Steven Prusakowski
Being a modern-day vampire is not easy, especially in glorious Staten Island. Being a vampire who delivers the volume and level of laughter that Kayvan Novak does with Nandor the Relentless over six hysterical seasons of FX’s What We Do in the Shadows is darn near impossible. From his very first line of the series to his very last, the actor tapped into the veins of his character to deliver one of the funniest characters on television. Yet, here we are—the series has come to a close, and Novak has yet to be recognized for his individual work on the series. It is a stake to the heart for fans of the series and comedy as a whole.
Thankfully, the vampire series (spun off from the 2015 film by Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement) has not been completely invisible to Emmy voters, pulling in 29 much-deserved nominations, including 3 for Outstanding Comedy Series—not too shabby. On the other side of that coin, voters have only honored the series with one lone nomination for acting. That well-deserved honor went to Matt Berry (who will be guesting soon on TV Topics) in 2024, but it only makes you question: if the love for the series is there, why not more for the cast?
Maybe they make it look too easy. The laughs hit quick and do not relent until the credits roll. But in addition to being hilarious, Novak has had to explore more of his friendship and complex relationship with his familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén). This season, Nandor has expressed a range of emotion as the vampire warrior becomes reveals a much more vulnerable while dealing with jealousy and sadness. He even had to step into the role of an office janitor as he looked for new purpose in his undead life.
Drama is easy, comedy is hard, the old adage says—and Novak is nailing both. Maybe voters are just laughing too much to notice. Either way, it is time the take recognition.
Kayvan Novak was my guest on the TV Topics podcast for a lively conversation that shed light on his persistent drive and creativity, which led to an unorthodox start to his career, how he developed Nandor, his on-the-spot, inventive idea for a series prequel, and much more. It is one of the most fun episodes and interviews to date, which left me appreciating all the work and thought the actor put into making Nandor relentlessly enjoyable across six seasons—as well as the man himself and his array of talents.
Be sure to listen (not just read) to our entire conversation (below). As always on TV Topics, I learn about the guest through their relationship with TV: the first show they loved, their favorite theme song, The Greatest Moment In TV History, and even some fun hypotheticals that let the guest really open up. Novak did not disappoint in the least. We talk a lot of ’80s TV, CHiPs, James Bond, and he puts on display his ability to play the mouth trumpet. This is one of the best episodes to date. Listen to hear why.
Here are some highlights of my conversation with Kayvan.
On auditioning for the role of Nandor:
“Then this audition came in. And it was to play one of the vampires in the TV version of a movie that I loved. I was like, ‘Well, I’m definitely not getting this, because I want it too bad.’ But then I read the script, and I read Nandor. And in the audition, it said, you can either go up for Nandor or you can go up for Laszlo. I was like, ‘No, no, no… Nandor, Nandor!’ I read it, and I thought, what accent? So I started speaking like this, it’s kind of a Polish accent kind of thing. And my hair was all like—it was long at the time as well, thank goodness.”
On the how the lack of expectations for the character allowed him to add layers to Nandor:
“There’s lots to like about Nandor. I mean, he’s really easy to play, because he’s just goofy. I think if you’re a leading man in a movie, the pressure is to be sexy or the pressure is to be charismatic. You know? I’ve had auditions where the casting director’s have gone, ‘you know, ‘Women want to be with him and men want to be him.’ I’m like, ‘How the fuck do you play that?’ It’s either you or it’s not. You know what I mean? So for Nandor, I got to play him moody. I got to play him goofy. I got to play him vulnerable. I got to play him sad. I got to play him depressed. I got to play him manic.”
On Nandor’s not easy to categorize relationship with Guillermo:
“There’s a bond there, that’s even stronger than something defined. Listen, the lovers kiss at the end of the movie and the movie ends. You don’t know what happens after that. But if you know Nandor and you know Guillermo, then you know it ain’t all butterflies and roses. Something’s going to fuck up again. I thought they tied a beautiful bow in that story arc. I think a lot of people were really satisfied. You know, maybe not so much the homoerotic fan artists, but you can’t have everything. They’ve got their erotic imagery. And they can imagine all they want what happened in that coffin.”
Novaks original prequel idea he came up with during the conversation:
“Actually, a prequel would be quite fun. I’d like to see The Adventures of Nandor when he was back in Alcalnadar. This is actually a pitch that I’ve never pitched. But yeah, it’s basically before he was relentless growing up. Nandor had a brother called Tandor. Tandor was really cool. He was brave. He was sexy. He was popular with the women. And Nandor was a bit more goofy. A twin brother. And I really wanted to meet Nandor’s dad as well, because I think Nandor’s dad gave him a hard time. And Nandor always really wanted to prove himself with his dad and never got a chance to. Then he gets the chance to, but he accidentally kills Tandor and then has to pretend to be Tandor. But he’s not cool. He’s not sexy. None of these things come naturally to him. So it’s a great pitch, man. I’m just making this shit up off the top of my head. Can you send the end of this interview straight to FX, please?
(There’s more to the prequel concept, hear it in the audio interview.)
All six seasons of Kayvan Novak Emmy-worthy work as Nandor the Relentless can be streamed on Hulu.
You can listen to the full interview on Spotify or Apple TV Podcasts (below) or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe for more great guest conversations about the TV they love. Also follow TV Topics on Instagram for guest updates, news, polls and fun. (A video version of the episode with highlights of the conversation coming soon.)
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