In What We Do in the Shadows Season 2, Harvey Guillen's Guillermo is caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, he wants to be a vampire, and he has put almost a decade of servitude towards that goal. On the other, he recently discovered he was born with vampire hunting blood, which makes him naturally gifted at killing vampires. Even as he tries to escape what seems to be his destiny, he has found himself in a nest of vampire hunters who are cleverly disguised as mosquito hunters.
Speaking to CBR, What We Do in the Shadows guest star Craig Robinson -- who plays the vampire hunter group's leader -- introduced us to Claude. He discussed what drew him to the series and his admiration for series co-creator Jemaine Clement and star Matt Berry. He teased Claude's big vampire showdown, some of his stunt work and how he relates to his character. He also shared some entertainment recommendations, revealed which superhero he would want to play and more.
CBR: Introduce me to Claude.
Craig Robinson: Claude is a militant vampire hunter, but he has to disguise it. He's also slick with it, because he describes it as a mosquito club. He has assembled a crew and they're all about taking down vampires. He's a badass, with badass toys. Badass boys have badass toys -- but he has no experience and he's terrified of them.
Which aspect of Claude's character do you relate to the most?
[He's a] natural leader, taking charge of the situations. Boom! That one. That part.
Tell me a little bit about how you landed the role and what drew you to the series.
I'm a fan of everybody involved, and I was offered the role. I took a look and I was like, "Oh, yes, I got to be a part." I still have yet to see the series, but I know all about it. I just love everybody in it and I just did a movie -- well, I didn't just, but a couple of years ago, I did a movie with Jemaine [Clement] and Matt [Berry]. So I love Matt, love Jemaine, and then Mark [Proksch]. Yeah, Mark was on The Office and I also did another show with him. So I won't say the other show that I got offered but I had an offer to be either Toronto doing What We Do in the Shadows or this other major show the same day, and I chose What We Do in the Shadows.
How often do we get to see Claude moving forward?
I don't want to speculate on that and get in any trouble and say yay or nay. That's one of those "gotcha" questions. Nice try!
Does the show ever delve into Claude's background and why he set out to found a vampire hunting group? Why do you think he hates vampires so much?
Again, that's for you to watch and the show to produce!
How does Claude's relationship with Guillermo continue to evolve?
I think Claude, seeing as how Guillermo reacted during the whole fight scene, I think Claude gained a great amount of respect for Guillermo, even more than he had from him just joining to be a part, because Claude does love his mosquito buddies.
How was working with Harvey Guillen?
Harvey is easily one of the best actors that I've ever worked with. I think he's a genius. I think he's a throwback, in such a great way, to Peter Sellers. He just understands how to mine a moment for gold. It was amazing. He made it so fun and joyful and playful. So that was a great moment for me. I was so glad I was a part of that.
What We Do in the Shadows is a pretty action-packed show. Did you get a chance to do any stunt work on the series? What was that like?
Yeah, there was a stake driven to my foot, and then we were running all around the house. I guess I didn't do too many stunts, but, you know, it was just some running and bustling action.
Can you tease your favorite moment or scene from an upcoming episode?
We actually go in and we get to go hunt the vampires. He's titillated!
How does he do on his first vampire hunt?
Eh, I don't want to give that away!
I couldn't help but notice that What We Do in the Shadows is yet another mockumentary-style series in your long list of TV credits. Is there something about that style that draws you to it, or is that more of a coincidence?
Oh, this was more of a coincidence. I mean, it's just good writing and great people involved. So, you know, that's what I like to be a part of.
On that note, how do you think Doug Judy would be handling the quarantine so far?
Oh, this is a prime time to steal cars! I think he would get like 300 cars during this. Easy to steal Pontiacs.
Tell me a little more about your first project with Jemaine Clement and Matt Berry. What was that experience like?
Oh, Jemaine and Matt, we were in a movie called An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn. Matt and I were pretty much paired together, and then we had scenes with Jemaine and Aubrey Plaza and all that. Matt is incredible. Jemaine is incredible. I just learned about Matt, really, in the past few years. I've seen something he had done, but I didn't even recognize that it was him until we talked about it on set and what have you.
But Jemaine, I've known him for maybe probably over 15 years, not in a super close relationship, but I've performed on his show Flight of the Concords, like a live show. Then he and Bret [McKenzie] performed on my show one time, so there's some history there. And Mark, Mark did The Office. That's where I met him, and then we just did this other show I can't think of the name of -- some crazy show he's on, where they turn people into a cartoon.
Did you get to work much with Jemaine during your time on What We Do in the Shadows?
No. No, he wasn't around when I was there.
Do you have any game/book/TV/film recommendations for everyone stuck at home?
I'm a YouTube-ologist. I'm having fun with YouTube, because I keep messing with their algorithm that they created for me. Yeah, I go on YouTube a lot. I have a few shows, like Top Boy, I've been watching on Netflix, and then on Hulu, I've been catching up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. And then I saw that show Ramy, that I know I'm late on, but it's magnificent. So yeah, there's a few things. I haven't been binge-watching too much, but yeah, I'll go to my YouTube videos with my ADD and check that out.
If you ever got a chance to play any superhero, who would it be and why?
I don't know! I guess the Hulk, because he needs no weapons. He just gets pissed off and gets out with everybody.
Airing Wednesdays at 10 pm ET/PT on FX, What We Do in the Shadows stars Kayvan Novak, Natasia Demetriou, Matt Berry, Mark Proksch and Harvey Guillen. Taika Waititi co-produces alongside Jemaine Clement, Scott Rudin, Paul Simms and Garrett Basch.