Photographer: Christian Trippe
From time to time, we check in with our friend, actor Harvey Guillen to find out what’s on his plate. In addition to getting ready to shoot the FX adaptation of What We Do in the Shadows, he’s in two other relatively spooky productions. We talk to Harvey about moving from L.A. to Toronto, appreciating the places you visit and the hardest part about working in the horror genre.
How have you been?
It’s been busy! I’m in the packing for the move to Toronto where we’re shooting What We Do in the Shadows. I’ll be there for 3 months, so I’m getting an apartment there.
Have you spent much time in Toronto?
I’ve worked there, but never lived there. It’s a big thing to leave your place behind and move your life, but I’m excited to spend some time there getting familiar with the city and my neighborhood.
You end up moving around a lot for work, right?
Last year, I spent 6 months in L.A. and 6 months in Vancouver, Alabama and Arkansas.
You sometimes hear people talk about places like Alabama and Arkansas as “flyover states,” but there’s a lot to see and experience in those places. Do you take time to appreciate the culture and feel of places like that when you’re living there?
Oh yeah. You get a much better appreciation for the culture in those places. It’s kind of like a mini travel getaway. When I was in Arkansas, I learned all this Walmart history – about how it started as this corner drugstore, but now it’s a multibillion dollar international chain. You can see it in this town there and you might never see these places otherwise. I love to explore and just take it all in.
What else is coming up for you?
There’s The Body, the first release from Blumhouse and Hulu’s Into the Dark anthology series, out on 10/5. You can also catch Truth or Dare, which is coming to Netflix on 10/3.
You’ve done a lot of different types of work. How is acting in a horror film different from, say, comedy?
With horror, you’re always in fear. You have to get into that mentality [for the role] to get the adrenaline flowing. Comedy is relaxed and chill and mellow. In horror, you’re staying in character and you’re always running! It’s very draining. You go home and you’re mentally and physically exhausted.
Follow Harvey Guillen on Twitter @HARVEYGUILLEN.
