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Reginald the Vampire's Jacob Batalon Primes Us for Season 2 of Vampire Comedy: "It Gets Stressful"
He protects, he attacks, but most importantly, he serves ice-cold slushies out of a shack. Reginald the Vampire returns for Season 2!
He protects, he attacks, but most importantly, he serves ice-cold slushies out of a shack.
That's right's we're talking about the one and only Reginald the Vampire! The hit bloodsucking comedy returns to SYFY this week for its second season as the titular member of the undead (played by MCU alumnus Jacob Batalon) finds himself in a growing battle between vampires and angels. To learn more about this supernatural struggle, SYFY WIRE caught up with Batalon over Zoom for a little primer on what fans can expect from the new episodes.
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Jacob Batalon Teases Season 2 of SYFY's Reginald the Vampire
Where do we find your character this season?
We end Season 1 with Reginald winning against the vampire community and having them begrudgingly accept him, so-to-speak. And we are [then] immediately hit in the face with this new threat, the angels, who decided that we're not worth their time and just want to kill us all. So it's up to Reginald, for some reason, to figure it all out again. It gets stressful.
What’s been the big difference coming into a show like this for Year 2 now that the world is established?
I think we're a lot more comfortable and we also work a bit more efficiently because we know exactly the tone of the show and what we're trying to do. It’s like coming back from summer camp and just being at school again with all your classmates [laughs].
How does adding angels to the mix change up the mythology?
We sort of touched on it in the last season, where we speak on how angels, humans, and vampires came to be. Basically, angels are our makers, so, it definitely changes up the story. They’re crazy strong and powerful and we do a lot more with the supernatural in this season, for sure. That’s really fun.
What can you tease about your character being involved in the vamps vs. angels showdown?
He reluctantly becomes the hero again, because the angels choose to give this message to him. We sort of figure out why he becomes special towards the climax of the show.
For you, personally, which side do you fall on? Vampires or angels?
I don’t know. Angels are pretty cool, man. But I gotta be Team Vampire all the way — otherwise we shouldn’t even make a Season 3.
What’s the craziest thing you can tease about this season?
There’s maybe like three or four really crazy things [laughs]. I guess how we figure out how to beat the angels and how that will play out. That'll be a crazy storyline. And then maybe the end, it definitely ends on a cliffhanger that no one is gonna expect.
Let's talk about Reginald's love life. What’s going on with him and Sarah this season?
It's very complicated throughout the season. We find them being at a happy medium, so-to-speak, and it helps Reginald realize he needs to really give up a lot of things in order to be the hero and save the day. But their relationship, ultimately, has a crazy effect on the storytelling as a whole. That's probably another crazy spoiler thing.
What's the latest with Maurice?
I think their bond is a lot stronger. They're like close brothers at this point and throughout this entire season. Maurice pushes Reginald to be the hero. His belief in him has never wavered.
How much was the action ramped up for Season 2?
We haven't done too many things that required a lot of crazy wires or anything like that. I think we steer more towards making the things a bit simpler. But some of us do jump over the slushie counter a few times, so, that's pretty crazy [laughs].
What do you and your co-stars do to blow off steam in between setups?
Gosh, what do we do? We move pretty fast. Typically, we maybe go on a coffee run or get some PB&J’s. On the first season, we had this arcade machine in the shack and we've since gotten rid of it, because we got too distracted, playing it all the time. But on this season, we had a whole bed in the middle of our makeshift studio. So we definitely laid a lot in that bed.
Any fun behind-the-scenes anecdotes from shooting the new season?
We just had so many inside jokes, a lot really great banter. We hung out a lot on our days off. The weather in Victoria, British Columbia is usually pretty gloomy when we're there in the wintertime. But we were there for spring/early summer, and it was it was gorgeous. Oh my goodness. It makes me want to buy a house there.
What would you say were the main theme (or themes) of Season 1 and what are the main ones of Season 2?
I think the themes of Season 1 were definitely acceptance, self reflection, and finding your place in life. This season is [us] taking on heroism. We have a lot of deep metaphors about love and life and relationships really built into this season. So, I think it's definitely a lot more emotional and a lot more sad.
Since Season 1 premiered, we’ve gotten some other takes on the vampire genre like The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Abigail. Have you had a chance to check those out?
I actually want to watch Abigail. I think it just came out, right? I’m in South Africa right now. I'm gonna see if they have it at the movie theater.
Season 2 of Reginald the Vampire premieres on SYFY on Wednesday, May 8, at 10 p.m. ET.
