HARVEY GUILLÉN: A FAMILIAR HERO [IN PRINT]
WORDS BY IRVIN RIVERA
Heroes are most commonly associated as beings who save the distressed from whatever misery or predicament that they’re in. As if they have that universal responsibility to save anything from any realm or universe available. But what about inspiring people? Can someone universally relatable be on a hero level as well? Harvey Guillén ascended to hero status not only by being the “heart” and literally the “humanity” of What We Do in the Shadows, but also by being one of the most relatable, likeable, queer, Latinx characters on TV. And during these crazy times, we need heart and humanity more than ever.
Nowadays, the obvious “hero” qualities are superhuman strength, a wide range of superpowers, extra-sensory perception and sometimes, supernatural abilities. The commonly overlooked qualities are kind, compassionate, inspirational, courageous, resourceful, selfless, relatable and smart. But what most people don’t realize is that there is strength in stillness. There is power in kindness. There is command in subtlety. There is influence in being relatable.
Harvey Guillén is relatable. Harvey is inspirational.
He’s relatable because aside from providing visibility and representation, he’s just like us. In What We Do in the Shadows, he’s patient, he’s loyal, he gets annoyed, he gets disappointed, sometimes he’s impatient, he’s hopeful, and then he kicks ass. Generally speaking, that relatability comes from an authentic place in Harvey as an actor and that’s why it translates so well on-screen.
STYLING: ANDREW PHILIP NGUYEN, GROOMING: KIMBERLY DISTEL, LAYOUT: PHIL LIMPRASERTWONG, PHOTO ASST: MILAN DILEO
I first met Harvey on my flight to Toronto last year for the Toronto International Film Festival. I didn’t realize we were on the same flight and only a few seats away from each other. Thanks to our common friend who connected us that day. Harvey’s a sweet guy. What’s not to love? At that point, I think I’ve only watched one episode of What We Do in the Shadows. But after that brief meeting, I connected with Harvey, started binging the show and fell in love with everyone’s favorite familiar, Guillermo de la Cruz. Watching his character evolve in the show from being a familiar whose ultimate goal is to be a vampire to being the kick-ass vampire slayer is such a fun and rewarding experience.
Harvey, by being Harvey is inspiring. He inspires people to be their authentic selves. Through his work and his stories, he inspires people to pursue their dreams and that anything is achievable no matter what color, shape, size, or ethnic background you are.
His inspiring journey as an actor, from scavenging recyclables to making money for his acting classes to now actually doing what he loves and working with amazing, talented people in the industry is the hero’s journey that we should hear more about.
Harvey Guillén is an exciting part of mainstream media and pop culture and we can’t wait to see more of his works. In this special collector’s issue, we tried to be playful and created some fun characters for Harvey to play. We spoke to him about his journey as an actor, playing the kick-ass Guillermo in What We Do in the Shadows, his fears, his thoughts on representation, and more. We hope this issue entertains you during these interesting times. Enjoy reading!
Have you had any supernatural encounters in your life?
I have had a couple of supernatural encounters. Actually, that's so funny that you asked me that because I was just reading this like a second ago. When I was little, we used to live in this house that I was convinced was haunted. And one time when I was sleeping, I was in bed and I had a nightlight because I'm a scaredy-cat and it was reflecting onto the ceiling, you know, the inside of the room. And I saw this silhouette crawl on all fours, and it had horns but it was just a silhouette, not an actual tangible thing I could see. And it was right on top of me and the bed. And I remember I passed out from the terror of it, and when I came to consciousness, it was morning. I don't know if I dreamt that then because I'm thinking about it, was that a dream or nightmare, or was I really in a haunted house? Anyways, my therapist will tell you.
Did it happen again?
It didn't happen again because we moved by then. But a lot of weird things happened at that house that was really kind of creepy. Just scratchings and really weird stuff. And I've always been sensitive to that, like energy-wise, I'm really big on energy. When I meet people, I can read their energy but if it goes deeper than that, it's like, oh, this is just scary. Yes, so we moved out.
What is it like to play Guillermo throughout the seasons of What We Do in the Shadows? What's the best part about playing his character?
The best part of playing Guillermo is just, I like the trajectory of his story, it always surprises me just because when I think I have Guillermo figured out, they throw a curveball with like his ancestry and the Van Helsing side of things. I just liked that he's getting into his own, like he's getting comfortable and speaking up for himself, and being a badass. Like, after season two, you will remember his motherfucking name.
