David Giuntoli – Grimm

By starrymag | October 18, 2014

Q) Can you just start off talking about kind of how Nick is going to be handling the fact that he doesn’t have his Grimm powers — the fact that he can see the Wesen?

A) Yes, Grimm powers are gone from Nick and he may or may not – I mean, he’s kind of enjoying his new normalcy, I think, in a lot of ways. But he also knows that the Wesen are out there. So first and foremost he’s going to be using Trubel as his seeing eye Grimm. He is going to be tapping Monroe — which he used to do — tapping on his shoulder quite a bit. He’s going to be using his team of Wesen and Grimms to try to do what he used to be able to do. But he doesn’t have his powers anymore, and that means that not only he can’t – can he not see the Wesen, he’s just not as powerful as he was.

Q) Can you talk about working with Jacqueline?

A) Jacqueline Toboni was just such a breath of fresh air on our set. She’s so fresh and talented and eager. It seems as though Grimms can only be Italian Americans. We had Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, David Giuntoli, Jacqueline Toboni. I don’t know if that’s what they’re going for, but it happened. So we love it. And, yes, she’s incredible. She’s like a little sis.

Q) Now that Nick is de-Grimmed, which of his other qualities do you think he’ll be focusing on more?

A) He has to focus on being a cop again. He used to solve crimes without having blatant tells as to who did this. So now, he has to remember why – remember that he was a good detective and start solving cases the old-fashioned way. Through evidence.

Q) And how will his relationships change this season?

A) Well, up to where we are Nick and Juliette are enjoying – here’s the thing. Even though he’s not a Grimm, the newfound – there’s not like a peace that comes with it. We know about the world. We know what’s going on out there. And they know about us. So the relationship change that depend on – I depend more on Monroe. I depend more on Trubel. She and I grow very close. Again, she’s much like a young sister to me — or a daughter to me. And that’s what you’ll be seeing.

Q) Why do you think Grimm is such a popular show?

A) Well, I mean, I think that’s part of it. It’s a very cinematic town. And its environs kind of lend itself to a world of scary creatures. I mean, there – the woods — the dark, dense forest — these are places that the human subconscious – it kind of knows that bad can happen out there. The writing. I mean, it’s fun. It’s fun TV. It’s popcorn. It’s – It knows what it is and it’s not trying to be anything else. And I think we deliver kind of action packed fun every episode. If decapitating people is what you consider to be fun. Then that’s what we do.

Q) You’re the Grimm. But now you’re not the Grimm. And I’m wondering what do you think about this storyline? And what was it sort of like playing him in a different way? Because for as long as we’ve known you, you’ve been this sort of superhero.

A) Yes, it’s fun to just be a normal dude again. Who is still somehow tormented by knowing that there is this other world out there though. He’s no longer really a part of it. He’s just kind of adjacent to it. Yes, playing it like it was a great loss of almost like a loved one. This thing I had become so – I hated so much in the beginning — these Grimm powers — and then suddenly — slowly — came to really love and depend on — now it’s gone. So it was a painful process to go through and, you know, the bright side could be it could make things better for Juliette and me. But, yes, I am no longer the Grimm. So there is still a Grimm on screen. So it was true to the title of our show. But it was fun to play a normal guy.

Q) Obviously, your show has a great cast — a big cast — and when we left off just about everybody was in some sort of state of chaos. And I’m wondering what you can sort of tell us about the first couple of episodes and where we’ll find all these other characters and how they’re sort of dealing with things?

A) Oh, boy. Yes, so Adalind and Nick are now connected in some magical — horrible — way. I don’t know if I can say why. I certainly can’t say how this all ends. Juliette – well, let’s see. What’s going on. Okay, yes. So Monroe and Rosalee, honeymoon postponed. Due tot he chaos that’s ensued. Wu getting very suspicious of what he’s been seeing. Me, obviously, where’d the Grimm go? I’m freaking out. Hank’s just having a good time. But, yes, everybody is in a state of chaos. And that never really ends on our show. That’s kind of the fun.

