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Warning: Major SPOILERS lie ahead for What We Do in the Shadows season 6, episode 11, "The Finale"!Guillermo is in emotional disarray and Colin Robinson is somewhat there to help in the What We Do in the Shadows series finale. Season 6 of the FX comedy is bringing the spinoff of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's acclaimed vampire mockumentary to a close after a perfect streak of acclaimed seasons. The season has followed Guillermo as he began forging a life away from the vampires by entering the workforce, all while the vampires have done everything from summon the ghost of Laszlo's father to discover their long-lost roommate, who wants to conquer the New World.
The What We Do in the Shadows series finale, entitled "The Finale", sees Guillermo and the central group of vampires presented with the news that the documentary crew that has been following them for the past six years is wrapping up filming. While the vampires are quick to dismiss it, particularly as they reveal they've been the subjects of a documentary in the past, Guillermo finds himself on an emotional downward spiral, struggling to process the change. As the group continue on with their undead lives, they also try, in their own particular ways, to help cheer him up.
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I Never Expected What We Do In The Shadows’ Final Season To Be So Emotional, But Here We Are
While the final season of What We Do in the Shadows is still full of laughs, the complex dynamic between Guillermo and Nandor gets heavy.
The ensemble What We Do in the Shadows season 6 cast saw the returns of Harvey Guillén as Guillermo, Kayvan Novak as Nandor, Natasia Demetriou as Nadja, Mark Proksch as Colin Robinson, Matt Berry as Laszlo and Kristen Schaal as The Guide, as well as Doug Jones in a recurring capacity as Baron Afanas. Nicely wrapping up most of the characters' arcs while still leaving just enough room for potential future stories, the vampire mockumentary goes out on a high note.
Ahead of the show's farewell, ScreenRant interviewed Harvey Guillén and Mark Proksch to discuss What We Do in the Shadows' series finale, how filming it was emotionally cathartic for the former as he was an "emotional wreck" both during and after shooting wrapped, how Colin Robinson feels about the documentary ending, the Usual Suspects-style twist that was originally part of the episode, and Guillén's excitement about Mike Flanagan's The Life of Chuck.
Guillén Was "Kind Of An Emotional Wreck" Filming The What We Do In The Shadows Series Finale
He Also Confirms The Full-Circle Final Shot Was An Intentional Choice
ScreenRant: It's great to see you guys again, and bittersweet to chat about the series finale, but it's such a fun one, and really does round out the show well, like you both told me it would before. Harvey, I'd love to actually turn to you first, because when we briefly talked about the finale before, you mentioned how emotional it was filming that. Given it's very emotional for Guillermo, as well, I'm curious if you found that parallel to almost be a catharsis for you as you were filming this finale?
Harvey Guillén: It was, because it was the last day of shooting the series that I've been working on for seven years, from pilot to the end. It was the last scene of the show, so it was kind of perfectly timed. That was all Paul Simms, who later, I asked if that was on purpose, and he said, "Yes, that was on purpose." I think it was known that, I don't know, maybe I'm just the most emotional person on set [laughs], or that he's a human, it would make sense that Guillermo would be going through an emotional rollercoaster, because, remember, he's the only human.
These vampires have been alive for so long that these things don't faze them. They're like, "Yeah, it's just another chapter." It's a blink of an eye for them, but for a human who, you know, the clock is ticking, we're not immortal, and every day that's wasted not doing what you love, or wasted not achieving your goals and dreams just means that you have less time on this Earth to achieve it. That all hit Guillermo at once, so it's kind of a really sad moment. What is he if he's not this vampire familiar, vampire bodyguard, vampire nightclub embezzler, Van Helsing? [Chuckles]
Like, who is he if he's not all these things to someone else. I think it was a good lesson that we can all learn, that you have to be happy with yourself and not try to be an accessory or accommodation to someone else, or a bigger picture. You have to be happy with who you are, and I think Guillermo had to learn that this season by going out into the workforce, and seeing what he's made out of, and I think he's going to be okay.
But it was really sad to shoot that scene. We started the series with Guillermo opening the door to the documentary crew, and welcomed them into the house. And we ended with them literally walking away from him in the same corridor, and I was a wreck. And then, we wrapped right after that, and I was just kind of an emotional wreck. I was hugging Sarah Naftalis, who's one of our show runners, and one of our amazing writers, as well. And it was just like, "Wow, it's over. It's done." And it was just a sad moment, but a happy moment, because we share these memories forever, and now, it's out there. It'll live forever.
Colin Robinson's Efforts To Cheer Guillermo Up Are Sincere
"...proximity has bred intimacy, to some extent..."
Talking about this being sort of a blip in the eye of the vampires, Mark, I want to turn to you, because even though we learned that there was a documentary before, we still see Colin showing some recognition that Guillermo is going through this sadness. I'm curious if you think Colin does feel any sadness or disappointment that this documentary is coming to an end, since he has always been a little different from the other vampires?
