Nandor is not having an easy time letting Guillermo go, as seen in What We Do in the Shadows season 6. The former warlord vampire is played by BAFTA winner Kayvan Novak, who first found success in his home country of England with the likes of prank call show Fonejacker, the political black comedy Four Lions and Thunderbirds Are Go. While the FX vampire comedy helped establish him as a household name for American audiences, he has also found international success with Disney’s live-action Cruella movie and FXX’s Archer, among others.
What We Do in the Shadows season 6 picks up sometime after the events of the season 5 finale, in which Nandor helped Guillermo return to being human by killing Derek. Unlike prior seasons, the former familiar-turned-vampire has now moved out of the main house and into the garden house, figuring out what is ahead for his life, while Nandor also works to determine how to proceed through life without relying on Guillermo. When Guillermo begins working at a corporate office, though, he’ll find he still can’t quite escape the vampires as Nandor and Nadja begin intervening.
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8 Biggest Questions What We Do In The Shadows Season 6 Must Answer Before The Show Ends
What We Do In The Shadows is saying goodbye with season 6, but there’s still a lot to wrap up with Laszlo, Nandor Nadja, Colin, and Guillermo!
Alongside Novak, the ensemble What We Do in the Shadows season 6 cast sees the returns of Harvey Guillén as Guillermo, Natasia Demetriou as Nadja, Mark Proksch as Colin Robinson, Matt Berry as Laszlo and Kristen Schaal as The Guide. Delivering the same fish-out-of-water comedy as prior seasons while also building toward a fitting conclusion of the vampires’ and familiar’s journey, the show is going out on an appropriately high note.
In anticipation of the show’s return, Screen Rant interviewed Kayvan Novak to discuss What We Do in the Shadows season 6, how he feels about the show coming to an end and what he will miss most from starring in the supernatural comedy, what to expect from Nandor and Guillermo’s relationship in the final season, and the unique thrill of getting to collaborate more with Demetriou for Nandor and Nadja’s office adventure.
Novak Hasn’t Started Missing The Show “Just Yet” (But Knows What He Will Miss)
“…it’s been a beautiful journey.”
Screen Rant: Kayvan, excited to get to chat with you again, especially for What We Do in the Shadows season 6. I’m only a few episodes in, but I’m loving what I’m seeing so far. How does it feel for you reflecting on this journey with Nandor now that we are coming to the end?
Kayvan Novak: I mean, it’s been a beautiful journey. I’m not missing him just yet, but I know that I will soon. But I’m excited to see the new season, as well, so I’m glad you’re enjoying it so far.
So, with this being the final season, you just mentioned you’re not missing him yet, but when that does hit, what do you think is going to be the biggest trait or personality of Nandor’s that you’re going to really miss getting to play in the future?
Kayvan Novak: The neediness, maybe, the confusedness. It’s not just playing him, I guess, it’s playing with my friends, playing with my co-stars. And just being on that set is something that I will miss, definitely.
Season 6 Is “Not Going To Disappoint” Nandor & Guillermo Fans
“…depending on how much homoerotic fan art you enjoy looking at.”
So, in diving right into the story, I love how this season doesn’t see a full 180, but starts to see close to one, with the vampires and Guillermo, especially Nandor and Guillermo’s relationship, where he can’t quite fully rely on Guillermo anymore. What is it like exploring that dynamic in comparison to prior seasons?
Kayvan Novak: I mean, it’s always interesting for me, and exciting to see what the writers have cooked up for the season. They’ve kept that ball in the air for so long, and I think the last season’s not going to disappoint. I felt excited and enthusiastic about all the scenes that I was playing with Harvey, continuing their kind of will-they-won’t-they storyline.
The unrequited love affair, whatever you want to call it. So, yeah, they’ve just kept it kind of fresh. I think it’s good for an audience, you know, you don’t want to be watching something and going, “Oh, they’ve done that already. They’ve done that already.” It’s still gonna surprise you, and delight you, and upset you, depending on how much homoerotic fan art you enjoy looking at.
Novak Was Wowed By Mike O’Brien Joining The Show’s Cast
“…I think it can be daunting coming in with such a well-established ensemble…”
We also see the introduction of a fifth roommate, the long-lost Jerry. I love that he is meant to re-energize the group into conquering the New World, but it doesn’t quite go the way he expects. What is it like, not only bringing him in, but sort of watching how his dynamic affects the entire group?
