- "Reginald the Vampire" star Jacob Batalon said he wishes there was a "cleaner" way to film the show.
- He told Insider that the fake blood was one of the "top three worst experiences with work."
Marvel star Jacob Batalon said that he had the "worst experience" with fake blood while filming his new series, "Reginald the Vampire."
Batalon, best known for his role as Ned Leeds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Spider-Man" trilogy, takes center stage in the Syfy series, which is based on a book series called "Fat Vampire." In the show, Reginald must adapt to his new life after being turned into an undead, blood-sucking vampire.
In an interview with Insider ahead of the premiere, Batalon said the simulated blood-sucking scenes got really messy during filming.
"It is probably one of my top three worst experiences with work," he recalled. "I mean, blood just gets everywhere in, like, unwanted places and you have to be really realistic with it. [You have] blood and spit coming outta your mouth and it's everywhere and you're like, 'Wow, this is a bit excessive.'"
Batalon continued: "But I would say that it's a part of the show. It's a part of the magic and we love it. We just wish that there was a cleaner way to do it."
The new series is also Batalon's first executive producer credit. He explained that it was an "opportunity" to learn about what goes on behind the camera.
"To really be in the know of it all, in the meetings of it all, and all these things to prepare to make this show is a completely different side to the industry that I never really had the chance to see," the 25-year-old actor said. "So that was a really cool part of it, and just being the leader of a show, I feel like [it's something] I truly wanted to do. Especially with this show, I feel like the messaging behind it was so strong and so powerful that I wanted to be a part of it."
The message Batalon is referring to is Reginald's journey of acceptance of his body. A key factor of the book and TV series is that Reginald stands out from the other vampires because he is fat and unable to change his body after being turned. This excludes him from the vampire community and makes him a threat to the status quo. Reginald has to fight this obstacle as he learns about his abilities.
"Reginald the Vampire" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy.