The season 3 premiere of What We Do In The Shadows included a surprise cameo from Oscar Award-winning writer Taika Waititi who also serves as writer, director, and voice actor for the upcoming MCU film, Thor: Love and Thunder. Waititi, one of the series’ Executive Producers, appeared in a video message for the housemates informing them they’d been elevated to “Leaders of the Vampiric Council of the Eastern Seaboard of the New World” AKA the local New York area. While Waititi’s appearance was brief, the implications of this pronouncement have already proven impactful.
The promotion was unexpected because Season 2 ended with human familiar Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén) rescuing vampires Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) from a trap set by the Supreme Worldwide Vampiric Council who condemned the quartet to death for murdering several of their own kind. In reality, Guillermo was responsible for all of the vampire deaths, including another three dozen while saving his masters from execution. Believing the murders to be the work of the foursome, however, the Supreme Council decreed anyone who could eliminate 70% of vampires in the tristate area knew how to get things done, which earned them their new positions.
This wasn’t Waititi’s first appearance in the series. When Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja were put on trial in season 1 for the death of Baron Afanas (Doug Jones), Waititi appeared alongside council leader Tilda (Tilda Swinton) and introduced his character as Viago. That’s the same name of the vampire Waititi played in the 2014 What We Do In The Shadows film the series is based on, and the characters appeared to be the same.
Viago wasn’t the only character from the film that appeared on the Supreme Council in season 1. His flatmates Vlad (Jemaine Clement) and Deacon (Johnny Brugh) also cameoed with the same names, lending credence that all three had risen in the vampire hierarchy since previously living together during the feature. Clement additionally serves as series creator and was co-writer and co-director of the 2014 film with Waititi.
Despite being billed in season 3 as Vampire Council Spokesperson, Waititi appeared to be revisiting Viago once again. Otherwise, it would be too coincidental for two identical vampires to serve on the same council. Presumably, the character’s name was changed to hide the appearance of Waititi, who most recently starred as Antwan in Free Guy and is slated to write and direct an as-of-yet untitled Star Wars film.
It’s fitting Waititi’s third outing as Viago would shift the series in such a significant manner. With newly endowed responsibilities to collect dues and enforce the rules of the local vampiric community, the often aimless housemates now have a purposeful drive informing their daily motivations. And with Nandor and Nadja both vying for the singular throne at the head of the local council, the shenanigans on What We Do In The Shadows have surely only just begun.