We’ve got another acting podcast today! Actor Harvey Guillen (What We Do in the Shadows, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, The Thundermans) joins us on the Box Angeles podcast episode 358. Harvey stops by the bungalow and discusses the value of every role, even one-liners, how unexpected chances shape a career, his approach to self-tapes versus in-person auditions, how to manage relationships with representation, and more!

“I have a rule with my reps … they don’t make a decision for me.”
— Harvey Guillen

Beats

00:00 – Harvey slates.
00:10 – Introduction.
02:07 – Companion the best film of the year.
06:56 – Being offered that role and awkward meetings with directors.
10:30 – Never being above an audition and how one line can be a whole scene.
14:21 – Not knowing what could come of booking the room auditions.
17:50 – How audition for What We Do In The Shadows came to be.
20:48 – Preferring in-person over self tapes.
23:06 – Zoom audition slots.
26:24 – Coaching for auditions.
28:21 – Saying no to things.
31:30 – Does the team help with auditions.
35:09 – Seeing people lose jobs on set.
38:59 – Audition volume and working weeks in a year.
42:04 – Breaking into voice work.
47:58 – Relationship with reps.
52:47 – How Emmys events come about.
54:55 – Oh Mary potential.
57:21 – Whot took a chance on Harvey.

More Harvey

 
– Check Harvey’s IMDb.
– Follow Harvey on Instagram @harveyguillen.
– Visit Harvey’s website.

Transcript

 
HARVEY GUILLEN (00:00)
Hi, I’m Harvey Guillen.
 
MIKE ELDER (00:10)
Hello and welcome to the Box Angeles podcast with me, yours truly, your fearless avoidant host, Mike Elder. Little housekeeping. Really quick. Thank you for listening to the show. And if you are listening on Apple Podcasts, please leave a rating and review. It will help other people find the show. It will spread the show to more people. And by doing that simple little ask that’ll take you nothing but 20 seconds, it could change somebody’s life.
 
We’ve got a really fun episode this week. I spoke to actor Harvey Guillen. You’d recognize Harvey from shows like What We Do In The Shadows, Crazy Ex Girlfriend. He was in my favorite movie of the year, Companion. Go see Companion if you haven’t seen it. He’s also done a ton of voice work on shows like Archer, Harley Quinn in movies like The Garfield Movie, Puss in Boots, Wish. He’s so talented.
 
He’s done a lot of stuff with the Emmys recently too. He was at the Creative Arts Emmy. He did the Emmy nominations announcement. So he’s been around and you’ve definitely seen him on your television. We had a nice conversation. Harvey told so many great stories. We talked about self tapes versus in person auditions, how Harvey always prioritizes zoom auditions and being in person.
 
We talked about how he always runs. He always has his agents run offers and opportunities by him. He wants to say no. He doesn’t want them saying no on his behalf. And how that has led to taking one line auditions that turn into bigger things because he did so well with that one line. It’s. It’s a really cool conversation because he’s had so much experience with this and we talked about his team and how often he meets with them at his level.
 
I really like this convo. Harvey was great. Like I said, he told so many fun stories about being on set and booking things. So this one does not disappoint. You’re in for a treat. So without further ado, I’ll give you Harvey Guillen.
 
🎵 ROCKFORD (01:59) 🎵
You wanna talk to me? You wanna talk.
 
MIKE ELDER (02:04)
Hi, Harvey.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (02:05)
Hi.
 
MIKE ELDER (02:05)
I’m so excited to have you here.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (02:06)
Yeah, thanks for having me.
 
MIKE ELDER (02:07)
Of course. I don’t know if you remember, but I reached out via email because I saw Companion. Yeah, it’s the best film of the year, right?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (02:15)
I think so, yeah. I mean, it’s your words, not mine, but I’m just quoting them.
 
MIKE ELDER (02:19)
Yeah, well, I just had Matt McCarthy on who was at the end of the film. I don’t know if you guys really did anything. You probably wouldn’t have done anything together. But I told him the same thing. I was like, this movie was incredible.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (02:29)
Yeah.
 
MIKE ELDER (02:30)
And I’m gonna ask you the same question I asked him. When you got that script, did you think anything of it? Did you think it was gonna be a little. I mean, I don’t think I’m the only one saying it’s the best film of the year.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (02:38)
No, I think it’s really good. You know, I think I got the script, and I had a meeting with the director, Drew, and. And we just, like, talked about it, and I was really excited for the twist. And if you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for? There’s a little nice twist in it that I really liked. When the characters make choices with moral compass. Is that.
 
MIKE ELDER (03:00)
Are you talking about the overall twist or the twist? Or with your character.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (03:05)
Well my character, yeah. And then within my relationship.
 
MIKE ELDER (03:08)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (03:09)
I like to know that, like, my relationship was a real organic relationship, and it wasn’t fabricated and. Yeah. So I could say that without giving too much away.
 
MIKE ELDER (03:18)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I hope everyone’s seen it.
 
But it was so fun. And there was twists, but they weren’t crazy twists. They all made sense. You guys, like, seemed like you were having fun in it.
 
It was just so. It was a joyful movie for what it was. Which is so funny to me.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (03:29)
Yeah. We shot in the summer three years ago. It was summertime in upstate New York and the Catskills. And we shot that. And the cast is so great. Like, you know, just literally everyone in that movie is like, Sophie and, you know, Jack, and everyone is just really great. And we just spent, like, a summer in camp because we were literally shooting near these campsites, and so our dressing rooms were little cabins. And so we were in the middle of the woods, and Meg would go and literally hide in people’s cabins and, like, scare them.
 
So, like, that was terrifying. That was fun. But we shot that in the summertime. And weirdly enough, it was the summer of the strike that happened. So I remember shooting my scenes, and I was done on the last day. For me, for my scenes, my last day of shooting was the dance in the dinosaur outfit. So I was doing the dance with them.
 
MIKE ELDER (04:18)
Such a fun scene, what?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (04:20)
Which I choreographed because what. The director’s like, harvey, what do you do here? I was like, what do you mean? Like, do the dance? Yeah, what would you do? And we’re about to shoot. And I was like, aren’t we shooting this, like, right now?
 
And he’s like, yeah. And so I choreographed that to teach that to Lucas and to Jack. And so both had to learn It. Because of the memory. And I was like, I choreographed that. And the one in the room, I want to be where the boys are. Like, that’s.
 
I choreographed that as well.
 
MIKE ELDER (04:45)
That’s amazing.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (04:46)
Yeah.
 
MIKE ELDER (04:47)
That’s a fun fact. Did you get a special skill bump in your rate for that? Choreography by.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (04:51)
I should have. Talk to the director about that. No, but he’s great. Yeah. So choreographed that and had to feel org-anic, but still choreographed and. Yeah, so that was fun.
 
MIKE ELDER (05:01)
Yeah. It sounds like kind of a summer camp you had up there.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (05:03)
Yeah, well, actually, so the day I was shooting was the day I was in the dinosaur outfit. And then at midnight that night, I had finished my scenes, I was getting out of the dinosaur outfit, and we were waiting to hear from, you know, from the union if we’re gonna go on strike. And we did go on strike, and it was like the production stopped. And so we actually stopped production. 2. Like, 4.
 
No, maybe like 3. 3. 3/4 of the way. Like, it was, like, almost done.
 
It was still scenes left.
 
MIKE ELDER (05:30)
But you were done. That’s nice.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (05:31)
I was done with my scene, so my part was done. Come to things got on hold for six months. The strike lasted half a year, and they hadn’t finished this movie. So then poor Sophie and Jack had to go back and do the rest of the scenes. And remember, Sophie’s in this, like, summer outfit. And we saw in the summer, six months later is winter. And she had to do scenes in the middle of the forest in the same outfit.
 
Like, at one point, she was breathing, you know, outside, and she was creating such a smoke, like a fog out of her mouth because it was so cold. They were like, it’s not gonna be continuous with the season that we were before. So they made her put ice cubes in her mouth so she could not, like, have a smoke come out. Wow. So not only are you freezing, they’re like, put this in your mouth, and then you have to put ice cubes so your, like, mouth gets cold so there’s no heat coming out when you’re talking. And I couldn’t believe it.
 
I wasn’t there for that. But someone told me that.
 
MIKE ELDER (06:22)
You were at home on the couch. Chillin.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (06:24)
I was like, warm in my bed and, like, comfy. And I was like, poor guy. Popcorn. But, yeah, I feel bad. But that’s the thing you do, you know, and that’s why these, you know, cast members are so pros. Like, Jack’s an amazing actor, and Sophie’s a fantastic. She’s phenomenal.
 
Like, she learned German just to do.
 
MIKE ELDER (06:41)
That’s insane.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (06:42)
And she sounds so good. And I was like, wait, I thought they, like dubbed it. I was like, wait, no, she did it. And I was like. And I saw her at the premiere because I hadn’t seen it. I hadn’t seen that scene film. And I was like, you learned German.
 
