Harvey Guillén Shares Favorite Disney Easter Egg In Wish & Teases Final What We Do In The Shadows Season

Wish follows Asha, an ambitious and compassionate young woman, who is a tour guide in her home, the city of Rosas. Asha dreams of working for the beloved King Magnifico, but when the ruler shows her the darkness beneath the surface, she begins to doubt his intentions for those she loves and the city as a whole. Asha will fight, along with the magical Star, her friends and family, to save the wishes of Rosas, which are controlled by Magnifico, and return them to those who made the wishes in the first place.

Wish celebrates 100 years of Disney Animation Studio’s stories and animations with a movie that taps into both classic and newer animation styles, as well as countless Disney Easter eggs. Wish includes a phenomenal performance by star Ariana DeBose along with the rest of the star-studded cast, including Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, and Harvey Guillén. Wish was created by both legends and new voices from Disney Animation Studios, directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, and written by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore.

Screen Rant had the chance to interview Harvey Guillén about Wish in celebration of the movie’s home entertainment release. He reflects on how it feels to be a part of Disney Animation Studio’s 100-year anniversary film, his favorite Disney Easter egg in the movie, and how Gabo stands out from other characters he has played. Guillen also teased what fans can expect from his character, Guillermo, in the final season of What We Do In The Shadows.

Playing Gabo Was “A Dream Come True” For Guillén To Celebrate Disney’s 100th Anniversary

Screen Rant: I love this movie so much, I’ve seen it three or four times.

Harvey Guillén: Oh, awesome. Yes, it’s a great movie.

And Gabo is one of my favorites.

Harvey Guillén: Thank you.

How did it feel to be a part of the animated movie celebrating 100 years of Disney animation?

Harvey Guillén: I mean, when I got the call, it was like a dream come true, because I grew up watching all the Disney films. Especially to celebrate the 100th anniversary, it’s something so special and specific, that it was just like, “Wow, even to be a small part of this project will be historic.” It’d be like being part of something that you look back and be like, “The 100th anniversary film.” Which is really cool, and yeah, it was a dream come true. Yeah.

I love it, and then your character is so much fun, and I have to admit, it took me an embarrassing long amount of time to figure out, “Oh, these are meant to signify the Seven Dwarfs.“

Harvey Guillén: Oh, right. With the letter of Gabo, Grumpy. Yeah.

It took a while.

Harvey Guillén: It’s okay. It took people a second. It took people a second.

Gabo Was “Different” From Many Characters Guillén Has Played Before

Can you talk to me a little bit about Gabo? Did you know that he was meant to be a symbol for Grumpy in a way, or was that a surprise to you as well?

Harvey Guillén: I think for me, it was just nice to play a character that was different from a lot of the characters I’ve played before. So when they said he represents Grumpy, and we were very careful about not making him too… I guess you could call it sharp and too nasty. We all have that friend who’s a realist, but sometimes the way you deliver things can be a little bit nicer, and Gabo is just always delivering the truth, but also maybe taking a little bit too much pleasure in telling you the truth.

That’s always a little bit like, “Ugh.” But we need realists to tell us what’s reality, and then we need optimistic people to give us that opportunity to dream and have aspirational thoughts and whatnot. So it was nice to play something like that, because it’s so different than what I am and so different than what I usually play. I am not a Gabo, but it was nice to go and visit Gabo World.

I’m much more of the realist in the friend group, so I appreciated his sarcasm throughout the movie.

Harvey Guillén: Yeah, it’s good. It’s funny, sometimes it’s funny. As much as you don’t want to hear it, sometimes the truth is funny.

Definitely. And then “Knowing What I Know Now” is without a doubt one of my favorite songs in Wish. What was the recording experience for that? And were you all separate, or were you able to work together on it?

Harvey Guillén: We were all separate, but I remember when I went to record the song, it was the director and the composer and everyone. So, it was really great to be in the room with everyone. They play you the demo, wanting to sound like, and it’s just, like, hearing it for the first time, especially with that instrument break, the drums and all that music and just everything coming together. And then, the high note that they gave me, that part, it was so high, I think I did three takes, and I was like, “Whoa, that’s really high.”