Q) You’ve got such a big ensemble cast that, you know, everybody kind of needs to have their airtime. And it sounds like Nick moved a bit to the backseat. Is he going to really kind of step up this season to be more in the forefront?

A) Seems to be the case. That seems to be the case as these episodes go on. We had – we’ve had some great additions to the cast — Jacqueline Toboni as Trubel — and that storyline, it rightfully took the forefront for a little while. And it starts to, you know, get more into Nick, Hank, Monroe, trying to solve these crimes. But no, I mean, part of the joys of it is it’s become more of an ensemble. That’s lovely to me. I think it’s more fun for everyone else too. Get to act in all these different dynamics and with all these different people. So I think it’s a nice thing.

Q) I’m curious to see if Nick will ever leave Portland to go to the Motherland. Any chance of that happening?

A) If the Motherland provides tax incentives. I think that there might be a trip.

Q) I was wondering is would you say that his losing his powers is similar to someone who might have lost their eyesight or limb or something like that as far as at least his detective work?

A) Absolutely. I mean, how will he deal with losing his powers? Will he be the same cop? The same boyfriend? The same friend? The same threat to Wesen? It’s – it is a disability and it changes things for as long as he’s no longer a Grimm.

Q) I would think it would be scary because he knows there’s threats out there now, but he can’t see them and that would be really terrifying I would think.

A) It’s very terrifying on that level. And it’s also just difficult on a human level. Because he had this identity. And it’s no longer attached to him. It’s like he lost an important job. It’s like he lost it’s just he’s no longer the thing he thought – his whole reason for living was to battle these Wesen and fight these he had the rare blood to be able to see evil. And it’s gone. So, yes.

Q) Do you know if there’s any talk of a crossover with Constantine? Since they’re sort of being paired together — at least publicity wise?

A) There’s no talk of a crossover. Though Matt Ryan and I are slightly buds. We knew each other a little this summer. And his show is fantastic. I know the writer a little bit and we’re very excited to have Constantine as our pairing. I think they’re going to be very successful.

Q) How do you think studying under Christopher Fields and your work with the Echo Theater Company — how do you think this prepared you to play Nick Burkhardt?

A) Well, Chris Fields was great in that he would always talk about he used a Meisner technique. He really just tried to teach me to be in the moment and find the reality of the situation. Use your imagination to fantasize about what it’s like in the situation and then associate moments of your life that may have been like that. And I use a lot of kind of like as if comparisons. Like, what would it be like to lose my Grimm powers? Okay, that’s as if I would lose a loved one to me. So that’s how I would play things. So he was wonderful training. As was the Echo Theater Company which is still a fantastic company.

Q) And you recently starred as Ryan in Caroline and Jackie. And I’d like to know what kind of film roles you’re interested in? Like maybe for the future. And if you have ever written any projects on your own?

A) Yes, I actually wrote a project this summer that I shot and filmed — a feature film — with two good friends of mine. And it’s a complete departure from what I normally do. It’s a comedy. I play more of the straight man. But it will be soon named and soon out. And I’m excited for it to happen.

Q) Previously we mentioned about Nick being a superhero. So now that his powers are gone, what does it mean really to be a hero?

A) Good point. A superhero has superpowers. But heroes I think overcome. And are somehow able to lead through the peril of what life is giving them at that point. So hopefully I will remain a hero if not a superhero.

Q) What can you tease us about Wesens that we’re going to see in this new season? Will there be any characters that come from Latin American folklore?

A) Yes. Absolutely. One of the fun Wesen — one of my favorite episodes of the season — is we deal with the Chupacabra. Yes, we just vaguely finished filming that episode. We have many new wonderful Wesen. We have the Gedachtnis Esser — which is the Octopus Man. We have the Schinderdiv demon beast with like chin fangs. We have a golem, which is a Jewish – piece of Jewish folklore. So we go all over the place — through all cultures. But Chupacabra would be the Latin American.

Q) What’s going to happen with the Chupacabra and the whole gang?

