While most of the main characters on “The Strain” have joined forces to fight the vampires taking over New York City, Gus Elizade seems to be on his own. After the ex-con with a caring heart accidentally transported The Master into Manhattan, he lost his mother, his brother and his best friend to the vampire apocalypse. Then he was kidnapped by a group of ancient vampires called strigoi who wanted The Master dead. But last week the strigoi training him were also killed, leaving Gus even more isolated and alone. That is, until he happened into an Indian restaurant and met some new people who intrigued him.
Gus’ journey has been a fun one to watch. We were thrilled to get the chance to talk to his portrayer, Miguel Gomez. Gomez shared his thoughts on what drives the character, the new people in Gus’ life, why he thinks the show is a hit with viewers – and a lot more.
REVENGE AND REDEMPTION
Though this week Gus told The Master (in his mother’s body) that he is only looking out for himself, Gomez says it’s not really true. He believes Gus said those comments out of anger. According to Gomez, the character’s true motivation is atoning for driving The Master into New York and unleashing him in the city, killing those closest to him. “That’s what really drives him,” he says. “I think he feels that he lost his mom and his brother and his best friend because of his mistakes. And I think his nature is to be protective of the people he cares about and the people that care about him. So that’s what’s driving him – that revenge and that redemption. And I think he has one goal now and that’s to seek out whoever caused all these things to happen to his family and get revenge. And whoever’s going to help him get that revenge, he’s going to ride with. He made a decision that he’s going to fight or die now.”
NEW FRIENDS
He won’t be alone in his journey much longer. Last week Gus met The Silver Angel (Joaquin Cosio) and beautiful Aanya Gupta (Parveen Kaur). Though Gomez couldn’t talk specifically about what happens with them, it’s clear their paths will be intertwined. Gomez says the new characters “make [Gus] happy, in a way. They remind him of his childhood. Any time we have a scene where [Gus] can actually be happy, or connect to his childhood – to me, that’s the most fun.” Gomez told us Gus’ vampire training could potentially be put to good use with Angel. “He seems like a pretty tough character, a tough guy. I wouldn’t really want to mess with him. He seems like he could be somebody that could really help in the [vampire] fight.”
FUN TIMES ON SET
Gomez told us that filming this year has been less intense than last year, which he appreciates. That allows for more lighthearted moments on set. He says his funniest memories are with his two new co-stars, Joaquin Cosio and Parveen Kaur. “Working with them every day, we have so much fun. We laugh all the time. Sometimes in between takes we’d be freezing because we shoot in Toronto, so it’s like frostbite weather. We’re freezing, but in the midst of all that we’re still enjoying each other and having fun. This season was actually a lot lighter for me to shoot. Last season was just intense; everything [Gus] was going through was so intense. And this season I was able to have a little more fun.” Sounds like we are going to be seeing a lot more of Gus, Angel and Aanya together.
CHARACTER STUDY
Gomez says he appreciates playing such a well-rounded character. He loves that Gus is a lot deeper than the typical tough guy. And he’s grateful that audiences recognize his spirit. “It’s all there: Gus’ heart and Gus’ integrity. It was really important to me to show a different side of this guy that comes from the street. And I think what’s really great about Gus, what they’re ultimately saying in the show, is you can’t judge a book by its cover. I think he’s a guy that’s trying to do the right thing, really loves his family, and is doing his best with the circumstances that he’s in. That, to me, is the most rewarding thing about playing a character like him. When I come across fans and they see the heart of the character, see the heart of Gus, that’s what really inspires me and motivates me. I really appreciate that. It’s an honor to hear that kind of feedback.”
CREEPY SCENES
Last week’s scene with Gus talking to The Master through his vampire mother was intensely creepy – and not just for viewers. Gomez says he felt it, too. “Adriana Barraza, the lady that plays Gus’ mom, she’s such a wonderful lady. She’s such a beautiful person, and to see her in that makeup and then to hear her speak those words to me, it was definitely something. [As an actor] I allow that into my body, and those fears to sort of awaken. To see her completely change, no longer Gus’ mom, just pure evil at that moment – it was really scary and creepy.”
