Kevin Durand plays rat-exterminator-turned-vampire-hunter Vasiliy Fet on the FX drama “The Strain.” His character has become a big fan favorite. Viewers know that Fet can be gruff, tender, thoughtful and hilarious – all in one episode. The actor says playing the character has been the most fun he’s had in his career.
We were excited to get the chance to talk to Durand about his character’s progression, what is really going on with Fet and Dutch, and how his off-screen relationship with David Bradley made Fet and Setrakian’s bond even stronger. Plus, is there a chance Fet was infected by worms last week when he tried to take down Kelly? We have to know! Read on to find out Durand’s thoughts on those topics plus a lot more!
Durand on his character:
He goes from 0 to 300 miles an hour in the space of a second. He’s got a deep embedded warrior rage that just comes out of some deep places, and it’s fun to play. He’s just a man with a very big spectrum. He’s gentle with people that have earned that gentleness. But he can turn on a dime as well. I think Fet is a huge spectrum of different things. You see that he’s got a real vulnerability to him. I think he’s a real onion and we’re kind of peeling away the layers to Fet as the story goes along. He’s someone who really enjoys the moment. One of the great joys of playing him is the fact that he’s getting stronger. He is now living in a world where he is absolutely necessary. He is revered, he’s respected. When you watch the first season and you watch those first six episodes or so, you see him living his life as an exterminator and loving his job, but he’s kind of being talked down to and looked down upon. That has really flipped. Even though the world has gone to crap, he is absolutely flourishing. Within this environment where most people are dying and clamming up and terrified, he’s getting stronger and more confident and happier. I’m really excited to show more layers to this guy as the show continues – if I make it, that is.
On the possibility that Fet was infected by worms last week:
He’d be a big, scary vampire, huh? I bet The Master would want to jump into that body! When we were shooting [that scene], we were like, ‘Let’s shoot it and see what the fans think.’ It’s a really close call. Did he get infected? Did he not get infected? I’m having a ball on Twitter seeing what people [think]. So many people were tweeting me, asking me if I was infected or not. We’re going to have to wait and see, I guess. Hopefully he didn’t. I don’t think any of us can get comfortable. I think at no point in time while playing Fet [can I get] comfortable with the idea that he’s going to make it to the point that he did in the book. I really don’t know. That’s honestly a lot more exciting, just knowing that I have to really be in the moment and enjoy it for as long as I possibly can. I’m having such a blast on the show, I don’t know when I’m [done.] None of us do. I almost got wormed. Maybe I did. Who knows.
On Fet and Dutch:
I think Fet is the kind of guy that doesn’t believe in fighting for lost causes. If this is how she feels and [a relationship with Nikki] is what she wants, he’s kind of letting her find her way. It doesn’t minimize what he feels for her. The fact that they’re in the midst of a vampocalypse, I think he’s not going to fight for her if she doesn’t want him back. If she wants to come back then she’s probably going to have to win him over. That’s just my feeling on it. He’s got to save the world. He’s got to save all his fighting energy to do just that. I think he has such common sense. I don’t think he would allow that explosion of emotions he’s been feeling to interfere with his ability to survive or not. But I guess we’ll have to tune in and see. Time will tell.
On Fet and Setrakian:
On Fet’s relationship with Nora (and if it could ever turn romantic):
I love that connection. As you remember, [in the past] she wasn’t all that impressed. So I feel like they’ve come the furthest, especially in the last four or five episodes. I think they’ve really developed a profound respect for each other. I think she sees so much more than when she said I was just a cold-hearted killer. She understands that there’s so much more there and that I actually make sense and my skill set is helpful to the group, to keeping them alive. Fet, on the other hand, is like, ‘Oh my gosh she’s a doctor with the CDC. She’s strong, she’s incredibly intelligent.’ She’s come such a long way. She went from being a doctor to beheading her mother. She took some major strides. There’s a definite respect, and it feels like there’s something brewing there. Who knows what could happen.
