Like other series based on an original film, Jemaine Clement’s TV show What We Do in the Shadows has introduced many eccentric and interesting new personalities that did not star in the first project. With the 2014 movie created by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, the writers had a lot less time to dive into characters and the extended universe of the What We Do in the Shadows movie.
Fortunately, the emergence of the series in 2019 allowed Clement to do some exploring and expand the cast of characters. Not only was Clement able to help the audience get to know Nandor, Guillermo, Lazlo, Nadja, and Colin better, he was able to explore some of the concepts that were only briefly touched on in the film. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Clement confirmed that they “hadn’t explored the master-familiar thing very much in the movie, and [they] always thought there was more to it.”
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The show fleshed out energy vampires, creatures who feed on energy by emotionally draining their victims, as well as werewolves, witches, and vampire hunters, and the growing mythology of this supernatural but comedic universe is satisfying and exciting. That being said, with What We Do in the Shadows developing into a whole franchise and universe, it can be difficult to keep cameos and new characters straight. But never fear! MovieWeb is here to help you. Here is a comprehensive guide of the entire cast and character descriptions of What We Do in the Shadows.
Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak)
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Kayvan Novak, known for his role in Fonejacker, plays Nandor, a former leader of a kingdom in Iran and soldier of the Ottoman Empire. Nandor is the oldest vampire in the house and takes charge of house meetings and vampire etiquette. Nandor struggles to understand both the habits and technologies of modern human beings. Nandor often takes advantage of his familiar, Guillermo, and is embarrassed to admit that Guillermo is his friend. In a CBR interview, Novak says that Nandor is a character “who wears his heart on his sleeve” and is a very emotional person.
Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillen)
Guillermo, Nandor’s human Latino familiar, is played by Harvey Guillen. Guillen tells Esquire that he “loves the way Guillermo’s evolution is going” from a timid man wearing tan sweaters to a man who wears bright colors and knows who he truly is. Guillermo has served Nandor for over ten years with the hope that his Master would eventually make him a vampire. He is motivated by the 1994 film Interview with a Vampire, starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, but slowly deduces that Nandor has no intention of giving him his wish no matter how hard he works.
Later, Guillermo learns that he is a descendant of a vampire hunter and discovers he is good at killing vampires, leaving him confused about his future.
Leslie “Lazlo” Cravensworth (Matt Berry)
Lazlo, played by Matt Berry of IT Crowd and Toast of London, resided somewhere in England in the 17th or 18th century when his fellow housemate and wife, Nadja, transformed him into a vampire. Lazlo is often preoccupied with thoughts about sex and keeps a garden of bushes shaped like vulvas in the yard. He has hypnotic abilities and a special kind of communication with animals. He has had affairs many times, with both men and women, including Nandor. Lazlo is one of the more confrontational personalities in the group and confessed to being Jack the Ripper in Season One.
Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou)
Before becoming a vampire, Nadja resided in Greece in a village badly damaged by an unknown army, whose leader later turns out to be Nandor. Nadja’s island village was infested by snakes and one day, as she was throat singing, a vampire disguised as a snake bit her. She was chased off the island by her own family. Later, Nadja had several affairs, most of which were different versions of a man named Gregor, who is a shapeshifter that has appeared as a woman, a mouse, and a horse, but he is always decapitated.
Nadja eventually turned Lazlo into a vampire and married him. The couple originally resided in Europe but were chased out by anti-vampire prejudice and landed on Staten Island. Nadja is the only woman in the house and is often annoyed by her housemates.
Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch)
Colin, played by Mark Proksch of The Office and the great On Cinema, is the house’s energy vampire. Colin often makes his roommates uneasy because he can feed off their energy and in addition, he is a whole different kind of vampire. Colin is a daywalker and his eyes glow when he is feeding on someone’s energy. According to Nandor, Colin came with the house and Colin is unsure if his parents were energy vampires. To make feeding easy, Colin works in an office and bores his co-workers to sleep. Briefly, he has a rivalry with a fellow energy vampire at the office, Evie, played by Vanessa Bayer of SNL. The others avoid associating with Colin, but he is part of the group nonetheless.
Jenna (Beanie Feldstein)
Jenna, played by Beanie Feldstein of Booksmart, is a LARPer and virgin who Guillermo recruited for Nandor and the others to feed on. Out of pity, Nadja turns Jenna into a vampire and Jenna discovers she has gained the power to be invisible. Jenna is a recurring character in What We Do in the Shadows.
Baron Afanas (Doug Jones)
Baron, played by Doug Jones of The Shape of Water and Pans Labyrinth, is a very ancient vampire with the old belief that vampires should rule the world. In Season One, he visits the gang under the impression that Nadja and Lazlo have been working to rule America. This is not the case and he is disappointed. The gang takes Baron for a night out, and then he is accidentally killed by Guillermo, due to sun exposure. It is revealed in Season Three that parts of him survived.
Simon the Devious (Nick Kroll)
Simon, played by Nick Kroll of Big Mouth and Kroll Show, is a vampire who was once good friends with Nadja and Lazlo. They were chased out of Europe together, however, Simon decided to go to Manhattan and rule over the vampires there. Simon starts a Manhattan nightclub where vampires meet called the Sassy Cat. Simon once had an affair with Nadja and now has a rivalry with Lazlo over a cursed witch hat.
Jeff Suckler aka Gregor (Jake McDorman)
Jeff, a reincarnation of the warrior Gregor, is the man that Nadja repeatedly has affairs with who keeps being reincarnated as both animals and humans. In Season One, he is once again reincarnated as a human named Jeff Suckler. To rekindle their romance, Nadja restores Jeff’s memories of his previous lives, but his odd behavior lands him in a mental institution. It turns out that every time Gregor has been decapitated, it has always been Lazlo at the sword.
The Guide (Kristen Schall)
Kristen Schall of Bob’s Burgers and the great Gravity Falls (who also worked with Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi on Flight of the Conchords) plays the vampiric council’s Guide. She greets and invites the vampires when they are called for serious meetings. She is often seen floating and speaking in a low, demonic voice.
In addition to recurring characters, What We Do in the Shadows has many cameos including Mark Hamill of Star Wars, Craig Robinson of The Office, and Lucy Hunch of Ella Enchanted and Hot Fuzz. Jemaine Clement’s What We Do in the Shadows currently has four seasons available for .