Mark Proksch: I think it's twofold. I think he sees a source of food leaving the house. I think anytime he has a chance to drain people that aren't the vampires, it's probably a good thing, because he does consider them his friends, the vampires. I also think it's just a moment where Colin is feeling bad for Guillermo. As much as we are all very flippant with each other, I think that proximity has bred intimacy, to some extent, amongst the roommates, so I think it's more of him feeling compassion. If Colin Robinson is able to even do that.
That would be a certain rare twist for any of the vampires to feel that for Gizmo, but I like that, even if it was paired with a running joke of him saying a motivational phrase and then walking off, it still makes that moment a little more meaningful.
Harvey Guillén: Now that I was thinking more, Mark makes a good point that there's been moments where the vampires do show, in the way that they can, that they do care. I remember there was a scene where Mark's character asks Guillermo, "Yeah, spill the tea." Like, he genuinely wants to know what's going on in his personal life. And Natasia's character, Nadja, is asking as well, and so is Laszlo, because it was all them trying, to their best ability, to be nice to him, but they don't know how.
That was one of my favorite moments, I think, in the series where they want to ask him, and he's about to come out at that table where they were at the casino, and it gets ruined by Sean coming in with, like, a table full of clams or something, and he ruined the moment. It was supposed to be this sweet, sweet moment where they finally are leaning in, and they're listening to him, and they're going to hear him say what he wants to say, which is his sexuality was going to come out in that moment, and they were generally interested. It pains them, and then someone breaks the ice, which is what makes this comedy so great. The writers who break that sweet moment with the most hilarious [thing of] Sean dumping something on the table, "I got free clams, because I said I found a piece of glass in my pasta," or something, and just like that [, the vampires forget].
But they do try. There's been so many moments when Colin Robinson has tried to the best of his ability, and it just doesn't pan out. But that is an ongoing gag. If you look back at the series, there's moments, really quick moments, not big enough for Guillermo to hold on to, but they're there. The human side of them has always been there, and it's been linear through all the seasons.
Guillén Would Love To See A Spinoff For Guillermo & Nandor
"...I like that, they belong together, it's nice."
So, Harvey, I did actually want to turn back to you, because you mentioned Guillermo is going to be okay after this, but I'd love to hear what you actually do think is next for Guillermo. Because obviously, we see that tease of the Batman elevator with Nandor in his coffin, but what do you feel might be next for him?
Harvey Guillén: While shooting this, we were like, "This feels like this is a great thing, because it leaves it open-ended for everyone to kind of come back, but it feels like this could be a jumping point, a spinoff for Nandor and Guillermo to fight crime together." Like, imagine a world where someone's immortal, they can fly, they have superhuman strength, and then you have someone with Van Helsing blood running through them, who's really smart and quick and great at combat.
It makes for a really good duo that could potentially be a show in its own. So, I think that they go off, and they solve crimes together, and they're partners. It's not Tuxedo Man [and Kid Cowboy]. [Laughs] But they do go off together. And I feel like they have an adventure, and they have each other. At the end of the day, they ended up with each other, which is what everybody wanted from the fan base. They ended up with each other. So I like that, they belong together, it's nice.
Proksch Had A Blast With The Finale's Usual Suspects Parody (That Didn't Make The Cut)
"...our crew did such an amazing job with recreating the look of it and the set."
Mark, I want to turn back to you, because I also love that in Nadja's attempt to hypnotize the documentary, we go into this Usual Suspects-style ending, which is one of the most iconic endings in film history. I'd love to hear what it was like for you recreating that through the wacky world and lens of Shadows.
Mark Proksch: Yeah, anytime you get to take your character that you've been playing for a long time, and stick that character into a situation that breathes new life into it, it's always a positive for an actor. When Colin Robinson became a baby, that was something fun and challenging for me to figure out. And this was no different, you know, trying to put Colin Robinson into a noir-ish film like The Usual Suspects, while keeping in mind his entire backstory that we filmed prior to that was really exciting for me, and really fun.
And just getting to play in that world of The Usual Suspects, our crew did such an amazing job with recreating the look of it and the set. Everything was so precise that it made my job so much easier, because you just fall into that character and that world. So, it was really, really fun. Like you mentioned, it's an iconic film, it's a great film, and I think it's for those who know the film, they'll be pleasantly surprised.
Guillén & Proksch Have A Few Favorite What We Do In The Shadows Cameo
Proksch Also Wishes One Iconic Actor Had Reprised Their Divisive Role
So, this next question is actually for both of you guys. We've seen so many amazing vampire genre cameos throughout this show's run. We even had True Blood's Alexander Skarsgård just two episodes ago. I'd love to hear from you both, what's been your favorite vampire genre cameo to see and/or work with throughout the show's run?
Harvey Guillén: Mark might have had more, because I didn't really get to be in The Council, The Vampire Council, and they had all these great cameos. Which, by the way, most of them shot remotely. I think they weren't even really there.
Mark Proksch: They weren't there, no.
