What We Do In The Shadows Made Matt Berry Face One Of His Worst Fears
Created by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, "What We Do in the Shadows" follows a group of vampires living in modern-day Staten Island, all filmed in a mockumentary style similar to the "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation." The show is filled with many memorable and hilarious characters, such as Nandor the Relentless, Nadja of Antipaxos, and the Dilbert-looking energy vampire, Colin Robinson. However, Matt Berry's character, Laszlo Cravensworth (aka Jack the Ripper/Jackie Daytona), is arguably the best one in the entire show.
This pansexual vampire is known for his distinctive British accent, uncanny wit, and erotic obsessions, which include making a century's worth of porno films and topiary sculptures of ladies' private parts. He's also known to shout "Bat!" before he transforms into a bat and flies away. The character is only elevated by Berry's hilarious and magnetic screen presence, which he's honed thanks to years of comedic acting in shows like "The IT Crowd," "Toast of London," "Year of the Rabbit," and "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace." His exceptional acting also helped him face one of his greatest fears while starring in the show.
What is his biggest fear?
For the show about vampires, werewolves, zombies, and even Babadooks, one of the things that scared Berry the most was just being yanked into the air on wires. In an interview with Vulture, Berry was asked what is was like doing the wirework that makes him fly as a vampire so often in the show. He answered:
"Wirework is terrifying. It's terrifying because I'm afraid of heights, and you have to look like you're not, when you're a vampire. There's no reason why a vampire would be afraid of heights, much like a bird wouldn't be afraid of heights. So that's the veil of acting, because one minute you're standing on the floor and then, within two or three seconds, you're 50 feet in the air."
"In one case, we were next to a building, so you can really feel how high up you are," Berry added, "and then you have to do your lines and look as if everything is completely normal. That was hard for me."
Though he said the experience was difficult, the viewer can't tell he was frightened at all, partially because he turns into a bat ("Bat!") really fast. But also because he's just a good actor, of course.
This wasn't the only challenge
Filming "Shadows" proved to be a challenge for everyone involved, primarily due to the cast and crew having to do lengthy shoots beginning long before the sun rises. But this is understandable, as a show about vampires should take place in "vampire time." "There's a lot of takes," said Berry. "We shot all the time, it was quite an intense shoot, so that helped for the lack of breaking. You just didn't know your ass from your elbow. You already have jet lag and it's four in the morning."
With such long and early working hours, it's no wonder that Waititi and Berry always fought over getting the best napping spot. "We started scenes at four in the morning, or even later than that — or earlier than that — which was something to get used to, but you get on with it," added Berry. "The hours are a lot different in the U.K. There, you shoot from seven in the morning until seven at night and then everyone goes home."
Despite the trials of making this beloved show, everyone involved seems committed to continuing the series — season 4 is expected to arrive at some point this year.