that really does feel the scene in front of the camera. So if you’re in a good mood right before they call “action,” then you’re like “Oh, this is great. Let’s do this! We’re excited.” It sets the tone, so it’s really kind of setting the tone for everything.
With George [Basil, who plays Marcus], his lines were so funny. Anything he did was just like, “I’m gonna steal and cut you! I’m gonna steal another waffle today!” Just like the idea that his voice and the way that he says his lines, I must have ruined a couple of takes. Because when we were doing that scene, we would ad-lib and change things. Like, “Yeah, I’m crazy. You’re crazy.” I couldn’t keep it together. I think I was hiding behind Mills [Milana Vayntrub, who plays Cecily Moore] like I was covering my face because it was making me laugh so much.
Who May or May Not Be the Werewolf?
JT: Who would you have suspected was the “werewolf” before having discovered the ending?
HG: I when I was reading the script, or — ?
JT: Right before you got to the end of the script.
HG: I was suspecting, well, I feel like if I say who I was suspecting, we’ll say that that may or may not be the werewolf. If whom I was suspecting could be I was right, or it could be whom I was suspecting was wrong, but it would show that it’s someone else [who is] the werewolf.
I would say I did not suspect who it was. That’s better.
Teasing What We Do in the Shadows Season 3
JT: I’m a huge fan of yours in the FX series. … What We Do in the Shadows Season 3 premieres later this September. Is there anything fans of the show can look forward to? Are there any guest roles that we can expect?
HG: Yeah. [On] September 2nd, we premiere Season 3, and we’re super excited. We pick up right where we left off, so [the] cat’s out of the bag, for lack of a better phrase because we all know Van Helsing is in Guillermo [de la Cruz]’s blood. And we all know what he did, and now they all know, so it’s now that we have to kind of see what the repercussions of that [are] and how we go from there. And what does that mean for everyone, and how this new unveiling will affect the dynamic in the household? So we go there.
I will admit that I chuckled at “cat’s out of the bag” because I thought of the ridiculously laugh-out-loud wordplay in this series. I expect a witch or a vampire or somebody from mythology to pull a cat out of a bag.
We definitely have guest stars coming in, we have visitors from maybe seasons past. We have a siren that we’re gonna meet, we get a hellhound for the house, which is always a nice addition. And we celebrate Colin [Robinson, played by Mark Proksch]’s 100th birthday. That’s gonna be fun. And we also have visitors from past lovers for some of the housemates, which may or may not make other housemates a little jealous.
Diving Deeper into the Horror-Comedy Genre and Dealing with More Figures from Mythology
JT: My last question — You have done so well in the horror-comedy genre so far, to be frank. In fact, I would campaign for you to win during the next Emmy season. You have dealt with vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches. Are there any creature-centered features and projects that you wish to be a part of in the future?
HG: I would love to do something with, like, sirens. Dive into that more. We do meet a siren in our show this season, but we should definitely — I wouldn’t mind doing a siren horror film or something. That sounds fun or different, but yeah, that’s like a part of that world. We’ve done werewolves, we’ve done vampires, so that. Or witches? We could re-visit witches and make something of a film like that, so I’m pretty open. I love that whole genre and that whole world. Everything’s possible. Warlocks, witches, mermaids. *laughs* The werewolves.
JT: Mermaids?
HG: Yeah!
Closing
JT: Thank you, Harvey, for the opportunity to speak with you and for just appearing in this film. I look forward to its success, Shadows Season 3, of course, and just hopefully speaking with you again!
HG: Thank you so much, John! Thank you. Take care.
Harvey Guillén was truly a delight to speak with, especially since he’s the first actor I’ve interviewed (as opposed to the filmmakers I’ve interviewed in the past). Please stay tuned later this summer for when he appears in What We Do in the Shadows Season 3. He is absolutely funny in that series and in this film, so I highly suggest that you do not miss out.
You can see Josh Ruben’s Werewolves Within if it’s still in theaters, as well as via video-on-demand!
Have you seen this film? If you have already, what are your thoughts on it? Let us know! For more comedy, horror, and mystery-related news and reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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