Harvey Guillén: No, I'm trying to think of cameos that were vampires. We've had such a Rolodex of great guest stars that come through, and, I mean, I couldn't just pick one. We had Mark Hamill, that was a huge one. I remember we were all, like, waiting the arrival of Mark Hamill, like it was Downton Abbey or something [laughs], like by the door, as he entered, because he's so iconic. We had Haley Joel Osment, like, we had so many people. Vampire-wise, I couldn't say specifically, maybe for my own personal [preference], Danny Trejo was a big one.
Then, I got to work with him after that on a project, and he's lovely, but never got to work with him on the show. Patton Oswald was another guest that was supposed to be a Guillermo-like character, so we've been very lucky. I got excited when Marissa Jaret Winokur joined the cast, because I'm a big musical theater fan, and she's [from the] Tony Award-winning Hairspray, Tracy Turnblad, you know. So we've had a lot of people who've come and play with us, and we've been very lucky to have them all.
Mark Proksch: Yeah, as far as vampires, those Vampiric Council scenes were filmed separately, so, like, Paul Rubens, I would have loved to have met him, but he was filmed separately. Tilda Swinton, that was separately. That was all done in LA long after the fact. But like Harvey said, we've been very, very fortunate to have such guest stars and cameos. Sofia Coppola, Jim Jarmusch. I would have loved to have had Gary Oldman in as a vampire. Who is actually a resident of Palm Springs, full-time, oddly enough, you don't think of him in Palm Springs.
But yeah, we were always very, very lucky with our guest stars, like Steve Coogan, just people that you wouldn't necessarily see on American television, and that's a credit to the writing, and to the production of the show, getting the respect that is necessary in order for names like that to join the show. It was really a privilege to get to work on a show like that.
Guillén Feels "Very Fortunate" To Be Part Of Mike Flanagan's World With The Life Of Chuck
"Once you're part of that world, you feel it."
Harvey, I just want to turn to you really quickly, because I'm a huge fan of Mike Flanagan. I love that you're part of The Life of Chuck's cast, and I'd love to hear what your experience was like, and maybe what you're allowed to share about who your character is in the world of Chuck's life.
Harvey Guillén: Yeah, Mike's a fan of What We Do in the Shadows, and him and his wife, Kate Siegel, I've always admired their work for years and years. I met them at an event, and they were so lovely. They just called me up, and they said, "Hey, would you do us an honor of coming to [the movie], we're filming in the south, and just be a part of this?" I can't say much of what it is, but I will say it's a really quick thing that he was really sweet about. He was like, "I want to put you in this film, and it's going to be really quick a couple of days." But it's getting great reviews after its premiere at TIFF, and it's coming out in theaters next year.
I'm just really excited to be part of the Flanagan world, because Kate actually produced a film after that, and I joined her in that film, and came on board as one of the leads on that. That's going to come out next year, as well. So, working with Kate and Mike have both been amazing, and we just want to continue to work together. It's really great. Being part of that world is very special. Once you're part of that world, you feel it. You're like, "Oh, everyone works with each other on everything constantly." It's really nice to be invited to come play. I'm very fortunate, very lucky.
About What We Do In The Shadows Season 6
What We Do in the Shadows documents the nightly exploits of vampire roommates Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) as they navigate the modern world of Staten Island with the help of their former familiar and current human friend, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) as well as their vampire bureaucrat acquaintance, The Guide (Kristen Schaal).
After a very brief stint as a full-blown vampire, Guillermo is re-evaluating his life. Who is he if not a familiar who will do anything to please his Master in hopes of one day being turned into a vampire? Meanwhile, the vampires are re-evaluating, too. When their former roommate reappears after a 50-year nap, they realize how little they’ve done in half a century — not one goal accomplished, not one dream pursued, not one part of the New World conquered (except for their street and part of Ashley Street).
In the sixth and final season of the Emmy-nominated comedy, Nandor, Nadja, Laszlo, Colin and Guillermo will enter the workforce, visit New Hampshire, go to a human dinner party, fête The Baron and conjure a demon — all while trying to find their place and their purpose in this crazy, mixed-up world.
Check out our previous What We Do in the Shadows season 6 interviews with:
- Matt Berry, Kristen Schaal, Mark Proksch, Paul Simms & Kyle Newacheck (San Diego Comic-Con 2024)
- Kayvan Novak
- Mark Proksch
- Paul Simms
- Harvey Guillén (pre-release)
- Paul Simms, Sam Johnson, Sarah Naftalis, Kayvan Novak, Harvey Guillén, Matt Berry & Mark Proksch (New York Comic Con 2024)
- Doug Jones
- Kayvan Novak & Kristen Schaal (series finale post-mortem)
All episodes of What We Do in the Shadows are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
Source: ScreenRant Plus
What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary-styled comedy series that follows the exploits of four vampires and a familiar living in Staten Island in the twenty-first century. Unrelated to the film of the same name, the show's vampires attempt to acclimate to the modern world but tend to find themselves lost often, leaving familiar-hoping-to-become-a-vampire Guillermo de la Cruz to pick up the pieces in the wake of their accidental destruction.
Release Date March 27, 2019
Seasons 6
Showrunner Paul Simms
English (US) ·