Yeah, I did. And she was like, she’s so cool. She’s cool, like, you know, person.
 
MIKE ELDER (06:56)
What was. What was that audition like? What was. Was it a self tape?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (06:59)
That wasn’t an audition. That was an offer for me, you know, that was a nice gesture. I don’t. I have auditioned for so many things in my life and don’t get them. So when I get an offer or something, I’m like, I questioned it too. I’m like, wait, why? You know, it’s like, why? What’s. What’s going on? That was an offer.
 
I had a meeting first with the director, and I think he wanted to see, you know, my character brings like the comic relief into it, but just in a grounded way that it’s subtle enough that. Because it’s pretty dark, you know, it’s like some of the stuff is really like. And I think even that scene, we’re all hanging out and she comes back into the room and she’s covered in blood. And it’s just like, it has to be light before that. So people drop their guard and it’s like we’re just joking and making fun of like, oh, holy shit. You know, it’s like she shows up and covered in blood. Because I had to set up the dynamic that way.
 
But it was just like talking to him. And after talking to him, it was just like a meeting. And in then he was like, I would love for you to do this role. And I was like, great. Someone had recommended me, the casting director had recommended me. And they said, just take a meeting with him.
 
That’s actually gone both ways. I’ve gotten meetings where people have been like, great. And I’ve gotten meetings with the directors where I think it’s one project, because this happened recently. And so to this day, it’s the most embarrassing thing. It’s like you literally get not an audition, but a meeting with a director who wants to meet with you for a potential project. And. And you’re pretty much it.
 
You’re like, you’re. You’re the choice. They just want to meet with you, make sure you’re not crazy or whatever. And we had a meeting where I was in.
 
I was in Ireland doing the Comic Con. And so the time swap and all the Stuff. And. And I was like, it’s tomorrow and blah, blah. And I just got there and I told my agent. I was like, it’s this director, right? It’s this director.
 
Yeah, yeah, it’s for this project. At the time, there was three different projects floating up in the air.
 
Then it was like, whatever. And I was like, so it’s this one. Yeah, so it’s for this project. And they said, yep, that’s the one. And I double check with the team. I check with an assistant. I check with everyone. Everyone’s. Yep, that’s the one.
 
I go into the zoom meeting, talk to this director. 30 minutes in. Like, I just, like, see his face completely diminish and just, like, his face just drops. I’m like, oh, it’s.
 
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. And I was like, no, no, no, no, no. This isn’t.
 
This isn’t this movie, is it? And he’s all, No, I was gonna say you’re. Because I was talking about the character and I was like, I love the character, especially when he does it.
 
MIKE ELDER (09:11)
Can he really be mad at you for that?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (09:13)
No, but it was clearly, like, an inconvenience because he let me go for 30 minutes and he was like, what?
 
MIKE ELDER (09:18)
And he was offended probably.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (09:19)
I love the character. Especially when this. And I was throwing things out. I was just on insane. Because I was just, like, saying things out loud and I was just like, oh, no, no, no, no. This is not the right. This is not the project. And he goes, yes. I was going to say, I have to hop off now. And I was like, did not get it. Did not get that project.
 
And I called my agent. I was like, why did you tell me?
 
He’s like, I’m sorry. It happens. Don’t worry, it happens. A mistake. Don’t worry, it happens. And I was like, okay, well, tell them that. It was like, can I please talk about the project? For reals? You know?
 
Nope, Never heard that.
 
MIKE ELDER (09:50)
I think the lesson from that is going to a meeting and ask them to talk for. Tell me what you think about this character.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (09:55)
Yeah, what do you think? This project. But I’m really good about it when it comes to that stuff. I’m really professional about that stuff, and I take it seriously. So I was just like, I was so, like, hard on myself and was like, I should double, triple, quad.
 
And I did. I double checked with everyone I trusted. At the end of the day, you can’t trust anyone.
 
MIKE ELDER (10:12)
That’s really funny. That’s a great takeaway. Well, it is interesting. I totally empathize because as actors, we don’t have a lot in our control. Right. But the business side of it, we do have in our control. We can submit on time, we can be prepared and things like that.
 
So when something like that happens, I bet that is devastating to a degree. I love that you got an offer, though, because.
 
Do you know Matt Jones? He’s like a comedian actor. You’d recognize his voice for sure. He’s on Breaking Bad and Chuck Lorre shows. He did my podcast like a month ago and he said, offers don’t happen. If you’re offer only, you don’t work. And I’m not saying you’re offer only, but that clip kind of went viral on Instagram and a bunch of like, big actors were commenting on it and.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (10:52)
Saying not true, I get offers all the time.
 
MIKE ELDER (10:53)
No saying, totally true. This is the vibe right now.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (10:55)
It is true. Getting an offer is such a luxury. And if you’re like, that’s totally right.
 
If you own. If your offer’s only, you’re never gonna work, you know, that’s why.
 
MIKE ELDER (11:02)
So my question was like, how much are you getting offered versus auditioning right now? Because you’ve. You’ve clearly established a body of work to this point.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (11:09)
I always say I’m never above auditioning for anything. Like, I. I’ve got. I find my agents on stuff that they think is beneath me, you know, like, they’re like, yeah, it’s like years ago. I remember I had just gone. I didn’t Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson movie, and I was riding that wave and. And they requested for me to audition for a one line role for a new show for Nickelodeon.
 
And they were like, they requested, but we’re gonna turn it down. Don’t worry.
 
It’s beneath you. And I was like, whoa, what is it? It’s like, it’s one line. And it’s like, okay. I was like, you know, you don’t need a whole book of dialogue to be a good actor. You know, you can make a whole scene with no words. And I think with Guillermo, with that show, he didn’t really speak a lot in the first season because he was terrified of speaking out of turn and getting demoted and whatnot.
 
So you can act with no words. You know, your job as an actor is to tell a story even. I mean, how did they do it without the talkies?
 
You know what I mean? You just acted with your body. And so I’m never above like auditioning for something. Like. So when they said, no, it’s one line, I was like, one line is a line. You know what’s the character. And they’re like, oh, he’s a superhero.
 
Like I don’t play superheroes a lot, so that’s different. Yeah. And I was like, okay, so then what’s the problem? They’re at a funeral. And I was like, oh, funeral? Is he dead? He’s like, no, he doesn’t die.
 
But there are funeral with his family. He’s all, he’s family to the main cast. I was like, yeah. I was like, well, family never goes away. Families forever.
 
And he goes like, you okay? And I was like, I’ll go audition. And it wasn’t an offer, just an audition. I go audition with the one line, I book it and I go into the session.
 
MIKE ELDER (12:37)
Sorry, what movies?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (12:38)
No, this is a show Nickelodeon called Thundermans.
 
MIKE ELDER (12:40)
Okay.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (12:41)
Which by the way to this day still plays now has found a new generation of fans and audience. I mean, I shot that over a decade ago and now they’ve picked it up on Netflix. And because it’s so popular, they’ve done two movies since then. And I was like, this is the show that had one line in. I did the episode.
 
The creator, Jed, like, was amazing. He was like, you’re so funny. He let me ad lib. And so that one episode, that was one line ended up being like a full on scene that I ad lib. And then three weeks later they wrote another episode for me.
 
MIKE ELDER (13:10)
That’s great.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (13:11)
And then I left to go do eye candy in New York. And I was like, oh, I have to leave. Like, okay, well let us know when you’re back. I was like, okay. Went to do one season of a show. Young, sexy, 20 something year old solving sexy murders in New York.
 
It was based on the R.L. Stine book, you know, And I was like, this is gonna be great. It’s gonna last forever. One season canceled. MTV. And I came back, you know, with my tail between my legs, like, I’m back. And they’re like, oh, you are okay.
 
Wrote me back. That was my bread and butter. And that was a show that I paid the rent with for four seasons. So I went in for one line and then my agents were like, don’t go in, it’s beneath you. And I said, don’t think that could change your life. And it has.
 
I mean, I still get residuals from Thundermans and I’ve done the movie for Thundermans and like I, I now get a new generation of fans. I was at a baseball game and next to me was his dad with his daughters and they were like, excuse me, my Daughter says she knows you from something. I was like, oh, really? Well, like, I was like, Shadows is probably not the show. And she’s like, Thunderman’s. I was like. I was like, how old are you?
 
And she’s like, I’m eight. That’s my sister. She’s nine. I was like, they weren’t even born when the show was created. Now they’ve watched it because it’s on Netflix, and now it’s their favorite show. And they’re like, you’re my favorite character. And I was like, wow.
 
For the one line, like, guess that I went in for.
 
