‘Poker Face’: Luis Guzmán on ‘Fanboying’ Over Natasha Lyonne in Episode 8

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Poker Face, Season 1, Episode 8, “The Orpheus Syndrome.”]

Poker Face delivered its spookiest entry yet with the February 23 episode, “The Orpheus Syndrome,” and Wednesday star Luis Guzmán knows a thing or two about playing up the horror element.

The actor who most recently dazzled as Gomez Addams in the Netflix hit has taken on the role of film archivist Raoul in this new episode which sees Cherry Jones‘ studio head Laura go on a killing spree to protect a 40-year-old secret from being revealed. Teaming up with Natasha Lyonne‘s Charlie Cale to help uncover the mysterious deaths of Laura’s colleagues Max (Tim Russ) and Arthur (Nick Nolte), Raoul plays a crucial role in helping to deliver long-overdue justice.

The secret Laura tries hiding is the fact that she’s responsible for a young actress’s seemingly accidental drowning during the production of one of her company’s early films. After Max discovered footage while digitizing old reels, he warned his colleague and soon-to-be ex-wife that he’d be turning her into authorities. That was the wrong choice as Laura decided to poison him, but before Max took his final breath, he jumped off of a balcony to mutilate his face, which serves as part of his computer’s multi-factor authorization. Seeking Arthur’s help, Laura tells him she needs a bust of Max made so she can grieve, but soon he realizes the truth. Despite promising to keep Laura’s secret, Arthur is killed for what he knows and it’s up to Charlie and Raoul to help avenge the men who paid for Laura’s crimes.

(Credit: Karolina Wojtasik/Peacock)

Below, Guzmán opens up about collaborating with Lyonne who also directed the installment, learning about film archiving, and tapping into the horror side of things in this Hitchcock-like entry.

What excited you most about taking on the role of Raoul?

Luis Guzmán: Well I think it took six weeks of negotiations because I was working on a bunch of stuff over the summer and finally I said, “Yeah, let’s do it. Let me see the material.” And I saw the material and I said, “Okay, this is pretty different. This is pretty cool.” And I [liked the] whole idea of working with Natasha. I’m a fanboy of hers. She is a phenomenal actress, and a phenomenal artist, and I’ll never forget the first day that I showed up to shoot in the barn where they have all these monsters and crazy stuff.

And again the fact that I was working with Natasha and Cherry Jones was great. I didn’t have any scenes with Nick Nolte, but I know Nick and I happened to have been there the same day and I said hi to Nick. But, it was like a throwback to the whole Colombo stuff where he’s kind of just kind of wiggling his way through clues and that’s what made it really interesting for me.

You talk about performing with Natasha. What was it like to explore the onscreen dynamic between Charlie and Raoul?

She brings really cool energy to the whole thing. I think that’s great. And when you see what she brings, you kind of gotta bounce off of that, but she also realizes that she’s gotta bounce off of me. So here we are bouncing off of each other and taking the voyage of figuring out this mystery [together]. It’s like all these different levels of mystery and figuring out the puzzle. It was a departure for me, but I embraced it. Cause I love mysteries and I had actually done something many years ago with Peter Falk. Natasha, she’s her own beast, and I was really impressed by the fact that she was also directing this.

(Credit: Karolina Wojtasik/Peacock)

What was it like getting to play this character who serves a very specific role in the film industry which isn’t always highlighted?

What I discovered is working in the archive room, you might as well call it working in the clue room because people come to you for certain reels and that was really impressive to me. I do admire people for that because you really gotta love what you’re doing to do a job like that. I did learn a lot about the world of archiving and its historical value in them.

The cast for this episode is stellar, what was it like getting to work with Cherry, Natasha, and Nick?

Well, Cherry is great. She’s a very sweet woman. She comes from a theater background and so she’s iconic in that. Just to be able to share the same space with her was a big deal for me. And I’ve done quite a few projects with Nick, so it was kind of cool having an indirect reunion. I tip my hat to Natasha. If she called me in the middle of this interview, I would have to say, you’re gonna have to hold on I gotta talk to her. I would look forward to working with her again on other stuff.

Was it immediately obvious reading the script that this was a horror episode or did that surface more in the directing?

I think it was just a combination of the writing and the directing. They both speak for themselves but they both also combined themselves really well. Anytime you work on something, it’s always subject to change, especially when it comes to dialogue. So, Natasha and I would just to add to the mystery of it all. I welcome that type of stuff because it makes you feel more respected and a real part of the collaboration.

Related

Cherry Jones Talks Channeling Hitchcock for Horror-Themed 'Poker Face'

You are fresh off of your run with Wednesday which is undeniably part of the horror genre. Is that something that interests you more these days or is it about the projects themselves?

It’s all about the work. It’s all about the quality, and it just so happens that these two things kind of fell into those places along the way. I enjoyed the whole aspect of Poker Face and the premise of it. I always felt I was in a museum looking at some of those creatures [in the barn]. And then working on Wednesday, that’s a continuation of a wonderful legacy. For me to have the opportunity to be a part of that particular franchise, it’s a total honor for me cause I love John Aston, and I love Raul Julia. To be able to play an iconic character like [Gomez] that I grew up watching… I’m like a big kid at the candy store. I’m loving my life right now.

Poker Face, Season 1, New Episodes, Thursdays, Peacock