A) Gosh, I don’t know what I can say. I can say that we have to use Juliette quite a bit. She has a mastery of the Spanish language so she needs to help Nick and Hank and Monroe out quite a bit. We learn the actual origin of what the Chupacabra is and its relation to the Wesen community. So it’s an interesting take.

Q) I was wondering what was your initial reaction to getting that Season 3 finale script and seeing that he’d be losing his powers?

A) I don’t know. I mean, I was excited. It’s always fun to play these new situations. I knew it would shake things up as to I would now be needing the use of young inexperienced kind of off the cuff Grimm — Trubel. And I knew that that would create a lot of problems. But I was excited to see what would happen with Juliette and Nick’s relationship and how his new identity as just a detective — a normal guy — how that would shape his relationships.

Q) If it was your choice, how long would he go into the season — or even the next season — without his powers?

A) Well, that’s a conversation I’d have to have with Juliette.

Q) How do you think we’re going to see the team’s relationship with Trubel evolve this season now that they really need her?

A) Yes, she becomes more ingrained in the fabric of our lives. I desperately need to teach her what it is to be a Grimm. It’s not just a free pass to go kick Wesen ass all day long. I try to show her the finer points that I try to tell her that I would actually try to use the law before I would just go all rogue and Grimm. She lives under the same roof with Juliette and I. So she becomes like a daughter figure to us. And that’s really it.

Q) Last season when you had your time of being zombified, you actually ended up getting some extra powers. Now what I’m wondering is those weren’t really tied to your Grimm powers necessarily. So are those going to help while you don’t have the full on Grimm powers?

A) No. They’re gone with the Grimm powers. If I become a Grimm again I get the whole deck of cards back. But no, I’m just a dude.

Q) I don’t think you’ll ever be just a dude.

A) No.

Q) are we ever going to get back to the key storyline?

A) Oh, yes. Without a doubt. We will be getting back to the key storyline. People are after the key. And the more Grimms out there the more people are going to be hunting for those Grimms to get those keys. So it’s alive.

Q) So, we’re going to see more Grimms this season?

A) Yes. Sort of. Maybe.

Q) I’m wondering given Nick’s relationship with Adalind, what will that have as an impact on the future for Nick and Juliette?

A) Oh, boy. So, yes, the Nick and Adalind spell links us in a very profound and mysterious way. And there needs – something goes down in order to reverse a spell that she has put on me that is just crazy. And it affects Juliette and I in a very intense way.

Q) Are there any spoilers you can give us for Season 4 in terms of that?

A) The whole regular season cast, we all get murdered in the third episode. No, okay. No, I don’t think I can give you the spoiler as to how my spell could possibly one day be reversed.

Q) And do you know if Adalind will ever find out where her baby really is?

A) She’s looking hard. But I don’t know yet.

Q) I want to take you back to childhood. Can you talk a little bit about some of your favorite fairy tales — Grimm or otherwise? Were they things that scared you?

A) Well, I don’t remember honestly the Grimm’s fairy tales being a big part of my life. Yes, there were things that scared me. I mean, I think I’ve said in the past I was raised in a very Catholic setting. So, I had that like almost like James Joyce-an fear of God and the devil and stuff. And then I also happened to see the Exorcist when I was like 8 years old. And I would be like 6’4″ right now if I hadn’t seen that. It destroyed me. I was so afraid of like the devil and demons and all that kind of stuff. So yes, terrifying. I loved scary movies and I also was – you know, they were the bane of my life.

Q) So is there anything on this show that has given you a nightmare?

A) No. I mean, I see all the work that goes into this. But some things creep me out when I walk into set and see a body there lying completely with severed head next to it, and it previously looked like the guest star. I mean like it can be eerie, but no. No nightmares.

Q) Any chance that we are going to see James Frain again?

A) Oh, boy. That would be nice. I don’t know. He’s on another series right now, which kind of makes it tough. But we do have some other wonderful actors working with us and I don’t know if James will be back. I hope his series does well. If it doesn’t, then yes.

Q) Not to give Nick too many girl emotions, but how is he going to deal with the fallout of finding out that he actually slept with Adalind? How do you deal with kind of moving past that? Because Nick does not like Adalind. So now knowing that he has slept with her certainly must not be pleasant for him.