MIKE ELDER (14:21)
I’ve brought this up so much, but I find it fascinating why reps do that. Because, like, they seem to think you can’t go backwards. But I’m like, to your point, like, who knows what will come of this?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (14:31)
Yeah, One line. Like, a one line guest star.
 
MIKE ELDER (14:33)
It could easily blow up or easily be recognized, or the director could want you for something else later. Like, why would you pass down work at all?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (14:41)
Well, the irony was that before that, I made a career out of being a wild card. Even the movie that I got before that, they were like, you’re on a movie right now. You’re riding high, which is the Internship one. That movie was. I went into audition for a role that I knew wasn’t right for me. That role was not right for me at all. But I knew that.
 
I went in there, I was like, what if it was in this moment, in this time, this body, in this age, and this. This is where the character would be with me? And I go in and, you know, audition for the director, and he’s on the floor laughing. I remember him laughing on the floor. But then when I left, I knew I didn’t book it. Like, I knew that when I left, because in the description of so detail what that role was, I knew he was specifically looking for something in that role. That I was like, it’s great that he’s laughing, because my goal is to obviously want to get the job, you want to book the job, but really what you want to do is you want to book the room.
 
And I left.
 
MIKE ELDER (15:31)
You want to make a fan?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (15:32)
Yeah. And I left booking the room, and I was like, great. I was like, I didn’t. I know. I knew in the back of my head, I was like, I didn’t get this far because I knew specifically that he was looking for, like, a certain height, body type, everything. And I was like, so he was laughing.
 
That was good. Cut to. A couple weeks later, I’m shooting A movie in New Orleans. And I get a call and it’s like, he wrote a part for you. Like they wrote a part for you in the movie. And I was like, really?
 
He’s like, yeah, who am I? He’s all, you’re in the villain team. And I was like, oh, because there’s a good team in the villain team, like Slytherin or something, you know? And I was like, oh, the villain team’s like, yes, but you get the last punch at the end. I was like, great. Yeah. I remember it being in Uber after that movie Cow.
 
And then the driver was like. And he quoted the line for the movie, like, man down. It was like, that was the line that I, my one line that I did in the movie. And I was like, you saw the movie? I love that movie. It’s my favorite movie. And I was like, you’re always someone’s favorite show, favorite movie.
 
That was a character. So you never know that one line could be someone’s favorite thing ever. And so, it’s never beneath you to be someone’s favorite thing.
 
MIKE ELDER (16:30)
Yeah. So, well, I think of like, Jonah Hill. Jonah Hill did, What was it, 40, 40 Year Old Virgin, where he just had that one line and that launched his career.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (16:38)
Yeah. And he got, and got him in front of that group of people.
 
MIKE ELDER (16:40)
Exactly.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (16:41)
Them, like they, yeah. And they recycle their actors to work with them and they like you.
 
MIKE ELDER (16:44)
As somebody who never books. I, I, I never want to book the job or I never expect to book the job. But for me, it’s like what I’m looking for is a repeat customer. Like. I want to book the casting director so that they bring me back. And when I get a repeat customer, I always celebrate it because I’m like, yes, I made a good impression. I didn’t fuck it up.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (17:03)
Yeah. I have the same people, like, in my life, it’s been like Julie Ashton has been one of them, you know, that constantly brings me in and she gave me that. The first job was through internship and since then, before that, she would always bring me in. And I knew that I had a friend in her. Like, it was to this day now that, like, with, like, accolades and professional, like, she’s still a friend, like, she will bring me in for something that she’s like, I think you’d be great for this. And sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. But to have that, to advocate, shout out to Julie Ashton, you know, she’s a great casting director and, like, she does believe in people.
 
And I remember the cast directors want you to succeed. Succeed. They don’t want you to fail. They want you to come in and make their job.
 
Like, it’s like, see, I found them. That’s their job, to find the right person for the job. Wants to make their job, you know, not easier, but make it seamless.
 
So they want you to succeed. You know, Allison Jones was the reason that I auditioned for Shadows. I knew it wasn’t right for Shadows, and I got auditioned through, like, you know, just knowing somebody. I went to wine and cheese night, and they said the next day, they text me from an unknown number. And I met her that night, and she goes, hey.
 
MIKE ELDER (18:05)
Wait, Allison texted you?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (18:06)
No, no. I met this girl at a wine and cheese night.
 
She texted me because she got the hostess to give her my number. And she was, hey, I met you last night. And I was like, hey, I hope you don’t mind. I got the number from Mimi.
 
You’re really fucking funny. You should audition for my fiance’s new show.
 
MIKE ELDER (18:19)
Why is Mimi just giving out your phone number?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (18:22)
That was really close friend. And. Well, because technically, the one in. She’s now supposed to be Mimi, her husband, her baby, and her brother. And that’s it. And so she was the person that I didn’t know was gonna be there.
 
MIKE ELDER (18:31)
Sure. Okay.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (18:31)
Okay. And so it was a small group, so it wasn’t like it was stranger.
 
MIKE ELDER (18:34)
Got it. Got it.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (18:34)
But still, thank God Mimi did.
 
MIKE ELDER (18:37)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (18:37)
Because Mimi give out that number, and she text me like, you should audition for my fiance’s new show. And I was like, I didn’t do those kind of films, but thank you so much. No, I was like, what kind of film? And I was like, or what kind of a show? She goes, it’s called What We Do In Yhe Shadows. And I was like. And I lift it up.
 
I was like, oh, my God. Allison Jones, casting.
 
I’ve never gotten frozen. And if you know Allison, she’s cast The Office, Golden Girls, Fresh Prince, everything you ever love, like Bridesmaids, Anything you’ve ever loved in comedy, she has had her hand in it. So I was like, I need to go, because you’re only invited to her office. So I was like, she’s never invited me to her office. So this would be a good way to kind of, like, you know, go as a friend of. And I was so excited to meet her. She wasn’t there when the audition happened.
 
MIKE ELDER (19:15)
That’s funny. It was Ben or somebody?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (19:16)
It was Ben. And then I went in, and it was like, Ben said, hi she’s in London auditioning for this role. Great. And then she.
 
He put the microphone on me. And I just remember I was like, this isn’t the right role because it’s 20 years older than I am. But what if he was at this age? That’s all I went in thinking, I did it. I remember what I did. That footage exists somewhere online. Someone put that addition.
 
Even watching me, I feel like I just fallen into Guillermo so perfectly that I even, like, don’t recognize myself, you know?
 
MIKE ELDER (19:43)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (19:43)
And I just wanted to meet Alison. That was my whole goal. Two hours later, they called and said they voted unanimously from everyone. Taika, Jermaine, everyone, Paul, Stephanie Robinson, everyone to test me. I was the wild card.
 
MIKE ELDER (19:55)
You heard back two hours after your audition? Wow.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (19:56)
Because they were. There were. There was the last role near the cast, and they started production, producing. And there was. I was a wild card.
 
I wasn’t the right age. They were now gonna open it up to other actors, to females. Only open for men. Now it’s female men, which it should be. I feel like. Oh, you know, and it was like, waiting and waiting to be the wild card. Waiting to test.
 
Waiting to test. I never tested. Eventually they realized, why is he the only one that we voted unanimously to test, and we haven’t voted unanimously on anyone else to bring back?
 
That’s clearly, like. So they said for a test, we all liked him.
 
MIKE ELDER (20:31)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (20:31)
Give him the role. I never tested, and I went straight to filming.
 
MIKE ELDER (20:35)
That’s great.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (20:36)
Yeah.
 
MIKE ELDER (20:37)
Allison, you said you go into her office. I’ve auditioned for her twice. Repeat customer. It’s been a bit, though, Allison, but mine were both self tapes for her.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (20:45)
Oh, she’s really good about.
 
MIKE ELDER (20:47)
It was post Covid.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (20:47)
Yeah.
 
MIKE ELDER (20:48)
I want to ask you, do you. What is your vibe on self tapes? Do you like self tapes? Do you prefer going in person? What is your sense of that?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (20:55)
I like going in person. I’m a people person. I feel like in the room, you can feel energy and chemistry with someone. And I feel like a reader can be different on the room than a reader, you know, in your room and what you’re doing and whatnot. Which is something that I’ve been thinking about, and I was talking about Kayvan, about this, where we, you know, as actors need a system. We’re like.
 
MIKE ELDER (21:18)
To who? Who are you talking to?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (21:18)
Kayvan. Kayvan, who’s. Who plays Nandor.
 
MIKE ELDER (21:22)
Oh, okay. Got it, got it, got it.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (21:24)
So Kayvon Novak, he and I were talking about, like, how actors sometimes get duped with like having a reader that’s not beneficial to you because sometimes it’s just a reader who’s like, watch out, I’m mad at you. I’m so mad. You know, and it’s like you anything, you’re like, ah, great. You know, Then if you fully go out, you kind of look insane because you’re like not matching what they’re giving you. But you shouldn’t be matching what they’re giving. You should be giving what you’re gonna give at your best. But we’re like, it’s so, it’s a disservice sometimes actors if you get luck of the draw of like a reader who’s like.
 
