Reggie Lee Talks Grimm, the Fans, and What’s to Come
Just in time for the return of “Grimm” tonight with Episode 4.14, “Bad Luck,” we had the good fortune of sitting down with Sgt. Wu himself, Reggie Lee, to get the scoop on his character, the direction of the show, and the terrors to come.
We asked about what kind of changes he’s experienced since Wu has been brought into the Scooby gang.
“Well, as Reggie I’m working a lot more,” Lee says with enthusiasm. “Russell [Hornsby; Hank] and David [Giuntoli; Nick] laughed a lot… once the reveal came and I was officially into the fold, they were like, ‘You know you’re gonna be working whenever we are, and you’ll be in whatever we’re in.’ I said, ‘No, they’re just gonna let me know what went down and I’m just gonna go back to describing crime scenes, while being in the know.’ Literally four episodes into when my character Wu found things out… I was SO tired! *laughs* I was working every single day, tagging along with them. I love it, really.”
“It’s a whole new dynamic for this gang… and now, as you can see, things are getting a little disparate. There are different forces of evil coming through. There’s a whole new excitement about where my character is going. Before I was kind of freaked out to learn about the Wesen, but now I think Wu brings a newfound excitement to the group when he’s finding out about these creatures. I’m the tech-savy person in the group, and I love that. I love researching. It brings a whole new energy. Aside from that it’s also a lot of fun to be actually work with the group and not just Nick and Hank. I love working with those two and we always have a blast, but now working with Bree [Turner; Rosalee], Silas [Weir Mitchell; Monroe], Bitsie [Tulloch; Juliette], and Claire [Coffee; Adalind], it’s just been a whole new experience. It’s been a four-season long dream of Reggie Lee to join this gang. It’s been such a joy, man. It’s brought a whole other level to my character. I cannot be anything but grateful for that.“
Related Story: Face the Ugly Truth with this New Clip from Grimm Episode 4.14 – Bad Luck
The last episode ended on a cliffhanger which *SPOILERS AHEAD* found Adalind finding out that she’s pregnant with Nick’s baby. That’s right; there’s a half-Grimm/half-Hexenbiest on the way! What a little bundle of lunacy, right? We asked Reggie the ramifications of this latest unexpected fruit-bearing insemination.
“Welcome to Claire Coffee’s real life pregnancy,” laughs Lee. “She’s due in May or June. I think it was a surprise to everyone, but kudos to the show writers for writing things in. What a wonderful monkey wrench to throw into the mix! When we first read that Adalind was pregnant with Nick’s baby, we were all like, ‘What?!? Another pregnancy? How are the fans going to react to that?!’ It’s just so soon since her last… THAT WHORE, ADALIND! *laughs* “It’s Adalind, man. She can get into any kind of mess that she wants and people will dig it. She’s kind of like the only one on the show who can do something like that and people will still love her. Believe me when I tell you, her pregnancy will reap its rewards and wreak its havoc. We’re shooting Episode 20 right now and I have to say we’re all tired! Our brains are tired because of all these twists and turns that have shown up in these last five or six episodes. Everything has just been so out of left field. None of us… we all have no idea what’s coming for our characters. We don’t know anything! We’re all freaked out! Once we get these scripts, everything’s truly a surprise. We’re on this roller coaster that’s dangerously close to flying completely off of the rails. You veer too far one way or the other, and it’s gonna be chaos. Just wait and see. Things get pretty crazy.“
Wu, both unwittingly and wittingly, has been dealing with a lot of creatures. Did Reggie have a personal favorite Wesen? The answer is yes!
“I grew up in the Philippines with the Aswang. We would call these stories ‘kanto’ stories. Kanto literally means ‘corner.’ When I was growing up, I would hang around the corner with my buddies, and we would all tell each other stories that our parents would tell us. The Aswang story was one of the biggest tales that I grew up with. I had visions of it and what not of what it could look like, and to see it in ‘real life?’ Wow. I mean, it was pretend, but that creature has always been very real to me. So yeah, my favorite Wesen is definitely the Aswang.“
Over the last several seasons “Grimm’s” fanbase has grown by leaps and bounds. This, as you would imagine, could have quite an impact on an actor.
“There’s a realization that comes after the first season and you keep getting picked up that fans are what keep you going. Especially in the climate now in which some shows don’t even make it past the first couple of episodes. It’s the loyalty of the fans that enables us to do what we do. It’s so much fun to interact with the people who watch the show, especially when we’re live tweeting during an episode. I think we get as much out of it as they do. Fans of the genre are completely outrageous and loyal. This show has gathered an incredible following since its premiere. This is a whole new world for me. To be accepted and celebrated in a way by these fans… it’s kind of a new experience. The first time we all got to go to Comic-Con was CRAZY, and it’s been getting wonderfully crazier every year. Seeing how involved our fans are with these characters is electric. It’s humbling. Honestly, it’s touching to me. Our fans are so invested. As Wu, when I went to the insane asylum, there were people tweeting how they hated Nick and Hank for what they let happen to Wu at that particular point. Seeing that kind of outpouring of emotion really struck a chord with me. I feel like all of us, the cast and the fans, I feel like we’re friends. It’s really an eye-opener when you see these people interacting and really feeling for you. I’m incredibly lucky. You never know which characters are gonna take off and what fans are gonna be drawn to. There’s something about Wu’s normality… his sarcasm… his wit that I think people can relate to. They want to be around him. He’s a fun character. Just like Monroe… people love the lightness as well as the complexity of the character. I will stay loyal to the fans of “Grimm” way beyond this show. They’ve given us a life that goes way beyond what we thought we would ever have. I am incredibly grateful. Incredibly.“
“Grimm” returns TONIGHT! Arm yourselves accordingly!
“Grimm” Episode 4.14 – “Bad Luck” (3/20/15; 8-9 pm)
A SECRET RITUAL TO BRING GOOD LUCK TARGETS A WESEN GROUP — Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) investigate a murder victim with his foot cut off and stumble onto a disturbing Wesen take on the “lucky rabbit’s foot.” In an effort to help, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) go undercover.
Meanwhile, the fallout from Adalind (Claire Coffee) and Juliette’s (Bitsie Tulloch) showdown still has Nick reeling and sends him on a path that leads to Henrietta (guest star Garcelle Beauvais). Alexis Denisof guest stars; Sasha Roiz and Reggie Lee also star.
For more info visit “Grimm” on NBC.com, check out some InstaGRIMMS on Instagram, “like” “Grimm” on Facebook, and follow “Grimm” on Twitter.
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