On the new character of Quinlan:
When I read the books, Quinlan was my second favorite character. I was like, ‘If I don’t get to be Fet, maybe I want to be Quinlan. That would be cool.’ You watch Rupert Penry-Jones playing the character. The first time I saw him deliver lines with myself and Setrakian, I was kind of mesmerized. I was like, ‘What an awesome take on the character.’ From what Rupert is doing, to the look, he’s just such a cool character. I love that he’s becoming a favorite. It just means more people are going to tune in. I was a fan of Rupert’s as we were shooting the season, but now watching the season I’m an even bigger fan.
On the intensity of the season:
On Fet liking to blow things up:
Like Setrakian, they’re both into the method of ‘You have to fail so many times before you succeed.’ To actually blow up a building in that episode where he kind of messed everything up, he’s just learning. And he’s a smart guy. So every time he fails, he’s that much closer to having an ultimate success. I definitely do not think that’s the last time that he blows something up. I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s down the pipeline for him and his explosive personality and explosive fetish.
On Fet’s fascination with rebar:
It takes him to his roots. It’s the weapon that he’s most comfortable with. He was using rebar while exterminating vermin in New York. He’s kind of a ninja with that thing. Rebar doesn’t bend, as he said in one episode. It packs a punch. He’s got like eight different thicknesses of width of rebar. Most people wouldn’t be able to swing the heaviest one – he’s kind of a bit of a mammoth. He could really cause major damage with that thing. You hand him a sword, you hand him a gun, you hand him a nail gun, you hand him anything else, he can get the job done. But that’s not his weapon of choice because that’s not the one he’s been working with for years.
On seeing all the vampire makeup:
The artists are amazing on the show. If you can imagine waking up like four or five hours earlier than everyone else in the cast and going to the set – it’s cold, it’s Toronto – and then you sit down in a really cold trailer and they basically take a piece of Wonder Bread and they coat it with mayonnaise and they slap it on your face and they blow dry it. And then you have to wear it all day. I just really respect the process. It’s amazing to look at [the vampires]. They take you where you need to go [as an actor]: There is a horrifying creature in front of me. At the same time I look at it and I think it’s kind of beautiful as well because the amount of detail that goes into that work is incredible.
On experiencing fan reaction on social media:
You go and make your art, and then you leave it and you don’t have that kind of instantaneous connection with an audience that you would doing theater. I come from the theater and I was really addicted to that connection. So then all of a sudden they get me onto Twitter, and to have that instant reaction from what’s going on on the screen – something you’ve worked on – it feels more like it’s a form of live theater to me. I get a really visceral reaction to it. I love seeing what people dig and don’t dig and what scares them. It just really gives me such a pleasure to be a part of that.
On what he’s been doing on his “Strain” hiatus:
I’ve just finished my second season on “Vikings,” working in Dublin with those great folks for a while. [But I’ve taken time off for] most of this hiatus. We just had a little baby girl, my wife and I. That’s been the greatest thing I’ve ever done. We’re learning day by day. I’m having an amazing time just getting to devote all of my time to her. It’s all daddy time until I jump back into work on “The Strain.”
On his "Strain" experience:
I’m constantly thanking the writers and producers for the amount of fun I’m always having. I really love to get into it with the formidable actors we have on the show. Going head-to-head with David [Bradley], I’m just always learning and upping my game. Ruta Gedmintas, we’ve had some really great scenes this year, and she’s always so dynamic and fluid and committed. My main storylines have been with those two. But every time I get to work with Corey [Stoll], I feel the same way. It’s just wonderful chemistry, a bunch of really dynamic, wonderful actors that I get to work with all the time. I count my blessings. I get the scripts every week and it’s like Christmas. I think the writers really get Fet. And we’ve kind of been moving in the direction with him that has been both exciting and fulfilling as an actor for me. Fet, to me, at this point in time, has got to be the most fun I’ve ever had – because I’ve known him for two full seasons now. That is really exciting to me, getting to really understand the character, having all this time to process and develop [him].
Check out what happens with Fet starting tonight on “The Strain.” The FX show airs Sunday nights at 10/9c.
What do you love about Kevin Durand's performance on "The Strain?" What do you think is going to happen with his character? Let us know in the comments below.