But would it be great if we can rotate like actors with actors who can be like, it’s always gonna be the best performance. Marrying someone who is taking it seriously as much as you are and giving you the best performance because you’re going to get in the best performance. That would make your audition so much smoother and maybe more likely to get cast. Yeah, but it’s not, that’s not the way it works usually. But there’s something we’re working on that’s a.
 
MIKE ELDER (22:11)
Well, that’s the benefit of the self tape. Right. And self tape to me is like, it’s got some good things going for it, which is you can choose your reader, you can have a couple different takes. You don’t have to just knock it out of the park the first go. But at the same time, yeah, you lose that personality, that, that connection that, that sort of nerves and excitement that you get from going in person.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (22:32)
Yeah, it’s true. And I feel like I rather go in person though. But the luck of the draw is like, who’s going to read with you that day? But in the moment there’s always moments for adjustments because we send self tape. They’re like, oh, he didn’t get it. Like he didn’t get that we.
 
Damn, I should have. Oh well.
 
And they move on as opposed to in person, like very last minute. We talked to the writers, don’t play it that way. Because we thought so too, but now we found out that they don’t want you. So in the moment you can get a last minute tweak and adjustment. It’s like, oh my God, thank God I know now. I was about to play it this way.
 
MIKE ELDER (23:02)
Yeah, yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (23:02)
Like, no, we, we would have accepted it that way too, but we just found out. You know.
 
MIKE ELDER (23:06)
So they’ve been offering a lot. Like when you get a self tape, they say we have a few zoom audition slots if. If the actor wants to read with casting. Do you. Have you done any of those?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (23:16)
I have. I would take it because I will give an opportunity to give adjustments in the moment, in the room.
 
MIKE ELDER (23:21)
So you always take it as long as you can.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (23:22)
I always take it. I just like to get direction because you. I’m pretty good at being given direction. Like, I had a director who said that it’s like, it’s easy to direct because you, when you direct it, when I tell you words, it shifts things in you. As opposed to like, just do whatever you know it’s supposed to. Like, yes, just more lean into sound. Think of, you know, words that are like, aha.
 
And then you like, lock that in as an actor. Then you’re like, here it is. You know, as opposed to like, if you just turn on the tape, you already have one mindset. It’s like this. That’s it. I thought of it that way.
 
MIKE ELDER (23:58)
Well, it’s funny. I have a legit guest star miniseries audition later this afternoon and I opted to do the zoom audition. And it’s my first time. Rather than doing a self tape, I was like, you know what? Fuck it. Let me turn on my performance anxiety and see if we can knock this out of the park. And I.
 
Last night I was like, I should have done a self tape. What am I doing?
 
I’m such a. I’m going to be fine. I’m going to knock it out of the park. But like, last night I was like, I should have done a self tape. It’s not in my control. But it is that thing of, like, you want that and you’re right. Like, if I’m way off or they got new information, they’re hopefully going to give it to me and adjust.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (24:32)
Yeah, I think it’s going to be great. I think it’s. It’s for the best because you’re going to be like, okay. Because you might walk away and whatever the outcome is, you know, hopefully it’s the best thing ever. But even if you walk away, be like, huh, Lesson learned. Like, that was good to know. Like, well, I always take everything as a stepping stone.
 
Like, everything I do, every show that I book or any movie that I book, it’s all stepping stones in the right direction. If you’re doing this for a living and you want to do it because it’s your love and your craft, you can’t imagine doing anything else, people always say, oh, I think I want to be an actor. If you think you want to be, doesn’t sound like you know you want to be. And if you think it, I would think about doing something else. Because you got to love what you do.
 
MIKE ELDER (25:08)
Oh, yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (25:08)
Because the highs are high and the lows are low. And that’s just. That’s just the game. You know what I mean? You could be at your peak today, and then tomorrow you’re at the bottom. And that’s just, you know, the way that the system works. And if you don’t have the thick skin and you don’t have that mentality of, like, it’s just temporarily, these are all stepping stones in the right direction.
 
If you can’t stand the anxiety of it, I would always say do something else that you love because it’s gonna be painful at one point. And if you are willing to put up with the pain because the. The highs are gonna be worth it, then stick with it. I always say that if you find something else that you love, do that. Because people do. People are like, I don’t think I’ve seen so many actors who I’ve become friends with. They’re in town and the next thing I know, I’m like, hey, where are you? I moved.
 
And it’s like, oh, I’m not doing that anymore. And it’s like, okay. And then I see a new group of friends and I’m like, become friends with a new actor. And then I see them, we do a show together, I meet something and then a couple years later go by. I’m like, where’d you go? I moved. That town’s off for me. And it’s like, oh, are you guys okay?
 
So you act as like, no, I’m a teacher now or I’m doing this or, you know, more. Well, you know, to you. But like.
 
MIKE ELDER (26:10)
Well, it’s one of those things too. I started doing improv and it was like, I like the performance. I love the rush of a performance. So, like, when we do this, this is my backdrop right here. When we do the Zoom audition later today, I’m going to feel great after. I’m going to feel, you know, Cloud nine. So it’s going to be great.
 
When you do self tapes, do you. Do you coach ever? Do you have like a somebody you work with or are you confident in what you can do? You mentioned you take direction well.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (26:32)
So I take direction well. I don’t really coach unless it’s something like with a strong, like, dialect or like an accent or something. Then that’s when I don’t want to just, you know, wing it. I’ve taken, like, dialect coaches for certain accents and whatnot, which is ironic. One time I had an audition, and it was. I was kind of like, why do I have this audition? They’re like, they want to see you for it.
 
And I was like, oh. And it was definitely, like, profiling because I was early on my. In my career, and it was really placed in the Middle Eastern. And I was like, oh. And they’re like, okay. And they’re like, and it’s a bit of an accident. And I was like, but they know that I’m.
 
Yeah, they know that now, but, you know, they just want to see everyone. I was like, huh? And I was like, okay, well, I don’t want to like, be, you know, like, I’m just throwing this and pretending, doing a stereotype. So I literally talked to someone, and I was like, how would I even say this and that? And like, it’s like, I’m not gonna get this. This isn’t the right thing to do. And it’s also, like, early on in my career, I was like, why are these auditions happening?
 
Like, where people are going in? You know?
 
And I was like. And I remember thinking. And the funny part is that I went. And I was like, okay, here it is. And I auditioned and I got a callback for the role. And they were like, he is. Is he? And I was like, no, I’m not.
 
And then it was like, oh. Because the director thought he was. Because the dialect was pretty. And I was like, that’s because I took the time to go and work with someone who specialized, you know, and, like, getting that. And, like, I didn’t want to half ass it and then. But also at that point, that’s when I kind of told my, like, manager at the time, I was like, I don’t think this is. I’m gonna bounce.
 
I don’t think this is kind of. So I bailed.
 
MIKE ELDER (28:02)
Good for you.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (28:03)
And I was just like, I don’t think this is kind of right, you know? And it’s like, well. But they say. I was like, I know, but it’s not right, you know, And I couldn’t believe that they were okay. And then I got a call back that goes to show that you could work really hard to be something.
 
Doesn’t assume that it’s the right thing to do.
 
MIKE ELDER (28:21)
You did that early on. You said no.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (28:23)
Early on. Yeah.
 
MIKE ELDER (28:23)
Wow. Like, for me. For me, I would take anything honestly. But like.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (28:28)
I just felt like.
 
MIKE ELDER (28:30)
When you’re early on, like, that’s hard to say no.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (28:32)
I thought I would have been. I would have been omitted by, you know, by omission, you know, Like, I would have been like, no, he’s definitely not right. And so I was like, okay, I’ll take the audition to meet the casting director, but I’m sure I’m not going to make it past. It wouldn’t make sense to. But I did the work on my own still and went with the dialect coach and, like, the work and whatnot. And then when I got past that level, I surprised myself and I was like, that’s enough, you know, Like, I was already past a level that I was like.
 
MIKE ELDER (28:55)
Well, I wonder how much of. How much of it. Like, you already cast yourself out and you already said everything you just said. Like, I wonder how much of it then in your performance, you were just so calm and free.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (29:05)
Let go. But also, put the work in.
 
MIKE ELDER (29:06)
And let go. And didn’t care. There’s that sexy indifference or whatever.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (29:09)
Yeah, there is. But also put the work in that I didn’t want to just go in and make up an accent.
 
MIKE ELDER (29:13)
Right.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (29:13)
And I wanted to sound, like, as authentic. And it worked, you know, but doesn’t mean just because it worked that it was right again.
 
