Warning: This story contains spoilers for the season 4 finale ofWhat We Do in the Shadows.
Is there anything more awkward than growing up?
What We Do in the Shadowsseason 4 found Colin Robinson taking center stage literally.
Mark Proksch on ‘What We Do in the Shadows’.Pari Dukovic/FX
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Take us back to when you were mapping out season 4.
What excited you most about Colin’s journey from literal baby back to energy vampire?
This isn’t just a one-episode gag.
Mark Proksch on ‘What We Do in the Shadows’.FX
We wanted to make a run at hit all the developmental marks.
I’m like, “I spent so much time doing things with you!”
And they’re like, “I don’t remember that.”
Kayvan Novak and Harvey Guillén on ‘What We Do in the Shadows’.Russ Martin/FX
Mark, are you going to miss all the wigs?
MARK PROKSCH:Oddly enough, I enjoy being a bald man.
I remember why, filming this.
I really do not like hair on my head.
It’s bothersome to me.
I think they’ll be happy that regular Colin Robinson is back as much as I was.
But it was great playing [him].
It definitely breathed a lot of new life into the character for me.
One of the key emotional arcs this season is the relationship between Colin and Laszlo (Matt Berry).
Paul, what interested you most about that dynamic?
SIMMS:Well, Laszlo is such a curmudgeon and a cynic.
People at least internet people were like, “This makes no sense!
These two would never be friends!”
This season, it’s sort of been the same thing.
It’s basically the last character you expect to see being a daddy, which is fun.
Mark, tell us about sharing those scenes with Matt Berry.
It’s obviously hilarious, but there’s also an emotional component there.
So, I was usually not on set with them.
A lot of that was on green screen.
So, when I got it, it was set in stone.
I was really just reacting to what they were giving me.
But Mark still found ways to add new little things that fit in that were really funny.
PROKSCH:Yeah, it definitely was a challenge.
But somehow, he managed to maintain his sanity.
PROKSCH:It did the opposite.
It was really fun.
So, do you guys feel like you have a new appreciation for old vaudeville performances?
PROKSCH:I’ve always had a great appreciation for old vaudeville performances.
But secretly, I really like musical theater!
This is great!"
So we managed to have our cake and eat it, too.
Would you ever do a musical episode?
SIMMS:If the idea was right.
But I can’t imagine the idea being right.
I mean, Mark’s got this musical theater experience now.
Matt Berry and Natasia Demetriou sing some great songs this season.
You could make it happen!
That’s probably the closest we’ll come to doing a full musical episode.
Mark, did you have a particular era of Colin’s life that you most enjoyed playing?
PROKSCH:I think song-and-dance tween Colin was probably my favorite.
As a baby, you don’t do too much.
You just kind of sit there.
But tween and teen Colin was really fun.
And it was great being back to regular Colin.
It was surprisingly easy to slip right back into that character.
Paul, what can you tell us about Guillermo’s next steps?
SIMMS:Guillermo has had this dream for so long, and it’s what’s kept him around.
But also, he’s such a cautious character.
It was just the idea of seeing such a cautious character make such a rash decision.
Even without knowing the details, we know it’s not going to go perfectly as planned.
That was the fun of it.
When you think back to season 4 overall, what was the most memorable scene for each of you?
SIMMS:It’s hard.
I was so happy with this season that it made it hard to write the next season.
All the baby Colin stuff I loved, and it was also a relief that it managed to work.
I also really liked theGo Flip Yourselfepisode.
I also loved the night market episode because it was our biggest and most ambitious episode.
PROKSCH:It was all very unique from my usual Colin Robinson.
And then, you know, Colin discovering his closet with all his past in it.
I think they did a really good job.
It was kind of a play on those superhero moments, where they find the cape and their uniform.
And then, there’s the question of whether Colin remembers anything that Laszlo did for him.
I think that was done well.
It’s always good to leave some question marks.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