Kayvan Novak: Well, I’ve got to say, Mike O’Brien, such a likable guy. I wasn’t aware of him, because I never really watch Saturday Night Live, or I wasn’t in a writer’s room or anything. But he was just like a duck to water, man. He was great, because I think it can be daunting coming in with such a well-established ensemble, for a new person to come in with status, and just kind of hold his own. He was fantastic, I loved working with him. I didn’t have any scenes with him, but enjoyed watching him work from a distance.
I did have a few scenes, but it was nice, and he was a lovely guy, and fantastic. I think a lesser comedian might have come in there and felt like they had to really establish themselves, and would probably have pissed everyone off. But I don’t know, man, what can I say, Paul Simms has friends in high places, so yeah, he was a great addition. And I think, again, the atmosphere on set always translates to the screen. I think that’s why you watch it, and you get an inkling that we’re having fun, but not too much fun, but enough that it kind of translates into our performances and the dynamic that we have.
I think Mike was absolutely just a joy, and we had a lot of fun on the day. Sadly, most of the scenes have been cut out, but don’t tell Mike that. We want to keep it a surprise for him when he’s invited all of his friends and family around to watch his one scene. [Laughs] He was great, man. He thinks there’s going to be another season, we didn’t have the heart to tell him. [Laughs] He thinks he’s going to be on the poster for season 8.
Novak Loves Nadja & Nandor’s Sibling-Like Dynamic
“…when Nandor and Nadja get together, it’s like I’m quibbling with my sister.”
In looking beyond Jerry’s introduction, I love that both Nandor and Nadja really try to get involved in Guillermo’s life away from the vampires by interfering with his office life. It’s not often we get Nandor and Nadja together in comparison to the other pairings. What is it like teaming up with Natasia for that, in comparison to some of the other groupings?
Kayvan Novak: I actually really, really enjoyed my scenes with Natasia. I feel like when Nandor and Nadja get together, it’s like I’m quibbling with my sister. She’s so mean to Nandor, but it’s really nice to play that. We’re both really short with each other, and that’s really enjoyable, especially when we’ve got to work together, but we both have different ways of going about it. But we’ve got to kind of put up with each other along the way. Yeah, I really enjoyed that, actually, it was a lot of fun to do that. It becomes really farcical between us, and the energy is good, because I think we’re both kind of quite high-energy performers. So yeah, it was good fun, I enjoyed it very much.
Kovak Found That The Series Finale “Surpassed Our Expectations”
“…a lot of shows end badly, or end s—-ily or unsatisfyingly, or kind of, ‘What the f–k was that?’”
I see I have time for one more question, so I did also want to ask, I know we can’t get into spoilers, per se, but with this being the final season, I’d love to hear what your feelings are on where the series closes out and how it brings this chapter to a close.
Kayvan Novak: I guess a lot of shows end badly, or end s—-ily or unsatisfyingly, or kind of, “What the f–k was that?” I’d say there was a lot of anxiety, but I guess for the writers, it is. You want to end on a high, you want to end strong, and they’ve absolutely done it. We were like, “Wow,” it surpassed our expectations. I played a lot of pickleball with the writers, and beat most of them, all of them, quite badly, and that didn’t really play well into [my plans], because I was also looking for, like, “Oh, come on, you got any spoilers? How’s this going to end?”
So, I started losing to them intentionally, and the more I lost to them, the more they’d kind of go, “Oh, hey, bad luck, but hey, let me give you a few tidbits about what’s going to happen. Really excited about this idea and that idea.” And then, once they gave me that, I started kicking their a–es again. So, to you pickleballers out there, let them win, and then take what you want, then beat them, if that makes sense. It’s gonna be a great ending, as great as an ending can be, and if you’re f—-ng sad it’s over, you’ve got 61 episodes to watch. It’s fine, don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay.
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.
Stay tuned for our other What We Do in the Shadows season 6 interviews with:
- Mark Proksch
- Harvey Guillén
- Paul Simms
The first three episodes of
What We Do in the Shadows
season 6 premiere on October 21, followed by new episodes on Mondays on FXX.
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.
- Cast
- Doug Jones , Natasia Demetriou , Matt Berry , Mark Proksch , Kayvan Novak , Harvey Guillen , Kristen Schaal
- Release Date
- March 27, 2019
- Seasons
- 6
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- Showrunner
- Stefani Robinson , Paul Simms