MIKE ELDER (29:18)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (29:19)
So I was like, so. And I paid for, like, a dialect and, like, you know, coach and whatnot. And then. And then to look back, I was like, I’m glad I did the work, but I’m. I was proud of myself for go. Stepping away from it, you know? So I was like, no.
 
And this was early, early on. And also back then, the stuff that was happening, casting, I couldn’t believe some of the stuff. Like, you know, I get auditions for things, and it was just, like, laziness of, like, my agent would talk it up and was like, oh, my God, it’s this. The boy next door, blah, blah, he’s funny, he’s blah, blah. And then you get the audition, the breakdowns, all Fat Guy #2. And I was like, that’s not what you described to me. And it’s like.
 
But he was selling it, so he would go to the audition. Things that were like, so, like, can’t.
 
I mean, you’re a writer. Can’t you think of a better description for a character? This line. And it’s gotten better. But that was, like, early on in my career. That’s the kind of description for characters that I would get.
 
MIKE ELDER (30:05)
I still get that.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (30:06)
Yeah, it sounds. It just sounds so. I mean, isn’t there a way to use the words that you’re a writer, you should be really good at words and be, like, charismatic, you know, full body, you know, just, like, wording. That sounds a little different.
 
MIKE ELDER (30:16)
Yeah, yeah. Corn fed.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (30:06)
Corn fed, All American. You know, corn fed boar.
 
MIKE ELDER (30:23)
I saw Mike Schur. Mike Schur, right?
 
That’s his name. Parks and Rec and Good Place. He’s. I saw a clip on social media that said on Parks and Rec, he specifically gave every character a name to make them feel better.
 
Like, it wasn’t Fat Guy. It wasn’t Janitor. It was Bill Brasky, Adam Anderson. Like, he gave full names to everyone. And I’m like, that is so kind and thoughtful.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (30:46)
It’s human.
 
MIKE ELDER (30:47)
Yeah. Because also when you look at your credits, then that looks like a credit. Rather than, garbage man.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (30:51)
Garbage man, or like, Fat Guy #2. You know what I mean?
 
MIKE ELDER (30:56)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (30:56)
Imagine going to a movie premiere. He’s like, I got my big break. And it’s like, here it comes. It’s like the credits are rolling. Fat Guy #2.
 
What do you think, Mom? You know, it’s just. I think sometimes it’s like, laziness, you know, because it’s. You could have easily given a name. That’s. That’s the way to do it. That’s why that’s good writing.
 
That’s a show, like, that succeeds.
 
MIKE ELDER (31:16)
Yeah. Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (31:16)
When you’re lazy and just like, you know, slut. Just like going out for slut.
 
MIKE ELDER (31:21)
You know, for thoughtful gesture, too. I feel like something nobody would have noticed had he not even mentioned it. But when he does call it out, it’s like, very kind.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (31:30)
Yeah.
 
MIKE ELDER (31:30)
When you. When you, like. And part of me, if this is a bad question, but when you’re at your level and you have, like, a team, like, when I was emailing you, you had a team of people helping you out. When you get a self tape is. Do you have a team of people that are helping you with a self.
 
Do you have any. If you’re not coaching, do you have, like, a reader or do you have an assistant that you make read with you?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (31:52)
Yeah, you make someone. Like, usually what I do is with friends. You know, during the. Looking back at, like, my Chris stuff, you always get, like, you’re always around, like, actors and stuff with your friends. Like, usually actors help out with each other. Like, I like helping read. Like a friend, Jazz, who was, like, reading for something.
 
It was like, for she’s on Sabrina and, like, whatnot. I remember having actors who, like, ask, especially you do yourself a favor and just disservice when you’re a good reader, because then people are gonna be like, hey, can you read for me? And then you become like the reader for a lot of friends and you’re like, damn. And I’m booked this week. Just like all reading with friends. I usually ask like, friends, but now, recently, if I don’t go in person, I’d rather go in person. But if I’m gonna have to put on tape, then I’ll have like, you know, someone read with me who’s been doing it for a while, like my sister, who knows, like my timing and, like knows where I’m gonna pause and knows what to, like read with me and whatnot.
 
And she’s great at it. Or, you know, I don’t usually have like an assistant read with me or anything. I try to get someone who’s somewhere in the world of entertainment that knows what would be work and stuff. But for the most part, it’s like asking another actor who is like, are you working on something this week? And it’s like, no, I’m off this week.
 
Oh, do you mind? I’ll buy you lunch. You know, we’ll go out for lunch and after lunch we’ll put it on tape. And yeah, I used to have like, friends. We used to have a friend. I have a friend now that still calls his studio J. Rose Studios because everyone goes to his place and he is the nicest and he’s the most talented actor too.
 
And like, he is a great reader, but also he goes full out. He’ll set up the lights for you, set up the drop for you. So he was like another happy customer at J. Rose Studios.
 
MIKE ELDER (33:30)
That’s really funny. So that became a big business for a little bit self taping. Like I had. I was in New York once and I had got an audition and I did not have a space for it in the hotel. And I was like. And I looked at. There’s like 30 actors that just literally had you come to their apartment and self tape.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (33:44)
It’s a quick way to make money too, if you wanna make an extra couple bucks. But Jason would never charge you. He would be like, his house is open to you.
 
Which is, you know, great. Because then you’re like, I’ll buy you lunch, you know, whatever. But, you know, he had a success rate. Like he had a high success rate at J Rise Studios. Like every time he should charge, honestly, one of his friends would book something and be like another happy customer. Because the lighting was good, the sound was good, he reads with you really well. And so I highly recommend J Rose Studios because it’s.
 
I booked so many things with J Rose Studios and it’s also like, it’s also. It makes you feel comfortable with your. With a friend who’s reading with you and whatnot. It makes you drop your guard of, like, anxiety of, oh, boy, I gotta perfect this. And I’m, you know, whatever. And then sometimes you get really good bloopers with friends.
 
MIKE ELDER (34:26)
Oh, yeah, for sure.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (34:27)
Yeah.
 
MIKE ELDER (34:28)
But that’s back to the self tape versus zoom. That’s why I also love self tapes. Because of that. It’s just like, much more comfortable.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (34:35)
Yeah, I like in person just because of the direction. And I like in person because eventually you’re gonna have to do it in person.
 
MIKE ELDER (34:43)
I know. That’s the thing too.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (34:44)
If you’re hoping to do it on tape and then saying like, I booked it, and then thinking that you’re gonna do exactly what you might. It could be that way. But you’re eventually going to get to set and the direction will be like, I like what you did, but not that. Do this. And that might throw you off. You’re like, whoa. But I did it the way I did it in the tape.
 
And you liked it. It’s like, right? We liked your look. We liked this. We just want to tweak this. And if you have to be able to adjust, because if you’re not able to adjust, then I’ve seen it happen. People lose a job on the day of.
 
MIKE ELDER (35:12)
You’ve see that?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (35:13)
Yeah, I seen it. Having people get to set. I’ll never forget. We were on the table read for Eye Candy for the MTV show. And at the table read, you know, we had the cast and we had the ingenue Victoria, and then we had a lead boy playing her love interest. And it was just an off day. Like, the table read was streaming live with LA.
 
And we’re also in New York in this at the Viacom building and we’re all having table read and something’s off. Like, it’s just the chemistry is not the way it was before. And also the lead boy at the point had played basketball the night before and got hit on the face. And so he came and he was just like, bruised up. And it was just not the best day for him. And it was unfortunate because we all exchanged info like, oh, my God, let’s go to dinner. Here we are four months in New York.
 
It’s the first day of the table read and we’re starting. It’s a Friday and we’re starting to film Monday, and we all exchange info and Instagram and whatnot and we leave the thing. And then before that, MTV’s like, hi, to the director at the time, Katherine Hardwick was like, can we talk to you for a second? I was like, okay, well, see you later. Okay, bye.
 
And we leave out. We leave the door and like, we go exchange info. And then by the time I get to my apartment, literally by the time I get. Because I went shopping or whatever and dinner and stuff. By the time apartment, the boy is at the airport. Oh. And he’s on his Instagram.
 
And it was like, sometimes life gives you lemons, you know? Or sometimes life doesn’t go the way you expect it. And I was like, what happened? It’s been like a couple of hours since I saw them.
 
They’re at the airport. They had packed up their bags that they’re doing no Monday morning. There is a new boy playing that part on set. Like, not even the first day on set at the table.
 
MIKE ELDER (36:52)
That’s insane.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (36:53)
And I was like. And the anxiety of that was like. And you’re on set, you’re like. The first day, you’re like, what do they do? And then, you know, we’re travel around. I was like, it just wasn’t working. Yeah, she doesn’t work.
 
We thought it could work and we had a chemistry read it. It looked like it would work and it was just like, you didn’t that day he didn’t perform at his best because he probably wasn’t feeling himself. He was hurt. You know, he had a bruise on his face.
 
