We’re about three months away from the theatrical release of Blue Beetle, and Warner Bros. is doing everything possible to get fans intrigued about its first Latino-led movie in DC history. Next up is a look at Dr. Sanchez, who is played by What We Do in the Shadows star Harvey Guillén.
“When [Angel Manuel Soto], the director, called/Zoom me and told me he wanted me to play the character because of how complex he would be, I said ‘sign me up,’” Guillén wrote on social media.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Dr. Sanchez works for the movie’s main villain, Victoria Kord, played by Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking). Kord is after an ancient relic known as the Scarab, which transforms recent college graduate Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) into the title superhero.
Guillén said he was attracted to the screenplay because it was a story about family – particularly one that he recognized very well. “When I read the script, it was the first time that I felt that I could get through a whole movie and feel seen,” Guillén told EW. “The verbiage that’s being used in the household, it is very driven by family and heart at the forefront of everything, which is very Latino culture.”
Guillén added: “I just read that script and I was like, ‘Wait, I grew up watching or listening to this. That’s exactly what my mom would say [or] my tía.’ Everything has been thought out, while still telling the traditional story of this incredible DC superhero that is coming to theaters for the first time, the first Mexican superhero that we’ve had in a DC film.”
In one of the first-look photos, Dr. Sanchez is seen sitting in front of a computer screen. In another, his character is standing in front of a locked steel door with Jaime inside being held captive.
“The character was complex,” Harvey Guillén noted of his role. “You’re loyal to the profession and the job that you have, and you’re loyal to being a good person, and you have to make a choice. Sometimes we don’t make the choices. We’re human. And when given a choice, we might make the wrong one.”
Blue Beetle is set to hit theaters nationwide on August 18.