Harvey Guillendidn’t always know he wanted to be an actor well, sort of.
“I remember saying, ‘Oh my gosh, they look like they’re having so much fun!
They’re singing and dancing.’
Image by Zanda Rice
And I said, ‘Mom, I wanna be that when I grow up.
I wanna be an orphan.'”
You just have to find your way."
Image via FX
The sooner I gave into that, that’s when things started shifting."
The only real problem?
“They said, ‘We like him, but he’s too young.
So let’s put him on the back burner for a wild card,'” Guillen tells me.
“That’s all it took,” Guillen says.
“A change in one line in the script, and someone’s life completely changed.”
Image via FX
Later, he approached Waititi and executive producerStefani Robinsonwith the idea to build his character more of a backstory.
“Those details matter.
I feel like I’m being seen, period.”
What We Do in the Shadowsoffers a comedic glimpse into the nightly lives of four vampire roommates—Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja, and energy vampire Colin Robinson—residing in Staten Island. Alongside their human familiar, Guillermo, they navigate modern challenges like paying rent, attending social events, and dealing with supernatural politics, all while maintaining their centuries-old habits.
Lets have a fun one.’
And then I yelled out, Funsies!
And he goes, Yeah, funsies!'"
“Not everyone has funsies.”
“It took a village,” Guillen says, “but I wanted to do it myself.”
“We love the fans, and we love that they love Nandor and Guillermo,” Guillen praises.
“They’re just meant to be in each other’s lives.”
You’re dead and out of this world, WWDITS.
“It just took us by surprise.”
“It’s brilliant, the way that it ends, because in this world, nothing ends.”
In between takes, makeup would come, and makeup was like, ‘Are you okay?’
Because the scene called for that feeling, but I couldn’t it was too close.
The door was open.
Then the makeup artist was crying because she saw me crying."
“Even thinking about it now, I’m getting emotional,” he tearfully chuckles.
What’s Next for Harvey Guillen?
“I pride myself on trying new projects that are different.”
“Such a story.
Such a life that we don’t know much about because he was so private,” Guillen muses.
“I’m developing and creating with my writing partner, Jamie Holt,” he says.
“Anything is absolutely possible.”