SHOW NO FEAR
Gus might seem fearless, but Gomez says the character definitely feels fear, he just doesn’t show it very often. “He comes from the streets, from really rough elements and circumstances, and he’s used to that survival mentality – and conditioned to face death a lot, I think. In the streets you can die at any moment, especially if you’re involved with illegal activities. And it’s survival of the fittest. So, he knows how to, I guess, mask that fear. I think even with the clothes he wears and the shaved head and his tattoos, it’s all just ‘battle onwards.’ It’s all him adapting to his situation, to his culture, to what’s going on around him. I would say it’s a wall. It’s a defense mechanism that he has. But he definitely feels that fear.”
HANGING WITH THE ANCIENTS
Don’t think for one second Gus was friends with the strigoi and ancients. They recruited him, and he worked to help them, but they had different motivations. Gomez says, “I don’t think Gus trusted Vaun for one second, especially being there against his will. It’s important to remember that he’s there against his will. They kidnapped Gus. Gus has no loyalty to these monsters. These are just people that have taken him, and they’re holding him, and they’re basically forcing him into working for them. So there’s no loyalty to them. He wants to get away as quick as possible. He doesn’t want to be anywhere near these monsters, especially after seeing what they did to this innocent man – they basically tore him apart. The good that came from it was that he got some really good training, and I think he’s really equipped now to fight these vampires. He learned a new way to actually kill them. He knows how to fight, and he knows how to engage in combat with these monsters. So he definitely learned the skills. This vigilante group was supposed to be the team to give this fight a good chance, and to be the first ones to go – it was shocking. But I think he needed to get away from them as soon as possible.”
LONE WOLF
Now that Gus has lost his family and the strigoi, he’s even more isolated than he was before. We asked if he could meet up with the rest of the cast members at some point. He was cagey but it sounds promising. “Yes, it’s pretty lonely. It’s like a lone wolf – you’re going through this whole thing by yourself. But I think his intentions and his motivations are in line with the rest of the cast. I think they all want the same thing. I think if they cross [paths], it would actually be really great for everybody because they all want the same thing. They all want to defeat this sickness.”
HORROR AND COMEDY
Gomez says he’s never actually been the type of person to watch horror films or series. He finds them scary. He gravitates more toward comedy. “This is definitely something new for me. My favorite show at the moment is “The Big Bang Theory,” actually, as funny as that might sound. People don’t expect that. My entertainment is watching something that’s keeping it light. When I watch my entertainment, I want it to be fun.”
DOUBLE DUTY
Gomez is currently co-starring in the Antoine Fuqua film “Southpaw,” alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams and Forest Whitaker. He says the film was a great experience, just like “The Strain.” In fact, the sets shared some similarities. “I think just the intensity and the dedication that you have on an Antoine Fuqua set, that commitment, and working with some really great, amazing actors that I look up to, and how humble and how patient everyone is, and how everybody’s fighting for the same goal, everybody’s working together – I think those are the biggest things that I learned on ‘Southpaw.’ But it’s the same on ‘The Strain’ set: Everybody’s dedicated, everybody’s working really hard to bring this vision to life. So it was just really nice to see that everybody’s really on the same page.”
LOVE FOR “THE STRAIN”
Gomez feels the love from fans and believes the show is a hit for numerous reasons. For one, it’s not just a horror show. And secondly, the show has an important universal theme. Gomez explains, “I think ‘The Strain’ is not trying just to scare you. There’s a political message, there’s a spiritual message that goes along with the show. And even deeper than that, it brings people from different walks of life together because in order to defeat this thing, you need people from different walks of life. Nobody’s more important than anybody else. The billionaire needs the guy from the street, and the guy from the street needs the scientist, and the scientist needs his son. If you really look at what’s happening, it’s love. I think it’s very important. It’s an incredible message for us as humanity. We need to all be together. We’re all one and we all need each other. I think that’s what people connect to.”
FAN APPRECIATION
Gomez can’t say enough good things about fans of the show. He loves that they are devoted and passionate. “Fans have come up to me and tell me more things about my character than I knew. And certain fans have come up and said, ‘I really thank you for showing this character and showing him in a different light, and giving him some good qualities,’ which comes from the writing, from Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro. But for the fans to see that and connect to that, hopefully [they can] motivate or inspire someone that comes from rough circumstances to try to be the best that you can and not be a victim of your circumstances. To me, that’s the thing that’s really rewarding and inspiring to me in playing a character like that.”
You can watch Gomez and the rest of the “The Strain” cast battle vampires Sunday evenings on FX. “The Strain” airs at 10/9c.
How much have you loved the character of Gus? What would you like to see happen with him, Angel and Aanya? Leave your thoughts and predictions in the comments below.
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