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SYFY WIRE What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows cast on how Matt Berry became a 7-year-old in front of Mark Hamill

By Brian Silliman
Matt Berry in What We Do in the Shadows

How cool would you be if you were suddenly on a set opposite Mark Hamill? Be honest. If it's a struggle for certain members of the What We Do in the Shadows cast, then it's gonna be a struggle for anyone. The truth came out when they all gathered for a panel as part of Comic-Con@Home

The FX mockumentary series (spun off from the Taika Waititi movie of the same name) features one of the funniest and best ensembles on television, and they all came to play. Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Kayvan Novak, Mark Proksch, and Harvey Guillen were all present, as was producer and writer Stefani Robinson, and Exeucitve Producer Paul Simms. The proceedings were overseen by Season 2 guest star Haley Joel Osment.

What We Do In The Shadows | Comic-Con@Home 2020

A natural highlight of the show's Season 2 was the episode "On the Run", where Matt Berry's Laszlo took the name "Jackie Daytona" and hid from a vampire played by Hamill. 

“This specific instance we knew somewhat ahead of time that he was gonna be there, and had enough time to write the part specifically geared toward him I think," Robinson said, having written that particular episode. The inspired moment where Hamill wields a pool cue was not written or planned for him however, it took place naturally on set. 

Simms described Hamill picking up the pool cue as a true "oh my god" moment for everyone, and Robinson chimed in to say that she'd never seen Matt Berry "so giggly." 

That's when Matt Berry explained himself, and we think that everyone can relate. 

“Well, you’ve got to understand what that was like," Berry said. "I was stood in front of Luke Skywalker, and he held something like that right in front of me, and yeah, it doesn’t matter how cool you think you are or how in-character you are, you’re not. You’re seven years old with Luke Skywalker right in front of you.” 

Other panel highlights included Demetriou's thoughts on working with a puppet version of herself: "It was very, very easy to improvise with myself because I am a fantastic actress and improvisor. It’s always been my dream to work against someone who is as good as me.”

As for where the show might go for Season 3, nobody could say. Simms only mentioned that we can expect the vampires to get a hellhound, which made Demetriou exclaim with delight. He also remarked, “They all have something that they are searching for.” 

If we were on the show, we'd be searching for a way to get Mark Hamill back for round 2. 

What We Do In the Shadows will return for Season 3 as soon as the cast is allowed to actually shoot it. 

Click here for SYFY WIRE's full coverage of Comic-Con@Home 2020.