They’re like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, you could do it. You could do it, you could do it.” I was like, “Okay.” So now when I hear the song and I listen to that high note, I’m like, “Oh my gosh, that’s me that’s singing that high note.” It’s such a great message. It’s just like sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith and stand up for what’s right, and sometimes you might be alone, or sometimes you might be in a small group, but it’ll never be out of fashion to do what’s right.

They do that for sure, and with the goal of helping their friend who’s in need, and what a better cause. Whenever a friend needs you, just step up and show up for them, to show up for them because that’s what a real friend does.

Oh, I love that answer, and you killed it in the song. Can you talk to me about how you wanted to show Gabo’s evolution as a character, especially as he learns the truth about Rosas and the king through your voice acting as well as your singing?

Harvey Guillén: Yeah, so when we first meet him, his voice is a little more snarky and a little bit more sarcastic because it’s day-to-day. This is what they do every day. Someone’s making cookies, someone’s getting ready, so this is what they do every day. It’s a routine, and the routine is being disrupted, and when the routine gets disrupted, the voice changes into a place of concern. You do hear a little bit of sadness in Gabo when we find out the truth, because he has a line saying, “See, I was right,” or something like that.

It was just the painful moment of being a realist, even finding the truth yourself, which you already had a hunch about, can be painful. That’s a painful thing, even for a realist. You don’t want to be right all the time, especially with things that are major. You have an idea that this might be true. In the back of your head, in your psyche, you probably don’t want it to be true, but it’s probably true. And then when it’s confirmed, you’re like, “See, I was right.” It’s not as gratifying as you thought it would be. It’s more disappointing that you’re right.

So, I like to think that we showed that wave of emotion with his voice and at the end when he shows up for his friends, and then towards the end, even with the silliness of going back to Gabo OG, but a more playful Gabo, when the chicken and the egg, even that moment and, “You wonder why I’m grumpy!” It was just a moment of like, “Oh, Gabo.” He’s back to his normal self, but with different layers. So, he doesn’t change himself. We all do as humans, we’re all allowed to go through emotions, and we go through waves of emotions, and he just goes through them throughout the film.

What We Do In The Shadows‘ Ending Is “Sad” But Will Be “The Cherry On Top”

You did such a great job with that. I’m going to shift gears for just a second because I’m a huge, huge fan of you in What We Do in the Shadows, very sad that we’re coming to an end. How does it feel with the show ending with the sixth season, especially with how passionate the fans are?

Harvey Guillén: I mean, it’s sad. We’re all really sad, but I think it’s the perfect amount of time. Think about it. Six seasons is a long time. Altogether, from the pilot until when we end the show, it’ll be about seven years of our lives. Seven years of our lives is a long time to commit to a show that we love. We give it our best, but then eventually you never want to be on a show that overstays its welcome or a show that becomes like, “Oh, is that still on?” I’m proud to say that none of our seasons have ever made you feel that.

If anything, it makes people want more. I think it’s also a time thing where we’re at in our lives, and the time that we have committed to the show and also the writers, they also have to decide how can we elongate this story, and how long can we go with it without making it, as you would say, jump the shark. You never want to jump the shark. So, I think we’re really proud of the work that we have done and continue to do, and I think this last season is going to be the cherry on top. People are going to be like, “You know what? Yeah, that’s the way to end this journey.” I’m excited and also sad.

We were just sitting with the cast on set the other day when Kayvan was getting nostalgic about, “Oh my God, I said that in the pilot,” and he was just going down memory lane. It’s just like, we’ve made lifelong friendships – like Kayvan and I have bonded so much, and he is one of my best friends. Literally, he calls to check up on how I am doing, and I go to London, where he and his fiancée cook me dinner. This show has gifted me so many things, and I think the best thing is a lifelong friendship.

Oh, that’s wonderful. I’m going to ask one more quick question before shifting back to Wish. Now that Guillermo seems like he’s on a different path after the whole vampire deal didn’t work out, what are you excited for fans to experience with a new perspective on this character?

Harvey Guillén: Wait, what was the question one more time? I just mixed it up in my head.

