Jacob Batalon is a star. But we already knew that thanks to his role as Ned Leeds in the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies. And now he’s bringing to life Reginald, a vampire who is lost in a sea of insecurity and trying to figure out what his new found vampirism means. Reginald the Vampire takes us into the Slushy Shack and Reginald’s world.
A normal human man with a crush, Reginald is so lost in his own sense of self that he doesn’t recognize that his coworker Sarah (Em Haine) clearly has a crush on him as well. And it takes a vampire named Maurice (Mandela Van Peebles) giving him confidence for Reginald to even ask Sarah out. And that’s when all his problems start. He needs Maurice to give him his vampire confidence again to actually go on the date, and when he does, vampires attack Reginald and force Maurice to turn him.
The problem then becomes that Reginald isn’t “beautiful” enough to be a vampire and watching Reginald come to terms with his own sense of beauty and what the world perceives as “beauty” don’t have to be relient on each other. When I asked where he found inspiration to play Reginald, Batalon was very open about his own experiences with self-love and beauty standards.
“I feel like for me, I drew on a lot of my own personal experiences,” Batalon said. “For me growing up in a time where people on tv… I didn’t look like any of them, firstly. And then secondly I was told I wasn’t beautiful. So those sort of things that, the societal stigmas that I’ve sort of endured, growing up I sort of really drew on. But with Reginald, his idea of accepting who he is and where he’s in his place, in his life and the universe, I think that that’s sort of where I’m at in my life. I understand that like I’m just doing the best with what I’m given and that I’m still special and I’m different and I’m unique and I have a lot of things to offer. So I think that just that sort of growth, I feel like I’ve really drawn on for my own, just my own life really.”
It was a very honest answer but one that makes sense with Reginald. He’s someone who was told to view himself one way and he chose to do that. And it is relatable, sadly, to so many of us. Watching Reginald struggle to love himself hits in a way that makes you instantly want him to find happiness within himself and confidence and getting to watch that struggle continue with him as a vampire? It was surprisingly refreshing. His problems weren’t just gone, they still were there, and I can’t wait to see where that journey takes him throughout the season.
You can see my full conversation with Jacob Batalon here:
And we also talked with Em Haine, Aren Buchholz, and Marguerite Hanna about the series and being humans in the world of vampires. You can see our full conversation here:
Reginald the Vampire airs on October 5, 2022 and it is a must-watch!
(featured image: Syfy)
