Latest news with #PaulSimms
Los Angeles Times
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Saying goodbye to ‘What We Do in the Shadows': an oral history
'What We Do in the Shadows' was an unlikely success story. Rising from the coffin of a hilarious but obscure mockumentary feature about four sort-of loser vampire housemates in suburban New Zealand, the FX sitcom shifted the action to Staten Island and cast its undead ensemble as blithely murderous, petty, pansexual and often dim-witted. The result: critical acclaim and three Emmy nominations for comedy series. Now, having driven a stake through the series' heart, showrunner Paul Simms and the main ensemble — Matt Berry (Laszlo Cravensworth), Natasia Demetriou (Nadja of Antipaxos), Kayvan Novak (Nandor the Relentless), Mark Proksch (Colin Robinson, energy vampire) and Harvey Guillén (Nandor's human familiar, Guillermo) — chatted about the series' sixth and final season and the bloody, wild ride that was. Was it surprising the TV Academy would embrace a series this offbeat? Paul Simms: Going into it, I was, like, this seems really fun but not the kind of show that's ever going to get nominated for anything. The PR people get mad at me when I say that the show is stupid, but it's stupid in the best way. When we first got some Emmy nominations, that was a real surprise. I wouldn't call it stupid. I'd say it celebrates stupidity. Simms: Yes, there! That's what I should have been saying all these years. And the actors fully committed to being really stupid characters. They made incredibly bad decisions all the time, despite having hundreds of years to figure everything out. They're like the rest of us. No matter how much time you have to figure it out, you never really do. Matt Berry: It was a surprise when it cut through, but I always felt like it was a decent show. Natasia Demetriou: There were endless moments during filming where we'd look at each other like, 'I will never again be in a big-box store at 4 a.m. watching a fake Doug Jones puppet be wheeled along in a Barbie car —' Berry: '— a candle attached to its head —' Demetriou: '— and I'm dressed as a mad vampire.' Simms: It felt like what you imagined show business was going to be when you're a little kid, where someone's dressed as a monster and you're about to have a big explosion and someone fly by wires over a house, and you see a little half-Guillermo, half-sheep hybrid creature smoking a cigarette between scenes. Mark Proksch: I think a lot of TV comedy, especially these days, insults the audience by having to overexplain who each character is and why that joke is funny, and 'Shadows' never did that. Harvey Guillén: I think we were recognized for everything except the acting. If I got the nomination, it would make history as … the first queer Latino to be nominated [for] supporting role for comedy. Last year was the first year Matt got nominated, and we were ecstatic. Kayvan Novak: I wasn't ecstatic; I was furious. [Laughs] Had to ruin my f— day. Nominate my fellow actor for a best actor Emmy. I mean, Jesus Christ. Ecstatic! [Laughs] Guillén: We're still surprised if we get [acting] nominations. Novak: We had fun at the Emmys. We sat there saying, 'Please don't win. Please don't win.' [Berry did not win.] So that was a plus. We're all still on an even keel. We've all still won f— all. Will we ever see a 'Shadows' blooper reel? Simms: We really don't have many bloopers because of the way we shot, that fake-documentary style. You can be on camera at any moment, so people would absolutely stay in character through anything that happened. Demetriou: It's because we're such professional and incredible actors. That's my answer for that. Proksch: The only time we would laugh at each other is when the other person would screw up so the scene was already ruined. Demetriou: There was a lot of coughing over people's lines or saying someone's line — Kayvan would often come up with a one-liner he thought was zingy and once he'd done it a couple of times, people would start saying it before he could say it. [Laughs] 'Oh, I've got a really good one!' 'What is it?' And he'd tell us, then Matt would say it. [Suddenly reproachful] There was a lot of that nasty, nasty sort of behavior. Berry: I did that to him quite a few times, and he always took that like a gentleman. Guillén: Kayvan is the funniest person I've ever met and literally the only person who makes me break on set. I'm really a stickler, but he would be [singing in bombastic pop-crooner style] 'The Greatest Actor in the World!' [laughs] — he would sing that, and that alone would make me break. What was your favorite episode? Simms: I loved Jackie Daytona ['On the Run'] and the way we follow one character and it turns into a completely different documentary that's almost like 'Harlan County, USA' or something. Sarah Naftalis wrote one about them going to the casino, going to Atlantic City, that was one of my favorites. Berry: Mine would be a season. I think we reached our zenith in Season 4. When you look back at Season 4, it's like a greatest hits. There's just so many great episodes there. So that would be my choice. Proksch: The dinner party episode with Tash [Demetriou], the last season, we had so much fun doing that one. Matt and I got to work a lot together [largely because of a bizarre plot in which Colin is reborn as a baby vampire and Laszlo raises him]; that was always fun because our characters were so different from each other, yet there was some sort of connection, whether they would admit it or not. Demetriou: I would definitely agree with Matt; I thought Season 4 was so fun. I got to have a nightclub, seeing all the vampires in the nightclub, turning the nightclub into a wedding — that was such a spectacle and so funny and stupid. The short-lived Colin-as-a-teenager was unbelievable. And I loved the singing episode where Colin managed me and Matt, and we were the human music group. Novak: 'The Casino' is my favorite episode. I'd say any scene with Harvey, really. They always surprised me because it was always quite emotional and intense and really rewarding. Harvey's such a great actor, I always felt like, 'Got to be good in this one.' Guillén: We really had a great time when Mark Hamill joined us [in 'On the Run'], and Haley Joel Osment. Haley was really a trouper. Mark Hamill's kids got him into the show, and he tweeted about how loves the show; Kayvan and Mark were really big 'Star Wars' fans. The characters were actual monsters … who were petty and foolish yet somehow relatable. Novak: The fact that this group of degenerates, these bloodsucking, mass-murdering vampires and wannabe vampires, [could be] so lovable is amazing. It transcended all normal rules of engagement. There's no virtue signaling going on. Demetriou: It's rare and