Inspired by the original Swedish novel and film, Let The Right One In, Showtime is currently airing a 10-episode series of the same name, which debuted early in October. The series focuses on Mark, played by Mexican actor Demián Bichir (A Better Life) and his daughter Eleanor, portrayed by 12-year-old Madison Taylor Baez (Selena: The Series), whose lives were changed 10 years earlier when young Eleanor was turned into a vampire. The title refers to the legend that vampires cannot enter someone’s abode unless they are invited.
Bichir said he admired the novel and the film. “I am not usually a big fan of dark stories,” Bichir admits, “It is always tricky territory. We actors go deep into anything we do, and the task is not to get too buried within the somberness. But playing the father of a child played by Madison, with all her energy and vitality, brings a lightness to the show. That made our two characters an engaging duo and the whole project enjoyable.”
“This is my first horror show, and at first it seemed daunting,” admits Baez. “I knew it would be hard. But working with Demián really lightened the atmosphere. After filming all the gory scenes, I would have a scene with Demián or Ian, who plays Isaiah, Eleanor’s friend. That immediately brought a nice change for the mood of the show.”
“The episodes were emotionally and physically exhausting,” Bichir admits. “But the energy generated by the whole cast was inspired by the scripts created by our Showrunner Andrew Hinderaker (Penny Dreadful, Pure Genius, and Away) and his staff.
Hinderaker, also a great fan of the novel by John Lindqvist (2004) was surprised how much he liked the film, directed by Tomas Alfredson (2008). “For me, the movie is not only one of the best horror movies ever made, but probably the most moving. That’s why I am proud to have assembled our extraordinary team of artists to do this series.”
Showtime picked up the show in September 2021, with Hinderaker as executive producer alongside Marty Adelstein (Last Man Standing, Teen Wolf), Becky Clements (Cowboy Bebop), Seith Mann, who also directs (Raising Dion), with Alissa Bachner (Snowpiercer) and Ben Rosenblatt (10 Cloverfield Lane, Prey) as co-executive producers, Demián Bichir (Grand Hotel) as a producer, and Paul Leonardo Jr. (Severance) as a co-producer.
Hearing the list of production credits, Bichir, who was born in Mexico City and was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role in A Better life, chuckles. “Producers and directors don’t know, but whenever they audition us, we audition them because we have to make sure that they are wonderful people, knowledgeable and cultured…if we are lucky. I also wondered how they were going to expand that wonderful two-hour film into ten-episodes of television.”
“I certainly feel lucky to have been cast,” says Baez. “When I first got the script and this role, I definitely knew there were certain lengths that I was going to have to go, and I was willing to accept it, and that definitely worked out for me. Especially during those late nights of filming, all of those hard scenes with lots of blood on my face. The result was definitely worth it.”
Baez might have felt lucky to be portraying Eleanor because she is not known as a dramatic actress. Raised in Orange County of Hispanic and Filipino descent, she was dubbed a “musical prodigy” at age eleven, using her own powerful singing voice in her portrayal of youthful Selena Quintanilla in the series, Selena, and was a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent.
Also in the cast are Anika Noni Rose (The Princess and the Frog, Everything, Everything, Maid), Grace Gummer (American Horror Story, Dr. Death), Kevin Carroll (The Walking Dead), Josh Wingate, Ian Foreman, Caroline Neff (Chicago P.D.), Jimmie Saito (The Blacklist), Fernanda Andrade (Moon Knight, The Devil Inside), Michael Patrick Thornton (Private Practice, The Exorcist), Don Darryl Rivera, and Jacob Buster.
Rose, who plays New York policewoman Naomi Cole, is delighted to be cast in a role that provides tension for Mark and Eleanor. “As well as being a very focused cop, I am also Mark’s neighbor and the mother of Isaiah,” says Rose. “Being a cop means that she is potentially more watchful than your average neighbor.”
Bichir adds, “You also have to know that the City of New York also is a huge part of the story. The City has this personality that is so brutally appealing. The biggest challenge for me was that it was the long winter. I just couldn’t believe when Madison had to go barefoot or with no jacket on.”
Baez laughs. “I just stayed in character.”
Let The Right One In is produced by Tomorrow Studios and Showtime Networks, distributed by Paramount Global Distribution Group and airs on Showtime on Fridays at (10pm)