MIKE ELDER (37:14)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (37:14)
It was just not his best day. And it happens. We’re human.
 
MIKE ELDER (37:17)
It’s interesting that you said that about self tapes. Like, you got to do it on set. Because I interviewed a director a couple months ago, Tara Miele. She did like lessons in chemistry the last couple episodes of that. And she said they had a guest star who couldn’t not do his lines. And she was literally there just feeding them to her. It was so bad.
 
And I’m like, yeah, that is probably detrimental for some people when they are reliant on self tapes. Or who knows, maybe they’re teleprompting or whatever. Yeah, yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (37:42)
Or it’s an offer. Or It’s offered and then you get an offer and you get to like set and you are not what they were like, wait, how did you work for the last 40? You know, that happens and it could easily happen. That’s my biggest worry is like, if I get an offer, it’s like, I hope I’m what they want, you know? And then when you get there, you.
 
MIKE ELDER (37:58)
That is stressful. You don’t feel like you earned it.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (37:59)
Right. Or like, what do you want? Because this character, I’ve never done before or whatever that, hey, you could do it, you know, I did a guest star. It was for Selena Gomez’s show where she’s producing. Not for Murders, but she’s producing Waverly Place. But the spin off of that, which, you know, I got a call on like Friday.
 
They’re like, hey, they want you to play this part. I was like, oh, cool. And I was like, that’s Selena’s show and blah, blah, it starts Monday. And I was like, oh. I was like, but I’m in New York. And I was like, oh, well, I can’t make it Monday for the table read. Then I had to fly in this weekend, get to their fitting, and then start filming on Tuesday.
 
It was so quick.
 
MIKE ELDER (38:34)
That is a whirlwind. I can’t even imagine.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (38:35)
I was a whirlwind and I did it. And it’s a really cool character. I can’t wait, you know, to do it. But those are the fun stuff that it’s almost like a farce, you know, the Disney shows and whatnot. Again, it was like, well, you don’t have to do it because it’s a three cam, blah, blah. I love three cam. Three cam is like so fun and reminds me of I Love Lucy and like the old, like sitcoms and whatnot.
 
So it’s fun to do one of those once in a while.
 
MIKE ELDER (38:58)
Oh, yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (38:58)
Palette cleanser.
 
MIKE ELDER (38:59)
How much are you auditioning right now? Like in a given month, how many or a week? How much, like, do you go out a lot. Got out, I mean self tape.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (39:05)
I honestly auditioned. I’ve been very fortunate that it’s been half. 50, 50. It’s like offer and then also auditions and. But addition wise, I mean, after Shadows, I went straight to production. Like, since Shadows wrap, I’ve done like four films. And so that’s a lot.
 
Like, we’ve only wrapped for a year, you know what I mean? For a little over a year. And so I went pretty work consistent and without that being voiceover guest stars. I do voiceover on my days off. Like when I don’t, I’m not on set. That’s my book voiceover. So on my days off from being on live Action, that’s when I do cartoons and whatnot.
 
But it’s very fortunate, you know, because I’ve been on shows that are recurring. Like, helluva Boss is something that I’m filming right now for Amazon, but also cartoons that, like, I was on recurring for seasons. Like, I was one of the leads on the Mickey Mouse show that was like ongoing for like the last five years. Stuff like that, where it’s like, I’ve been constantly working and auditioning, and I’ve been auditioning for stuff, and then it doesn’t come to fruition.
 
Do you know what I mean? Then I’m like, oh, man, I didn’t get that. But I still have a job the next day because I’m working on something that’s been already set.
 
MIKE ELDER (40:16)
So I guess the question then, sorry, to interupt you, is not how much are you auditioning? How many. I guess, how much in a year, how many weeks are you working then? All of them?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (40:24)
For the last year, for the last couple years, I think the ongoing joke that my agent says is, like, we have to. Like, we have to make some time for you to take a vacation. Which is nice.
 
MIKE ELDER (40:34)
Okay, yeah, good for you.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (40:35)
But also that’s because for a decade, you weren’t working. You know what I mean? So when the work is there, I like to take it. I rarely say no. I have said no to a couple projects this year just because the characters are kind of similar to something they’ve already played. And it would be such a time commitment to play something that I’ve already played. And it feels like I don’t want to feel repetitive.
 
It’s like, sometimes people come like, well, I offer you this role. It’s kind of like Guillermo. And I was like, well, I already did Guillermo. You know, I did that for six seasons. You know, it’s like, can I do that? I actually did this sort of movie recently where they offered me one of the lead roles in the movie. It’s shot in Arizona or Mexico for three months.
 
And I was like, oh. And the character is, like, pretty close to something I’ve already played. And I read the script. I was like, can I play this character? And like, oh, that character shoots in and out, like, in two weeks. And I was like, okay. Like, but it’s not as big as a role.
 
The other one, like, I don’t care. Like, I don’t need to have a bigger role to make a really, like, cool, defined character. It’s like, is it nice to be the lead? Of course.
 
You know, but it’s also. How’s that. How’s that gonna level you up to, like, your craft, you know?
 
MIKE ELDER (41:39)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (41:39)
It’s like, you’ve.
 
MIKE ELDER (41:40)
That’s the theme of this podcast for you. There’s no small parts. There’s only.
 
Well, how’s that?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (41:44)
Small actors.
 
MIKE ELDER (41:45)
Small actors.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (41:46)
And it’s true. It’s like. It’s true because I could. I could take a role that’s only two lines, and people can walk away from the movie like, oh, my God, you’re blah, blah. As opposed to being the face they see every 20 seconds. And it’s just like, yeah, you know what I mean? And to me, it was, like, more important to make that character more memorable than it is to be seen every second on screen.
 
MIKE ELDER (42:04)
For sure. You mentioned voice work. Did voice work, like, voice work? So hard to break into. I feel like.
 
Did you start getting voice? Because you’ve done a ton of it as you alluded to.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (42:11)
B ut I only started in the pandemic.
 
MIKE ELDER (42:14)
Oh, I was just gonna ask, did that come after you had already had some success and was that, like, something where they were like, will you audition for this? Or, we know you. We want you for this?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (42:22)
It came. It was.
 
When was it? It was during the pandemic. I had an offer to do Owl House for Disney, and it was because the cast nurture was a fan of Shadows, and they were like, oh, my God, I love that show. It was very nice. Like, it was like, characters, something similar to Guillermo. And I was like, oh, yeah, that’d be fun to play that in a voiceover. And I’ve never done voiceover because I’ve tried for years.
 
Try, try, try for years. And it’s just hard.
 
You got to think about voiceovers. Like, every actor who’s maybe hit the pavement running with like, I want to be an actor. I want to do movies. I want to do action. I want to do love, comedy, everything, rom com. And then they hear, no, no, no, no, you’re not tall enough, you’re not thin enough. You’re too this, you’re too that. You’re whatever.
 
It can get to you. But the one thing with voiceover you can only rely on is your performance is with your voice. That’s it. You got to be able to convey a story with your voice. I don’t care what you look like. I don’t care how tall you are. I don’t care how old you are.
 
If you can convey a story with your voice, you’re the person for the job. But imagine everyone trying to get that job because they try to do live action. They try to do everything in front of the camera, and it’s not working out. Imagine how many bodies are shifting over to voiceover. It’s a tough gig to get because I tried for years.
 
No, I would audition every week. I’d have, like, at least two, three voiceover auditions. Never book it. I would come close, but it was go to someone who has a resume, you know? But because people like to work with people they like. And so, like, it’s hard to get in.
 
There’s not an opening. It’s like a club. It’s like a private club. It really is.
 
MIKE ELDER (43:47)
Yeah, it really is. Because it’s like one that’s, like a business where once one person gets in, they do so much stuff. Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (43:55)
And they stay in. And once they decide to leave, if they ever decide to leave or there’s an opening for you, whatever, the time runs out, people retire. Oh, we have one opening.
 
Everybody wants opening. Because it’s that one opening. You need to be, like, seen. And then once you get in, you’re from the door. You’re in. And so I got in with Owl House, and then a couple weeks later, they asked me to a session, and they loved it. And they’re like, what do you audition for this new Mickey Mouse Funhouse.
 
You’ll be joining an existing sensational. Like, six, you know, which is, like, Daisy, Donald, Mickey, you know, all.
 
MIKE ELDER (44:23)
Goofy.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (44:24)
Oh, Goofy. All of them. You’re joining this cast of already established characters, and you’re the new friend.
 
MIKE ELDER (44:29)
Oh, cool.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (44:30)
You’re a fun house.
 
MIKE ELDER (44:31)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (44:31)
So you’re a talking house, and they go on adventures together. I’ve always wanted to play a house. So I was like, yeah. And I did it, and it was so fun. And the creators and everyone at Disney is so great about that. And we did that for four seasons.
 
