Opened What We Do in the ShadowsNandor is probably a nurse to the vampires—even if he doesn’t realize it, as he is complete lack of self-awareness all the time. io9 caught up with Kayvan Novak about what’s to come in season six, including Nandor’s tumultuous relationship with his acquaintance, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), and the episode where he briefly thinks he’s the infamous US president.
Cheryl Eddy, io9: Did you already do the Richard Nixon impression or did you have to develop that into the show?
Kayvan Novak: I didn’t. I didn’t know about Richard Nixon, but I think it’s a movie Hello Vietnam it really was [where I got most of my awareness] about him and his character and the people who make fun of him. Robin Williams does an impression of him and cuts that conversation to make him sound funny. But I was offered several YouTube videos of Richard Nixon to read and I didn’t. I just showed up on the day and made an impression. I did a little homework. I was nervous. I was nervous. To be honest, it didn’t make sense why Nandor would be able to do an impression of Richard Nixon even if he was hypnotized. But no one listens to me. So I just went and did it anyway.
io9: Nandor has a problem when Jerry, his longtime roommate suddenly returns, revealing how far he is from being “Nandor the Relentless.” What do you think happened in those 50 years for his personality to change so much? Was it Jerry’s absence or something else?
Novak: I think that living on Staten Island, not robbing and killing a lot of people, maybe it’s softened him a little bit, you know, thinking that maybe he’s missing something else in his life. Guillermo’s influence probably made him see things in a different way because he secretly cares about this person he knows, pretending he doesn’t care about him. I think 700 years of life can do that to a person.
io9: I’m glad you mentioned Guillermo, because he and Nandor (“Nandermo” to shippers) are in a weird place when the season starts. As we can see, Guillermo has gone he tried to set new boundaries. How would you describe Nandor’s headspace about where they are after the events of season five?
Novak: [Guillermo] he doesn’t really need Nandor anymore because he doesn’t want to be a vampire anymore. That was Nandor’s exploitation of him, and now that is gone. Nandor’s kind of giving up, really—and I think that without admitting that he gives a shit, he clearly gives and acts accordingly. So that is her motivation, I would say, to date Guillermo, even though Guillermo wants nothing to do with her.
io9: Nandor and Nadja had this running competition between them during the show—they both saw themselves as having more authority than the other. What do you think was the origin of that?
Novak: It sounds like a sibling rivalry, to be honest. When I do those scenes, it’s like I’m arguing with my sister; it has that kind of vibe to it. I like that. There’s a kind of disrespect and disdain that we both have, but we still want to achieve our goal together, you know? I really enjoyed that, because we’ve noticed that in previous seasons, but this season, the vibe felt really strong for me and Natasia. [Demetriou, who plays Nadja]. I really enjoyed that.
io9: What character trait about Nandor would you say you enjoy the most, or did you enjoy playing the most?
Novak: Indecisiveness—in a world where making decisions is important. And when [Nandor] he did [make a decision]to do which is wrong decisions are always a joy to play. A real vacation from adulthood.
io9: Did you save anything from the set?
Novak: I caught a picture of Nandor in the opening credits.
io9: good. Do you have one hanging in your house?
Novak: I agree.
What We Do in the Shadows season six begins October 21 with the first three episodes on FX; you can stream them the next day on Hulu.
Looking for more io9 news? Check out when you can expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe in film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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