What We Do in the Shadows is coming to an end this season, but that’s not stopping the cast and crew from having just as much fun and throwing our favorite Staten Island vampires into just as many outrageous scenarios as they have over the past five years.
Of course, that means venturing a bit beyond Ashley Street and into the hustle and bustle of Wall Street, where Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) climbs his way up the corporate ladder this season with a little scheming from Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) at Cannon Capital. Unfortunately, as Guillermo ascends, his former master Nandor (Kayvan Novak) is left in the dust.
**Spoilers for Episode 5, “Nador’s Army,” ahead **
And where is a former ancient warrior to turn when disgraced but the battlefield? Of course, that’s exactly what happens with Nandor in Episode 5, when he flees to New Hampshire and forms his very own army as an act of revenge after being fired from his janitor job by Guillermo.
While speaking with DECIDER about “Nandor’s Army,” Novak said his character has been left “lout to sea” without his former “leverage” over Guillermo.
“After getting a job where Guillermo works and then getting fired, he’s a bit like oh, fucking now what? He’s really lost,” Novak told us. “So I guess it makes sense that he would regress back to being an ancient warrior. I think he’s just like, give me a reason to be pissed off with Guillermo again because he didn’t really have a leg to stand on.”
DECIDER chatted with Novak about his character’s brief, unexpected turn into a (somewhat) cold-hearted military leader, which of the show’s many fantastic guest stars he most enjoyed working with, and how he’s feeling about the end of What We Do in the Shadows with the conclusion of Season 6. Read our full conversation below.
DECIDER: In this episode we saw a different side of Nandor, sort of less soft. I’m curious what it was like for you to embody that part of the character.
KAYVAN NOVAK: It was a little daunting, to be honest, because I’m a comic actor, really. That’s my comfort zone. And to play something that’s more kind of aggressive or kind of sinister, more menacing, you know, those are the kind of parts I kind of got when I first got out of drama school: the terrorist, the pimp, the drug dealer. Initially that kind of menace was like, well, you look like that, so you should play this part. And I did, and it was definitely a way in for me. But you can only do that so much. So to come back to that, but through Nandor, who I’d really enjoyed playing in a completely opposite way to that, which was kind of his appeal: That he looked like this kind of menacing, you know, lump of brown muscle — [laughs] sometimes, in some places — that he was actually quite self-centered and goofy and approachable and quite pedantic and effeminate, almost, in a lot of ways the polar opposite of all those things, to kind of get rid of all that and, you know, just go for the menace.
You know, the challenge — not that I’m saying I can’t be menacing, but to keep some shred of the Nandor that I’ve kind of been playing for the last six years so it didn’t feel like a completely different character, that was the challenge. I think I pulled it off. I don’t know. I haven’t seen the episode, but I guess it felt good doing it and it felt silly enough and it wasn’t completely like, who the hell is this guy? I hope you agree.
I definitely do. I watched the episode twice now. I really liked it. Was it ever hard for you to keep a straight face on set, like when you had to deliver military orders to a bunch of mannequins?
I do break, but usually with the other actors. Or if I’d said something or improvised something that I thought was hilariously funny. You know, I’m the first one to laugh at my own jokes. It’s just a habit. But no, I would say, you know, you’re in character on the set and you’re just kind of doing the scene, really. There’s not a lot to make you break unless, again, the other actors are in the room, then I probably will break at some point.
I know Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) sort of becomes Nandor’s number two for a minute in this episode. What was that like?
That was a new thing, you know, ’cause usually Nandor and Colin are kind of at loggerheads. We haven’t had that many adventures where it’s just the two of us kind of trying to get things done. I think we did it in Season 1 in like “Animal Hospital,” where Matt [Berry] is turned in a bat. That was the first episode that I said, “fucking guy,” actually, when [Laszlo] doesn’t thank me for helping him escape even though it’s not him, it’s just a real bat. But yeah, I loved working with Mark, and the opportunity to work with him, I’m like, wicked, how is this going to pan out? Having him as my number two, you know, I’m not actually fully Nandor when I’m doing that. So it’s kind of a bit different. So I can’t fully enjoy it in the same way that I would if I was playing Nandor as the Nandor that we know. But, you know, again, he’s a very skilled and talented guy, so we got the most out of him.
And who do you imagine these people in New Hampshire who joined Nandor’s army are? Like, why would they be convinced to fight for him?
You know, your guess is as good as mine. I mean, honestly, I just haven’t got a clue. What motivates them, how it even came about, I don’t know, man. I guess they’re looking for, you know, they’re looking for something. I mean, everyone’s looking for something. I guess they found what they were looking for. I think he just hypnotized them, to be honest.
It’s a good theory.
I think that’s right.
This episode also marks a shift in Nandor’s dynamic with Guillermo, which has been kind of strained and thrown on top of its head this season. How would you describe where they are at this point?