refreshing to be able to play a bunch of a— because, let's face it, we are all a—. We're all fools. It was very fun and liberating to play people who know that they're evil, and I think that's endlessly funny, and that violence, timed right, can be hilarious. There was an episode that we did this fake home improvement show, and these two really happy, chipper guys, the Sklar Brothers, are presenting, and they walk through the door like, 'Welcome!' and within seconds, I kill one of them. That made me laugh so much. And … dead. Berry: We didn't apply any caution. I think once you start doing that, you have a lot less colors to play with. And because these were vampires … the comedy could be as free and as filthy as you wanted because these people didn't have to adhere to [morality] because they weren't from the here and now. You cheated death in the finale, with three different endings, including that 'Newhart' reference. Simms: Bob Newhart was my favorite comedian of all time. He said [in Parade magazine] that he and his wife watched 'What We Do in the Shadows.' I was very excited. Guillén: I loved our 'Newhart' ending … in a weird way, [Guillermo and Nandor] ended up together. Novak: I think it satisfied a lot of the 'Nandermo' fans, even though they didn't get to see a full-on sex scene. A lot of the fan art used to be them kissing and fondling each other in Nandor's room. Now it's them kissing and fondling each other whilst fighting crime. They captured a lot of hearts, those two. Demetriou: I was sobbing for most of those [alternate endings] because we filmed that episode last … us singing 'We'll Meet Again' around the piano. Novak: We became a big happy family and that was very wonderful to experience. We laughed a lot, man. A lot. Demetriou: My dad has dementia and he still remembers the show. He wears my Nadja T-shirt all the time and doesn't really know what it is anymore, but to me that's the most special thing in the world, that he absolutely loved it and thought it was hilarious. Guillén: I want to say thank you to the fans for watching all these years and making us feel so loved. Novak: And thank you, FX, for picking up the tab.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Ride On bus driver granted bond after allegedly assaulting pregnant woman
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. () – A Ride On bus driver was granted bond Wednesday after he was accused of assaulting a pregnant woman earlier this week. Montgomery County Police arrested the driver, Paul Simms, on Tuesday – a day after officers say he got into a fight with the woman on his bus. During the argument, police say things got physical. Officials with the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) say they were in the 5400 block of Wisconsin Avenue late Monday afternoon after they received a report there had been an assault on a Ride On bus. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Bus driver charged for assaulting pregnant woman on Ride On bus, police say According to documents related to the case, a woman said she and Simms were yelling at each other. She said he threatened to hit her and eventually got up from his seat, choked her and started banging her head against a window. The woman, who said she is six months pregnant, told police Simms threw her off the bus and onto the ground. When officers talked to Simms, he said the fight with the woman started after she walked in front of his bus. He was making a turn into the bus station at the time. Documents say Simms acknowledged he grabbed the woman by the neck after she was on the bus, then pushed her off of it. Officers pulled video from the bus, which they described as 'disturbing.' They said it shows Simms cursing at the woman before he turned into the station, and that the woman was nowhere near the bus. Police noted that Simms was verbally aggressive toward the woman after she boarded the bus. The woman yelled only after Simms kept screaming and threatening her. As things escalated, police say he assaulted her. 'Legacy on Ice': Live skating tribute to honor victims of American Airlines, helicopter crash The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) released a statement in response to this situation. Its full statement can be found below: I want to address a recent incident involving one of our bus operators. On Monday evening, Feb. 3, around 5:30 p.m. at the Friendship Heights Metro Station, a verbal altercation between a County bus operator and a passenger led to the bus operator becoming physically violent with the passenger. While both individuals engaged in a verbal argument, that does not justify or excuse the actions of the bus operator who failed to follow training and established procedures for handling such situations. Our bus operators are dedicated members of our community, typically upholding the high standards for customer care and service in what can sometimes be challenging circumstances. The behavior of the bus operator in this incident was unacceptable and violates our standards and values. As such, the bus operator has been removed from service, placed on unpaid leave, and we intend to dismiss him from County employment pending completion of the due process called for in County regulations. We have been informed that the incident is under active investigation by the police, and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement. I offer my apologies to all the passengers affected by this altercation. Montgomery County Department of Transportation Simms was granted a $20,000 bond in court Wednesday. The judge also ordered a mental health screening for Simms and imposed a 24-hour curfew. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Bus driver charged for assaulting pregnant woman on Ride On bus, police say
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. () — A bus driver was charged for allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman on a Ride On bus Monday, officials in Montgomery County said. The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) responded to the 5400 block of Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase on Feb. 3. Video evidence showed a verbal altercation began on a Ride On bus between 36-year-old Paul Simms – the bus driver – and a pregnant woman. Takoma Park officer struck by drunk driver, Montgomery County police say The argument escalated and Simms began strangling and physically assaulting the woman before throwing her to the ground outside of the bus. MCPD said he was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, crime of violence against a pregnant person and reckless endangerment. He was being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where he awaits a bond hearing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
