Harvey Guillén shines in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish as Perrito, Puss' adorable canine companion, but it turns out that he landed his role thanks in part to a single scene from What We Do in the Shadows. Guillén has been a regular on What We Do in the Shadows since the show started in 2019, playing a vampire's dedicated familiar (companion) named Guillermo. Guillermo's one desire in What We Do in the Shadows is to eventually become a vampire, and it's that same desire that serendipitously led to Guillén becoming Perrito.
Harvey Guillén's Perrito is a happy-go-lucky dog who has boundless affection for Antonio Banderas' Puss in Boots in the fantastic Puss in Boots 2. When determining who would play the part, directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado were excited to find a meta link that ultimately paved the way for Guillén to land the role. Crawford and Mercado stumbled across a scene in What We Do in the Shadows in which Guillén's character discusses his love for Antonio Banderas, and they loved the idea of continuing the Guillén/Banderas link in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Here's what they had to say on the subject during an interview with Screen Rant:
Januel Mercado: We started considering [Harvey Guillén] because we saw him in What We Do in the Shadows as Guillermo. Funny enough, a specific bit that we saw was his character Guillermo talking about how he wanted to be a vampire because of Antonio Banderas, the first Latino vampire he'd seen on screen, in Interview with a Vampire.
He was like, "I thought, you know, if Antonio could do it, then maybe so can I." I was like, "Wow. What a trippy, meta thing, if we could get him as someone who looks up to Puss in Boots played by Antonio Banderas. What a cool full-circle connection that would be."
Harvey Guillén's Comedic Genius Has Been On Display Long Before Puss in Boots
With any luck, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was just the start of the journey for the character of Perrito. Considering the film sets up Shrek 5, it's not unreasonable to hope that the self-proclaimed therapy dog finds his way into the next Shrek film. Whether or not he does, however, lovers of Guillén's performance have plenty of opportunities to see the actor shine in other roles.
Guillén is perhaps best known for What We Do in the Shadows, on which he has been turning in a hilarious performance since 2019, so those who want more of the actor should certainly turn to that series. The actor also appeared in the 2021 horror/comedy Werewolves Within alongside another comedic standout in Sam Richardson. Guillén has also been appearing in television shows for years in recurring roles or guest slots, and these Harvey Guillén TV appearances are undoubtedly worth a look. With another season of What We Do in the Shadows on the way, there is plenty of Guillén to go around before an official follow-up to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is announced.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is available now on digital platforms.