Los Espookys’ Cassandra Ciangherotti on Cult-Beloved HBO Horror Comedy

Perhaps essentially the most correct portrayal of horror-loving mates ever captured on display screen, Los Espookys—HBO’s underrated comedy collection—is again for season two with its earnest eccentric vibes. It comes from the good minds of stars and writers Ana Fabrega, Julio Torres, and Fred Armisen, and whereas it’s simple to liken the present to Taika Waititi’s authentic What We Do within the Shadows (blended with Edgar Wright’s Spaced and a touch of Ghostbusters), it really exists in its personal bizarre as hell world.

In the primary season, we met a bunch of longtime mates: goth Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco), mysteriously highly effective chocolate inheritor with blue hair Andrés (Torres), stoic Úrsula (Cassandra Ciangherotti), and honest however chaotic Tati (Fabrega); Armisen, who’s quickly to be taking part in one other spooky uncle on Wednesday, is Tico, Renaldo’s uncle. The mates run a horror facet hustle as Los Espookys, staging supernatural or scary conditions for shoppers who need to trick marks into considering it’s actual for numerous private or enterprise functions. Season one highlights included an exorcism for a priest who needed to outdo a competing priest, and a Clue-esque whodunnit for the inheritance of rich deceased individual. It’s good and to make issues extra enjoyable, the characters additionally typically run into actual haunting hijinks or work together with the past in intelligent methods.

io9 lately caught up with Los Espookys star Cassandra Ciangherotti to speak about season two, the place we get to search out out extra about her character; what it’s like working with the Los Espookys staff; and what she thinks about seeing Mexican horror lore in a brand new mild on the present.

Sabina Graves, io9: The foremost Espookys squad looks like an actual group of mates. Were you acquainted with co-creators Ana Frabega and Julio Torres earlier than becoming a member of the collection? Or was this one thing you went out for?

Cassandra Ciangherotti: I auditioned for it. I didn’t know Julio and Ana earlier than we began the present. I used to be in Mexico City and I keep in mind that my supervisor [told me] this collection was darkish with gothic characters. I didn’t perceive it fairly nicely, to be sincere. And then once I learn the scenes, I used to be confused. And I received the half and skim the script and was extra confused. I didn’t know what what was going to return out out of one thing that was so totally different. I imply, the humor was like nothing that I’ve ever seen earlier than.

io9: It’s so distinctive, and it’s actually cool to see extra sorts of Latinos in leisure—particularly comedic style tales. I deeply relate to rising up being actually into horror or Tim Burton and being the odd goth child within the household. We don’t typically get to see that and the humor on the present is like one thing we’ve by no means actually seen earlier than. Did it take you a couple of episodes to get into the groove of getting the vibe? 

Ciangherotti:  Sure. It was it was very totally different as a result of I’ve tried comedy earlier than and I find it irresistible. I want I had extra alternative to do it, however I come from a extra dramatic background. And these are those who like, they’re comedians for a residing, they write the present, they perceive the characters completely—and once I strategy comedy, I do it with a number of drama as a result of I believe that’s humorous. Yeah. And it really works. It has been a rising expertise in such totally different ranges of my life. And I actually like what you’re saying as a result of Mexico could be very spooky. I like the way in which that they portrayed that within the present.

io9: Úrsula is just like the archetypal straight man on the present surrounded by these character personalities like Tati (Fabrega) and Andrés (Torres).

Ciangherotti: Right. [She’s] the grounded one, proper? It’s like all the things is occurring round her. I might do a number of drama generally, and Julian and Ana have been like attempting to do that with a non-dramatic strategy and it [paid] off [not] simply in my work however it labored in my life as nicely. Now, once I’m in any form of scenario that’s very tense, I are inclined to assume in that scenario as Julio and Ana would.

io9: The affect. Let’s speak just a little bit extra about Úrsula’s arc this season. We get just a little bit extra backstory with a few of the episodes, like what she was like when she was a child. Oh my God, that was so good!

Ciangherotti: Yeah, I like Úrsula in [her] childhood. It was so bizarre that Julio and Ana and Mara [Vargas Jackson], who writes the collection with them, that they [included] the background of not liking the double “L.” I felt so linked to that—I used to be like that once I was a child. I used to be like, this doesn’t make any sense. Or the “H,” , in Mexico, the “H” is like, why will we use it? And I don’t know. It was one thing actually bizarre; I felt like they have been stepping into my childhood in a method, however I like that I felt actually associated to Úrsula on this season.

io9: I need to contact on her relationship with Tati this season. It looks like they’re hitting a tough patch as sisters.

Ciangherotti: Tati is in every single place. We don’t know what’s happening. What is the following factor that she’s going to do? But I believe that on this season, we lastly get to see Úrsula lose her persistence just a little bit with Tati. At one level [she’s like] “I’m going to kill you if you don’t stop.” And I like that as a result of we received to see just a little little bit of Úrsula be imaffected person together with her.

io9: It’s so wild to see how each character matches on this type of like, , a trendy Escooby gang, actually. What have been a few of your favourite moments on the present? And has being on the present impressed you to love extra goth and spooky issues?

Ciangherotti: For positive. I believe I didn’t fairly perceive that once I began, however then I spotted that it has been me all alongside. I’ve at all times seen gothic folks, folks wearing black all day lengthy. I used to be like, “What’s that all about?” after which I received to grasp, as a result of I received to speak to lots of people that dwell in that method. They have created a way of life with the shadow outdoors—all of us have shadows, proper? We all have issues that we’ve got to strategy in ourselves that we don’t like: ambitions, envy, and jealousy. And it’s all about our shadows however we are inclined to put them away and to decorate in colours. I believe that darkish persons are the sweetest as a result of they’ve perceive that there’s darkness. So they’ve a relationship with darkness that could be very romantic and candy and tender. It’s virtually such as you’re if feeling envy, you’re telling your self, “It’s okay. It doesn’t matter. I love you. You’re just feeling it. Just let it pass.”

io9: Yeah. And then there’s all of the leyendas like La Llorona.

Ciangherotti: We have Dia de Muertos—which, there’s nothing extra spooky, it’s extra spooky than Halloween. You’re [getting] a go to out of your dad and mom, your grandparents, which is like, should you didn’t like them…

io9: I like that as a result of particularly in la cultura Mexicana you have got the connection with Dia de Muertos, which could be very a lot about accepting demise and the afterlife as a part of the journey. And I believe that influences lots of people who’re fascinated by it or who embrace it, who’re darkish. Just such as you stated, there’s a sweetness to them which you see in a few of these characters. Especially with the present, you see it celebrated and right here they’re positively part of how the residing may also help the useless in a method, and vice-versa.

Ciangherotti: That’s what it’s all about. They’re very candy folks and humor is said to the darkness. Like when somebody is telling a joke and it will get you as a result of it will get you on the darkish facet. And that’s the facet that you just weren’t , the darkish in there. Humor is completely associated to the darkness. So it’s very cool that they discovered a strategy to be collectively within the present.

Los Espookys season two is now streaming on HBO Max.

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