Jacob Batalon Wants To Make Vampires Relatable Again With ‘Reginald The Vampire’

Vampires are pretty popular. From shows like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries to films such as Morbius, Day Shift, and even Marvel’s upcoming Blade reboot, audiences love something essential about these blood-sucking creatures of fantasy.

However, seemingly a very core part of vampires in popular media is their depiction as mysterious, alluring, and even romantic. And though there have been exceptions, Jacob Batalon sees his new show Reginald the Vampire standing out by showing vampires in a very different light. That is, this time around, vampires are normal.

In the series, Reginald is a regular person struggling with everyday dilemmas, from work to love interests, before being transformed into a vampire. And from there, rather than being elevated to the status of a mystical cloaked specter, the show maintains him as the relatable, average guy we can all see some of ourselves in.

“I think what makes [Reginald] so relatable is he faces all the human things that we all face. The dauntingness of not finding any purpose in life, or your first love, or finding a real, solid friend to have in your corner,” said Batalon. “He embodies everything that every human has been sad about, or stressed about, or had anxiety about. You know, it’s just like a human story.”

This is Batalon’s first major role in the TV world, after coming off of some very successful films. And as a producer himself on the title, he describes working with the creative teams to advise on the story and his character. He also notes, in particular, chatting with the author of the books this series is based on, Johnny B. Truant, who wasn’t initially thinking of Batalon for the role.

“He actually told me that he wasn’t really picturing me as the lead of the show. But he is so thankful, obviously, that I got to be a part of it. And that was a really sweet thing for him to say to me,” said Batalon. “I’m so glad that I have our author’s approval. And again, I think he’s just a really great guy.”

I recently got the chance to speak further with Jacob Batalon on playing Reginald, jumping between TV and film, and what he hopes audiences take away from this series.

Below is a summary of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.

Anhar Karim: So vampire media is pretty popular. It’s all over movies and TV. So, what’s new here? What do you think is being added that we haven’t already seen?

Jacob Batalon: It’s the human aspect. You know, I think all those shows, while they’re very good, I would say they’re not really based in any sort of reality. And I think that Reginald is a very grounded character.

And we actually poke fun at vampires. I think we don’t fall in love with the romanticism of it. We’re very much putting it on its head. So, I think people will probably find that a lot more refreshing. And seeing me as the lead, as a vampire, I think will change the narrative and the perspective of what it means to be a vampire. You know, the overall message is anyone can be the hero of their story.

AK: You’ve said that this is a vampire story, but it’s also a very human story. So, if you had to give a quick summary of this series, without being able to mention vampires, what would you say?

JB: I would say we follow Reginald’s real journey through life, you know? I think what makes him so relatable is he faces all the human things that we all face. The dauntingness of not finding any purpose in life, or your first love, or finding a real, solid friend to have in your corner. And what it means to live in this world and in this universe. And just to understand, like, the meaning of life.

It’s very much a very beautiful journey to watch, I think, because Reginald is very much the everyday person. And I think everyone can relate to that, no matter the color of your skin, or your culture, where you’re from. It’s literally— I would say he is everything. He embodies everything that every human has been sad about, or stressed about, or had anxiety about. You know, it’s just like a human story.

AK: Given this is based on a book series that has a fan base, what is new compared to the books? What’s changed?

JB: I mean in the practical sense I would say that he’s not working at— because he sells fitness equipment in the books. We sell slushies. And his sort of like love interest, so to speak, the one that we have is an amalgamation of two characters in the book. So that’s an interesting thing. But for the most part I would say the first book was the blueprint for the whole show. But Harley Peyton, being a great writer, has absolutely modernized the writing. And the sort of tropes that we see in the show are definitely not in the books, per se. But they’re definitely a good mirror up to society in today’s world.

AK: I also understand the author, Johnny Truant, was involved at some points on set. Did you have any interesting conversations with him about what you’re making here?

JB: You know, Johnny is such a great guy. He is very intelligent and very thoughtful. And I think for the most part we just talked about life. You know, I think for him it was like his first time ever having a book of his turn into a show. So I think he was very on this train of, “Wow, I just can’t believe I’m here and I can’t believe this is happening after all these years.” He actually got to be background in one of the scenes. So, if anyone can spot him that would be a great game [laughs].

But yeah, he was just a really awesome guy. And you know, he actually told me that he wasn’t really picturing me as the lead of the show. But he is so thankful, obviously, that I got to be a part of it. And that was a really sweet thing for him to say to me. I’m so glad that I have our author’s approval. And again, I think he’s just a really great guy.

AK: You just did a bunch of film stuff. And this is your first, I believe, major role on the TV side. What’s been interesting to notice while hopping between the two mediums?

JB: I mean just the hard work it takes for TV. You know, I think that we do, I’d say, at the most like a page or two in big budget movies. And the rest of it is just setting up action scenes. So there’s a lot of that. But with TV— man it is very much like 12 pages everyday. And everyone’s saying like 50 lines, at least. And you’re sort of like, “Damn, I really gotta get this together. Otherwise, we don’t get this shot and we have to move on because we have no time.” So, I think the level of preparedness is something that I wasn’t really ready for [laughs]. But I forced myself to get into that mode, and it turned out great.

AK: Which do you prefer working on, between movies and TV?

JB: You know I would say TV. I really love performing. So I think when I have to sit on it for like 20 hours…I hate that [laughs]. But I would say overall, it’s tough. I mean, I have such a deep love for performance that I can’t ever choose specifically. But, I would say movies make me the most money [laughs].

AK: [Laughs] totally fair. Alright, to close it out: what are you most excited for fans to see in this show?

JB: I’m really excited for fans to see a very different take on vampires, you know? I’m really hyped to see people react to the idea of watching a human go through very human things, in the backdrop of being a vampire. I know this is something that no one’s ever seen, because I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve seen all kinds of things. And I would say that, besides it being like a lighthearted show, it’s thoughtful, and deep, and dramatic, and sad. But also, we played up to a lighthearted sense.

And it’s just a very great show neatly compacted into a really awesome, 10 episode series.

New episodes of Reginald the Vampire premiere weekly, Wednesdays on SYFY. The show stars Jacob Batalon, Mandela Van Peebles, and Em Haine, and is created by Harley Peyton.

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