Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
'Reginald the Vampire' star Jacob Batalon talks Filipino pride in honor of AAPI Heritage Month
"It gives me this great sense of responsibility to be a better person."
Jacob Batalon — star of Spider-Man: No Way Home and SYFY's upcoming Reginald the Vampire series — recently discussed his Filipino pride in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and how it relates to his career in the world of entertainment. Fans can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #AAPIAmplified.
"Being Filipino and being proud of my heritage, it gives me this great sense of responsibility to be a better person," the actor says in the video above, which also features some behind-the-scenes shots from the set of Reginald. "It means a lot. I think that I wanted to represent people and to make sure that they know that they are more than enough. They don't need to be a certain way, look a certain way to really be successful. I think it's important to have representation on SYFY because... I mean, why not? I feel like they've given us the platform to do so. I think that that's amazing, and we're gonna continually move forwardly and positively with that."
Based on Johnny B. Truant’s Fat Vampire books, Reginald the Vampire centers around an unlikely hero (played by Batalon) trying to find his place in a society populated by beautiful blood-suckers. Unable to be with the girl he loves, mercilessly bullied at work, and targeted by a vampire chieftain who wants him dead, Reginald Andres discovers he has more to offer the world than meets the eye... we mean fang.
During an interview in 2013, Truant explained that the world of Fat Vampire falls "somewhere between horror and humor. It’s not truly horror because it’s so stupid and satirical, but it is at least somewhat horror because it’s plenty bloody and has vampires in it."
The author continued: "Readers with a good sense of humor who appreciate a good romp and like to see reinventions of old ideas. Most of the positive responses I get are, 'This is a refreshing new angle on a genre that’s been done to death.' I also hope it will appeal to anyone who’s ever felt like a misfit or an outsider. Several people have said they were afraid I’d mock my overweight main character, but found that he’s the hero and that you inevitably end up cheering for him and laughing with him, not at him."
Harley Peyton, Jeremiah Chechik, Todd Berger, Lindsay Macadam, Brett Burlock, and Peter Emerson are executive producers.
SYFY has yet to announce a premiere date for Reginald the Vampire.