So, Guillermo seems like he’s probably on a new path this season with all the vampire stuff not really working out for him in the previous season. So, what are you excited for fans to experience with him on this different path and with this different perspective?

Harvey Guillén: Got it. Yeah, that’s what I thought. That’s what I heard. I was like, “Wait, how do I answer this without giving too much away?” You almost got me, Caitlin.

On accident!

Harvey Guillén: No, you know what it is? I think I’m really excited to show that there’s no expiration date to restart and there’s never an expiration date or ticking time bomb to what success looks like, what a happy life looks like. It is never too late to reinvent yourself.

Guillén’s Favorite Disney Easter Egg In Wish Is Easy To Miss (But “Really Cool“)

Oh, I love that answer. Then I’m going to shift back over to Wish. One of the things that’s so fun about Disney is there’s such iconic friend groups and sidekicks, and I love the group of friends with this. How do you think they stand out from the other iconic Disney sidekicks or groups of heroes?

Harvey Guillén: I think because of them being the core seven who are her companions or friends, her chosen family, I think it says a lot. I think it’s very relatable, especially now. Sometimes you’re closer to your friends at work or closer to your friends at school than you are to maybe a cousin or something, or a distant relative.

So it shows that family and support can be found in different places, and with them as the sidekicks to this story, it’s very relevant, I think, and very meta. I feel like a lot of people can relate to it, because we do have those chosen family groups that show up for you in hard times and the good times. So, I think that I like that. I like that it shows a different way of seeing friendships.

I completely agree. Then this movie is chock-full of Disney Easter eggs all over the place. Do you have a favorite?

Harvey Guillén: I think my favorite is, well, obviously at the end, the Magnifico, and then it’s a quick glimpse of the mirror. I like the mirror from Snow White, and then it makes sense because, “Oh, okay then. Oh, all right. I got where that’s going.” There’s small little things like the dressmaker for Sleeping Beauty’s dress. It was really quick, and I saw that. I was like, “Oh, that’s really cool.”

There’s a poison apple in the background when you’re looking at Magnifico’s stuff. There’s so many. There’s just so many that I think if I sat down and dissected the movie frame by frame, it would take me a while. There’s just so many hidden Easter eggs, which is so great. Then there’s always the obvious ones, the wish to fly, and then connecting with someone that looks similar to Peter Pan, and how that might have came to be.

Yeah, there’s just so many, but those are probably the ones that stand out. It was a really nice gasp at the end when I saw the movie for the first time, it was the mirror, and then I looked at my friend, and I was like, “Did you see?” They’re like, “What?” And they missed it. I was like, “You blinked.” I was like, “It was there. It was there.” Then they were like, “No, I didn’t see it.” I was like, “No, it was there.” Then you have to prove to them that it was there.

That was my exact same reaction and that is also my favorite one.

Harvey Guillén: Yeah, either you saw it or you didn’t, and people were like, “No, I don’t think so.” I was like, “Okay.”

It almost felt like this movie was an origin for a lot of these classic Disney tropes like that, so that was very, very interesting to watch. Because it was like, “Does that mean… No. Does it?“

Harvey Guillén: Yeah, which is great because it leads you to your interpretation, whatever you think that is.

Then you mentioned that this character is very different from a lot of the characters you play. Was there anything specific you’re excited to tap into and would like to explore with other characters in the future?

Harvey Guillén: Yeah, I mean, I love playing voice characters that are different from one another. That’s the power of the voice, as opposed to being in our bodies, it’s tangible, and you can only do so much with the costume and the hat, and you can’t make yourself taller. You can’t make yourself shorter. This is your vessel.

But with voice, that’s your instrument, and you can manipulate the instrument to be different ranges, different layers, different tunes. So, it’s really nice to play with different things with the vocal range. So I think I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, just completely playing characters that are different from one another, which is a nice treat for any artist, I think, to get to play different things that they normally don’t play.

About Wish

In “Wish,” Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force—a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.

Check out our other Wish interviews:

• Ariana DeBose
• Chris Pine
• Jennifer Lee
• Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn
• Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones & Peter Del Vecho
• Dave Metzger