MIKE ELDER (44:47)
That’s amazing.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (44:48)
So during that, I also got Perrito and Puss in Boots. And that was probably one of the harder roles to ever play because you have to convey such empathy, strength. And remember, this character was complex. And there was a scene I remember reading where he’s telling the story about being abused by his family. They put him in a sock with rocks and they play this fun game where they throw him in the river with rocks in a sock.
 
MIKE ELDER (45:12)
You’re not saying that’s fun. That’s just what they say.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (45:14)
That’s what he was saying. And the way that they wanted to play it originally was that he was kind of like telling a sad story. And I was like, people who know they’ve had a hard life don’t usually. Don’t dwell into the martyr side of it. They make light of it because they can’t stand to dwell in the martyr side because it’ll be too painful to live it. So I remember doing that, like, scene, and I was like, can I play it the opposite? Can I be optimistic and fun and, like, whatever?
 
And they’re like, yeah, try it. And that’s what that scene. It’s like, almost painful to watch because he’s like. He’s like, I used to play this fun story with my family. It’s hilarious. You know, it’s like making light of the situation. And the more you hear the details, I remember, like, Salma Hayek’s character of Kitty goes, that’s the saddest story I’ve ever heard, you know, because you hear it and you’re like, that’s not fun.
 
That’s a sad story. You know?
 
MIKE ELDER (45:59)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (46:00)
And this poor character, this dog who wants to be. Who pretends to be a cat, to be in a house full of cats and be fed and taken care of. He wants to be a therapy dog. Imagine being. There’s so much pain in your life that you still want to help others, which was a really, like, complex thing. I was like, I know we’re talking about animation, but animation has a really great, you know, formula to get to you.
 
MIKE ELDER (46:20)
Oh, for sure.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (46:21)
You know, and it gets to you in a way where, like, I mean, the film was nominated for Academy Award, and even Guillermo del Toro, who was up that year and won for Pinocchio, like, he came and, like, literally said, I love the movie. Like, he was giving us such high praise for the movie.
 
And I was like, see, like, when you do animation, like, sometimes people are like, oh, poo poo at it, because it’s a cartoon. But it’s like, sometimes great stories are being told in whatever format. Stop motion animation, you know, silent films. As long as you’re moved and you’re, like, touched by a story, then it did its job. That art form succeeded.
 
MIKE ELDER (46:53)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (46:54)
You walked out of that movie theater thinking something like, wow. And so I remember doing that as part of the harder roles and periton, people were like, oh, we should do another one.
 
Like, who knows? You know, maybe. But, like, yeah, voiceover is hard. Like. And then after that, I got a call from Sony, and it was all them from Sony. The executives are like, we love what you did with Perrito. So sweet and endearing.
 
And we would love for you to do that with Odie in Garfield. And I was like, oh, my God, that.
 
MIKE ELDER (47:19)
That’s awesome.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (47:20)
Doesn’t Odie not talk? Exactly. We love for you to say nothing. And it’s like, what? We love for you to convey a story because we figure if you can do it with words, you can do it without words.
 
MIKE ELDER (47:32)
That’s amazing.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (47:33)
And so it was one of the hardest things to do because.
 
MIKE ELDER (47:35)
But not for you. I feel like. I feel like you could figure it out.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (47:38)
I did figure it out because I was like, it was, he’s angry, he’s frustrated at Garfield, he’s blah, blah, and it’s all done. You know, it’s like sound effects where it’s just you making sound effects. You’re not even using words.
 
MIKE ELDER (47:49)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (47:50)
And I was like, this is crazy, but great for me because no one had to dub me in other countries.
 
MIKE ELDER (47:55)
Yeah, that’s funny. That’s really funny.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (47:57)
Because it was me.
 
MIKE ELDER (47:58)
Let me talk about your reps. So like something actors struggle with and we got like 10 minutes left. Something actors struggle with, especially at my level, is like, how much do they talk to their reps? When do they check in? You mentioned that they had a one line audition that they told you about and they said they declined. But then you took like, do you have regular check ins with your reps? Do you want them, how much do you want them filtering stuff like what, what’s your relationship like with them?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (48:21)
I have a rule with my reps and they know that, like even when something goes through the office, they don’t make a decision for me. Like in the past I had like people that would submit or send over an offer or something. Like, we turn it on, it’s not, it’s beneath you. And I made it very clear early on. It’s like, I’ll decide.
 
MIKE ELDER (48:35)
Good for you. That’s hot.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (48:35)
At the end of the day, I know you are part of a team. That’s hot? I was like, I’ll decide what’s underneath me, you know? And they were like, oh, well. I was like, I, we’re part of a team. At the end of the day, I want to book the gig because I want to get the gig. You don’t get paid unless I get the gig. And so I’ll decide, like, what’s, you know, we’ll talk about it and have a conversation.
 
But rule of thumb is don’t ever pass on anything until you pass it in front of me. Sometimes they’ll assume like, like, I know what you’re gonna say and this, blah, blah. And yeah, I’ll pass on it. But it was my choice and I had the last call, you know.
 
MIKE ELDER (49:04)
Yeah, you want agency.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (49:05)
Yeah. And I remember being with an agency early on because you were told this was a routine that just wait for them to call you and you wait by the. And then people I remember talking to other actors and they’re like, well, what’s going on with this?
 
They haven’t talked. I left them a message like two weeks ago, but they’re busy. They’re like, they rep A, B and C. So. And I was like, oh, if you’re busy, if your agent’s too busy to give you a call in two weeks, they’re not thinking about you.
 
MIKE ELDER (49:29)
No.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (49:30)
If you have to chase your agent and remind them that you’re there, they’re not submitting you because you’re the last thing on their mind. If they couldn’t even pick up the phone to call you back the same day or within that week, you’re not top priority. It’s. I always say when you’re with an agent, it’s like a relationship. It’s like being in a marriage. I have to still get the butterflies. You have to think about me when I’m not there and you have to think about me.
 
And like, you should be daydreaming about me. Like, what’s he doing? Actually? Like, what’s he doing? Let me check in with him. You know, text, email. The second you stop thinking about me and you start focusing your attention, even though it’s, it, it might be another client or whatnot, but you are having lunch with them, you are checking in with them.
 
That’s who you want to be with. You don’t want to be in a marriage with me. You’re going to be married with them. You’re in love with them. If you’re in love with them, then go be in love with them. I need a partner who’s in love with me.
 
MIKE ELDER (50:21)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (50:21)
So my partnership with you is like, I’m thinking about my career and I’m in love with my career and you should be thinking about me being in love me with like, you know.
 
MIKE ELDER (50:28)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (50:28)
So if you’re not thinking about me, that means we’re not in the same partnership. That means your eyes are wandering. And I always think it’s funny.
 
MIKE ELDER (50:34)
You’re monogamous.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (50:35)
Yeah. I think you’re. If you want an open relationship, then go be with someone who wants an open relationship.
 
MIKE ELDER (50:39)
But so do you have regular correspondence with your reps? Are you checking? Do you have like a regular meeting. Or a regular check in.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (50:44)
The monment something comes up or I see something that’s been green lit or something. Like I’m like, oh. And it’s like already on it. Like, it’s like I, I sent a deadline article like this movie, blah, blah. It’s like that would be. Yep, I already called them.
 
MIKE ELDER (50:56)
Sure.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (50:56)
I already called it because they already, we’re already thinking. You know, it’s, you know, it’s just like if you were going to Costco or something, be like Hey, I already got it ready.
 
MIKE ELDER (51:05)
Wait, let me ask you a stupid question though. Like, for this podcast, like, I was talking to your assistants, I think, right. Do your agents know you’re here right now? Or do any of your reps know.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (51:15)
All the PR stuff that. That’s. There’s different departments. So like, so publicist, like, it’s like PR notes. But that’s not the department that their. Their job is to get me an audition and the next gig.
 
MIKE ELDER (51:25)
Right, Right.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (51:26)
So when it comes to PR, that’s not their department. PR is department. And everyone gets paid for that. So PR gets paid for this. And so if there’s a question or something to do with any appearances or podcasts or anything, that’s their department. So they, you know, everyone has a category and that’s why they’re in that category.
 
That’s why it takes a team. You know, it’s like, so when you talk to assistants, they filter it over and blah, blah and set up the meeting and they look at the calendar and blah, blah. Yeah. It takes a village, you know, to make everything work, but it makes it work, you know, because then it’s like things shift and moving parts are always happening.
 
MIKE ELDER (51:58)
Yeah. These are problems I can’t even relate to.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (52:01)
But eventually, like.
 
MIKE ELDER (52:03)
But not problems, likt thoughts I can’t even imagine having.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (52:06)
I never thought, having. Like, I was like, I’ll always be the one who’s answering every email. And it’s like if you were the one answering every email, eventually you will need someone to help you.
 