A) Oh, okay. Yes. Well, I mean what did Nick really do wrong? He didn’t know he was sleeping with Adalind so – and when the bodies transform I think they transform completely. So like what Juliette ate that day was in Adalind’s stomach. I don’t know where this all ends, but how does he deal with the fallout? You just, listen, you just nod. You say yes, thank you. You just be very cautious — walk on eggshells for a little while.

Q) What still surprises you about going to work every day and doing this show?

A) Well, you get to kind of dig deeper into your character constantly. That’s the joy of being on a long running TV series. This thing can grow with you. I guess it surprises me how much I get out of it still. It surprises me how much I can still learn from some of the other actors. And, listen, our show isn’t straight down the middle. So you really never know what the next day will hold. I mean, all you have to do is read it out of that book in the trailer and it’s a reality. So it’s a show that can continue to surprise and I think that’s why it’s such a success.

Q) Are you shocked that it’s still going on the fourth that it’s a great quality show? We’ve seen a lot of fantasy based shows die after Season 2, probably for good reason. But, this show has got a very loyal, intense gigantic following.

A) I mean, the Grimm’s fairy tales are imbedded — ingrained — so deeply into our culture and — so many cultures — and it does very well abroad for good reason. So it doesn’t really shock me. I mean, I am extremely fortunate and I’m aware of that. And so much of what makes a TV series last is not quality. It can be just kind of luck. And we are a quality show, but we also are just kind of lucky that we hit it. And that it resonates with fans. But we have great show runners. Great team of writers who aren’t afraid to always shake things up in the story. They love it. They get a kind of a perverse joy out of just writing the rules, bending them — all that kind of thing – all those kinds of things. So I think the audience enjoys that.

Q) How does it feel for you though to be kind of a pop culture icon? I mean, I can go to Facebook and see David Giuntoli fan pages by the dozens. What does it feel like to be a pop culture icon?

A) I don’t know. It fun to get to go to these Comic-Cons and be lauded by people. It’s fun to have so many people be excited about what you do. But it doesn’t really change. Everything – all kind of celebrity is outside in. You never feel any different. You just get stopped more on the street.

Q) When you were little did you enjoy reading these kind of fantastic stories? That now are a very important part of Grimm. What was your favorite story tale?

A) I didn’t really – I don’t know what my favorite story was. Again, I liked ghost stories. I like that kind of thing. But I wasn’t into fairy tales. But ghost stories I loved. And they just scared the bejesus out of me. And I hated them, but I couldn’t get enough of them. It was one of those I couldn’t look away kind of things.

Q) And you have participated in some TV series about detectives before. What is the difference with doing those detectives and this particular one in Grimm?

A) Well, Nick sees monsters. Big difference. And we also, you know, we have to go outside of protocol more often. Like we don’t – we are not going by that the handbook — the detective handbook. And we’re going outside of that rulebook all of the time. And I think that’s different from a lot of detective shows.

Q) Do you think Wu will ever find out about Nick and that Wesen are real? I mean, obviously he suspects something. So will he ever find out? And do you think he should find out? Or do you think he should remain kept in the dark?

A) That’s a very good question. I think that there’s going to come a point where he’s going to have to find out. I don’t think he should take it too easily. I don’t think he will if he does. But, yes, I think that he will at one point have to find out. I think it’s fun that he does not know at this point. But, the poor guy’s being driven insane.

Q) Last season we saw what appeared to be Nick dying in his sleep. Was that just a side effect of him being a zombie? Or is there deeper meaning to that? Can you elaborate on what that was all about?

A) Yes. It’s not just sleep apnea. It was definitely one of the side effects of being a zombie. Being undead. And the mixture of that and being a Grimm. So those problems go away when Nick is no longer a Grimm. But if he gets his powers back — side effects.

Q) Can you tell us if Captain Renard will survive after being shot in the finale last season?

A) Oh, boy. Well, I’ll say that he dies in the first episode.

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*