Guillermo decided that he didn’t really need Nandor anymore, so you know, that’s that for him. But of course, that leaves Nandor a little out to sea because he doesn’t have any leverage over Guillermo anymore, but he still wants him in his life. So then, you know, after getting a job where Guillermo works and then getting fired, he’s a bit like oh, fucking now what? He’s really lost. So I guess it makes sense that he would regress back to being an ancient warrior. I think he’s just like, give me a reason to be pissed off with Guillermo again because he didn’t really have a leg to stand on.
Guillermo doesn’t work for him anymore so he can’t be pissed off with him. It’s a classic kind of relationship. We’re not going out anymore, but kind of still want each other in each other’s lives, so you think of fucked up reasons to stay in each other’s lives and well, I’m going to get pissed off at this and hope that you give a shit. Or if you don’t give a shit, I want you to get pissed off that you don’t give a shit that I’m pissed off. You know what I mean? It’s all kind of relatable, isn’t it? I mean, we’ve all kind of— I’m not saying everyone’s relationship is like Nandor’s and Guillermo’s, but definitely if you’ve been in a relationship, then you will be reminded of it by their relationship at some point.
Yeah, for sure. This episode also reminded me a little bit of when Nandor joins that cult trying to become a human in the Season 3 episode “The Wellness Center.” Do you think your character — I mean, maybe this is sort of my own interpretation — but, why do you think he’s trying to change or become better all the time?
He doesn’t sit well within himself. He can’t just be himself and just be. He’s always got to kind of like, be something else or chase something, or, “I’m going to be like this.” It’s just not sustainable. And I think we all do it. We all decide, you know, it’s fucking New Year’s soon, what’s going to happen in a year? We’re going to make our New Year’s resolutions. Twenty-five days later, they’re going to be in the fucking bin, you know what I mean? It’s like part of being a human being. You have that consciousness that you’re like, I can be better than this. How am I going to be better? Oh, what’s that? Oh yeah, that’ll help. I’ll do that for a bit, or I’ll do that for a bit.
I guess every time you do that, you learn something new about yourself, and what you learn about yourself is that there’s no one magic bullet. There’s no answer. So, he’s perpetually been on his Eat, Pray, Love journey, and he probably will be for the rest of his life because that’s his hobby. That’s our hobbies as humans. Like, I’m going to learn something new, I’m going to do this, I’m gonna do that. I mean, at the end of the day we’re all ending up in the same place: We’re all getting in the ground. Not Nandor, because he’s immortal. But yeah, I think it’s part of the human condition as expressed through Nandor.
Yeah, definitely. A lighter question, but he has so many good one-liners. My sister and I, we love this show and you’re our favorite character. We cry laughing. Do you have any favorite one liners of Nandor’s?
Do you?
Yes! When Guillermo spills the chocolate-covered espresso beans and you say to him, “You need to drink more water.”
[Nandor Voice] Oh, Guillermo, you really should drink more water.
So good.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, the kind of tender advice lines are always good for Nandor. You know, “We drank the blood of some people and the people were on drugs and now I’m a wizard,” you know, that was the very last scene I filmed in Season 1, actually. And it was just Jemaine [Clement]‘s whim. Get that traffic cone, put it on your head and pretend you’re a wizard. And then he just kind of came up with the lines on the hoof. There’s so many I can’t think of any.
That sort of takes you to my next question. I know Doug Jones was in that episode too as The Baron, and I know you work with Tim Heidecker a little bit this season. Are there any guest stars that have been your favorites that you’ve worked with?
Mike O’Brien. They’re all lovely, you know, the set is a very happy set — was. But yeah, Mike, because also he’s playing [Jerry], a vampire that we’re supposed to have had a relationship with for many years. And yeah, he was just a lovely guy, great energy and a total pro. It was like he was part of the furniture and I think that takes confidence and it takes talent and it takes judgment. And I think he judged it beautifully.
I wasn’t aware of him but, you know, I didn’t tell him that. I told him I was a big fan because it’s kind of what you’ve got to do when people come. “Big fan mate, big fan [laughs]. I’ve never fucking heard of you. Big fan.” I think it’s a trick that gets pulled a lot. I think people have done that to me. “Big fan. Don’t know who the fuck you are. Big fan.” Yeah. But genuinely, Mike O’Brien. Sweetheart. And I had a great time with him on set and in the green room. We laughed a lot.
Is there anything you can share about the rest of Season 6, or how you’re feeling now that the show is sadly on its final season?
Of course I’m very fond of the show. I think anyone that was in the show was fond of the show. It’s been a beautiful experience for me. Life-changing. And I will remember it with great fondness and affection, and all the friendships and people that I worked with along the way, man, it’s been beautiful, and the fans, man, people that love the show, people that love Nandor, all shapes and sizes. I’m going to keep meeting them at various Comic-Cons. It’s been wonderful. And this season, I would say it’s a banger. It’s a banger. And I think they’ve done a great job of tying a bow on it at the end, so I think you’ll have a great Season 6. And then, you know, you’ve just got to watch the seasons all over again. What else can you do?
Yeah, I do that.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
New episodes of What We Do in the Shadows air Monday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX. Next-day streaming is available on Hulu.