MIKE ELDER (52:12)
Oh, yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (52:13)
Because if your time is consumed with returning every email and trying to figure out your schedule, you didn’t learn your lines and you get to set and you’re not ready. My job as the actor is to get to set and be ready to perform.
 
MIKE ELDER (52:24)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (52:25)
And if I’m so busy trying to figure out, schedule and figure out when this interview and blah, blah, that takes most of your time. That’s a full time job. And then by the time you get to say you’re like, oh, shoot, I didn’t learn my lines, and then it was like, oh, that was a bad scene. We’re not hiring you again. Oops. You just got fired and then you lost and you don’t need an assistant anymore because you don’t have a job. You don’t have a job.
 
You know, you’re not working.
 
MIKE ELDER (52:46)
Right.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (52:46)
So it’s needed I think eventually.
 
MIKE ELDER (52:47)
You just wrapped up a bunch of Emmy stuff. Like you presented at the Creative Arts. Didn’t you do the. You announced the nominations, didn’t you?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (52:55)
I announced the nominations.
 
MIKE ELDER (52:55)
Like, when. How does that stuff come about? Is that something where your agents or your PR submit you to them, or do they reach out to you, or do you make it known that you want to do it?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (53:05)
I think it’s a little both. And I think recently, before that, I had just met Chris Obrego, who is at the Academy, and him and I, like, you know, we’re talking about something, and I think he just mentioned it. He’s like, you should present them. And I was like, okay. You know, so he said he would take it to, like, the board and stuff and take it to, like, some.
 
And the people have to check off on it. And then Brenda Song and I did it together. And then Brenda Song and I became friends and then ended up seeing Backstreet Boys together in Vegas a couple weeks later for our friend Billy’s birthday. And, yeah, it’s just like. It just. Sometimes it’s just at the right place, the right time.
 
MIKE ELDER (53:44)
Yeah.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (53:44)
And the goal was this year to actually get the nomination for supporting in a comedy, which didn’t happen, but if it did, it would have been great because for all the seasons that we did the show, we never got personalized nominations, except for last year, Matt got one. And we were all rooting. We were all rooting for you because they. They overlooked the actors. They were.
 
We got the Emmy for costume. We were nominated for writing, directing. Everything was not. We got so many nominations, but not for the acting, which is so weird because it was like, wait, don’t you watch the show? Tune into the stories about these actors who portray these characters? But we didn’t get the nomination. And I would have loved to get the nomination because it would have made history as the first queer Latina to, like, get the nomination for supporting role.
 
MIKE ELDER (54:29)
That’s never happened? Wow.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (54:30)
It’s never happened. And so to this day, I know that was my. That was my reaction when I was.
 
MIKE ELDER (54:34)
Well that was my reaction when Tramell won. And they’re like, this is the first black man that’s ever won. I was like, yeah, how can that be?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (54:39)
Yeah. And, you know, and last year, Anna Sawai. I made history as well, you know, so it’s like, it’s. We forget that we’ve been doing this for a long time, you know, half a century, over half a century. And still there’s. There’s, you know, levels to be passed and doors to be open.
 
MIKE ELDER (54:55)
Speaking of queer, I saw. I don’t know if that’s the right saying.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (54:57)
I don’t know. I don’t know if that’s right.
 
MIKE ELDER (55:00)
I saw you said.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (55:03)
Speaking of queers.
 
MIKE ELDER (55:08)
I saw you said you wanted. You want to be considered for Oh Mary, which I just saw it in New York. Incredible. How do we make that happen? Yes, you should be Oh Mary.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (55:18)
You know, putting things out of the universe sometimes is a good thing because it comes back.
 
MIKE ELDER (55:22)
I think so, too.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (55:23)
And, yeah, I feel like putting it out in the universe has definitely started a dialogue and a conversation, and who knows? That’s what I’ll say. Who knows if that or, you know, opportunities happen when you think. When you say it out loud, you put things out in the universe. And I think that’s safe to say that the director and I have been talking about creative stuff. And without saying things officially specifically to one project or another, that dialogue has happened.
 
MIKE ELDER (55:52)
That’s great.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (55:52)
And it’s a great conversation to have.
 
MIKE ELDER (55:54)
And they’re rotating so frequently, like.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (55:56)
Yeah. But you never know. You put onto universe one thing, and then because of that one thing, you never knew what was in development. So you never know what’s happening somewhere else.
 
MIKE ELDER (56:06)
Teaser.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (56:07)
So it’s good to know because I would gladly go into Oh Mary, and I hope it lasts a long time. I think it’s such a great vehicle. And Cole. I’ve been such a fan of Cole’s for so long. I mean, I remember bringing Cole videos to set and showing people of, like, how funny and talented this human being is. And I have such respect for that kind of humor and talent. It reminds me of, like, Amy Sedaris.
 
MIKE ELDER (56:25)
Sure.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (56:25)
And which he did a show with Amy Sedaris. And that’s another.
 
Oh, another example of. I was supposed to do At Home with Amy Sedaris, and I was doing a film, Werewolves Within. It was the same casting director, and I was on filming that film at the time, and they saw that I was on set and they’re like, oh, they offered you a role, but we said no to it because we know you’re filming the movie. I was like, what did it film? Oh, it filmed on Monday. I was like, I was off Monday.
 
MIKE ELDER (56:47)
Oh.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (56:48)
And I was like, I was always check with the talent because you never know how shifty schedule is happening. So I was off the day that they wanted me to film this character for At Home with Amy Sedaris. And I love Amy Sedaris. So that. That was one of the. One of the moments that broke my heart. I was like, no.
 
MIKE ELDER (57:02)
And then you change the rules. Always check.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (57:03)
Always check with the talent because things shift without the casting directors knowing. They shifted scenes around on set. They don’t call until the casting. They just assume he’s busy.
 
He’s on set. I wasn’t. I could have done it. And to this day is the one thing that I’m like, I kick myself over.
 
MIKE ELDER (57:16)
Oh, that’s frustrating.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (57:17)
But, you know, things happen for a reason and it’ll be fine. Everything’s fine.
 
MIKE ELDER (57:21)
Everything’s fine. The last question I like to ask is, who took a chance on you?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (57:28)
I think the first person to ever give you my SAG card, you know, and the project was for. With Judy Greer, which is weird because I just did a movie with her. And so the casting director who takes a, you know, chance on you is kind of like the first person to take a risk because a lot of paperwork to be drawn, but people for film, like Julie Ashton, you know.
 
MIKE ELDER (57:51)
Wait, who was the casting director on.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (57:53)
For the Judy Greer thing? It was two casting directors.
 
No, and now. And now you put me on the spot and I’m gonna be like, oh. No, no, no, no, no. I have.
 
MIKE ELDER (58:07)
We’ll put in post, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. The show is Miss Guided. Right?
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (58:08)
Show is Miss Guided. Which I could look up right now and literally tell you in two seconds. Right? Wait.
 
MIKE ELDER (58:17)
This is real time. No, this is the problem when you don’t have a producer. Somebody could be looking it up for us.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (58:22)
Oh, there it is. See? Judy Greer. Oh, this is so sweet. As I go down memory lane. Oh, look at this. No, it was the cast and crew. The. This is. I’m going to kill me.
 
MIKE ELDER (58:34)
Take your time. There’s no.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (58:36)
Yeah, it was Lisa Miller Katz. Yeah.
 
MIKE ELDER (58:38)
Oh, yeah, Miller Katz I have gone in for them.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (58:40)
Yeah. And Brett. Yeah, yeah.
 
MIKE ELDER (58:43)
That’s awesome. You were like. That was when you were young then, weren’t you? Like, 18. 19. 20.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (58:49)
I was, yeah. 19, 20. Yeah. This is the casting directors. Also there was somebody who really kind of. You always said the casting associates at the time, they really do the work.
 
MIKE ELDER (58:59)
That’s who I’m meeting with later this afternoon. The Zoom audition is a casting associate.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (59:03)
Is it? Yeah. Because they’re the people who are going to be running this town tomor, but they’re the ones who really do the paperwork and stuff to get you all going. Yeah, yeah.
 
MIKE ELDER (59:11)
Yeah. Harvey, this was a delight.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (59:12)
This was a delight. Thanks for having me.
 
MIKE ELDER (59:13)
Of course. Thank you for being here.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (59:15)
Putting me on the spot on Miss Guided.
 
MIKE ELDER (59:18)
It’s important to remember who took a chance on you. So now you’ll never forget her name. Thank you so much, though. Tail slate at the end here.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (59:25)
Hi, I’m Harvey Guillen. Thanks. For watching.
 
MIKE ELDER (59:27)
That’s great, buddy.
 
HARVEY GUILLEN (59:28)
Yay.
 
🎵 ROCKFORD (59:30) 🎵
MTV and the channel E!. A thing for a celebrity.