BY IRVIN RIVERA

JACOB BATALON could be concluding his role as the smart and funny Ned Leeds in SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, but his star is just starting to shine brighter as one of Hollywood’s emerging leads. 

The American actor from Honolulu Hawaii is playing Reginald Baskin in SYFY’s Reginald the Vampire created by Harley Peyton based on the books by Johnny B. Truant. The series follows Reginald as the unlikely hero navigating a world full of conventionally fit and beautiful vampires, the challenges that came with it and discovering powers of his own.

Batalon also stars in ZAYA, a drama thriller that he did with his “Let It Snow” co-star Matthew Noszka.

In this exclusive interview, I had a great chat with Jacob about his career in Hollywood so far, about the differences of growing-up in a tight knit community to navigating the city life- living the Hollywood life, his growth as a person, navigating the pandemic, Ned’s evolution in the Spiderman films, booking a lead role, and what it means to represent the Asian community in mainstream media.

Jacob! So good to see you. Thank you for the time today. Really appreciate it.

Yes, of course.

So how has your pandemic experience been?

It was pretty, I'd say mostly negative in the sense that the world sort of went through a whole crazy thing. And I think, for myself, I had found a lot of comfort in just being able to see my family all the time, because I was living with them. But I also found the time to actually focus on myself- in a way that concerns my health, and that was pretty important to me. So I'd say there was a lot of, I guess, light in all the darkness. 

Yes. Totally agree. Do you think that living through such a challenging time like that has changed your outlook and priorities in life?

Yes, for sure. I think that things don't seem as serious as they need to be. I feel like you should be out living your life more than focusing on material things and wealth and sort of, like the agenda of America where you just want to work to make a lot of money. It's really objective and you just have to really cherish your time with your loved ones. 

That's great. So there’s a lot of internalization and realizations.

Yes, for sure.

Now, let's talk about the upcoming Spider Man film. Spider Man - No Way Home. 

Yes! All right.

The Filming took place just this past year while COVID restrictions were firmly in place. So how was filming like, during that situation?

Yes, there were a lot of things they [the production] had in place where there was a lot of [Covid] testing. And also they sort of slipped the crew and cast into zones and we basically had to wear masks everywhere and it was all very much. Because we also didn't know what was going on with the virus as well, they were just taking extra precautions, basically.

Yes. 

So it made things kind of weirdly difficult in the sense that you couldn't really interact; you felt like you wanted to have a good time and we're making something amazing and all that stuff. But also, in the same vein, it's like the world is kind of on fire. So, it’s crazy but we were very thankful to be able to work during that time.

Your character, Ned, is smart and is someone who constantly steals the scenes and he's this iconic comic relief. So do you like taking on these more comedic roles or are you looking for more serious parts?

Honestly, I do whatever comes my way that I find interesting. I feel I may not be looking or searching for a particular part. But if it's something that speaks to me, in a creative sense, I would absolutely go for it. I feel like Spider Man is really just my opportunity to really just be seen, so I take it like I will so much. I can't really say that I want to be more funny or more serious or whatever. I just really love things that people enjoy.

And you just love acting in general?

Yes, for sure. I really enjoy the creative process behind becoming another person. It's liberating.

That’s good. And how did it start for you, acting?

This is a very weird question to answer, it's not a weird answer. It's just, I feel like I haven't really spoken about this in a long time, but I have basically gone to drama school while I was trying to audition for parts and it kind of just came along. I was very lucky to have a manager at the time who was looking out for me. It was all just the right place at the right time and I wasn't really looking forward to being in the movies. I really just wanted to have a job after school. So it kind of snowballs into this whole career that I've had now.

That's amazing. And now you're here. That's great, man.

Yes, it is. It is a really weird process to think about it. It's been a very crazy experience.

Hey, congratulations, you're doing really well.

Thank you, man.  I appreciate it. 

Of course. Now, going back to Ned, how would you describe Ned's evolution throughout the films?

I feel like in a lot of ways, Ned has definitely stayed the same in the sense that he's still Peter's best friend, he has gotten the chair and that never changes. Like that never changes for that in his mind. I think in terms of seeing him more, I bet there's a lot of progress and a lot of him becoming more of a story and all those things. And I really enjoyed that part- that aspect of it.  

So in that sense, he hasn't changed that much. But I think overall, his importance will be explained in this movie. And I think that'll be important.

And what traits do you think you and your character Ned share?

I think we share a lot of things. I'm blissfully ignorant. I feel like I really enjoy myself, I'm a child. My girlfriend always says all the time that I'm like her kid. She's always dragging her kid around. We're both very playful in that sense. And I think the one thing that I'm definitely not is smart, Ned is really intelligent. I am not that smart. I think that's the main difference. But we have everything else in common for sure.

You seem smart, I don't know what you're talking about. What's the most memorable moment for you throughout this whole process of being in this film?

I mean, the third one [Spidermaan : No Way Home] was sentimental in the sense that we kind of get that it's probably the end, and we might not be working anymore. So there's a lot of that- like, it was very emotional. We were just happy to have gone on the ride, happy to be able to make it this far and all of it was pretty special. I mean, every day was sort of, well, is this going to be the last day we do this? And man, it was like everything- just like being there - seeing each other and spending time together, and working together, it was all magical for sure.

That's amazing to hear. Because you can clearly see it on screen anyway, the chemistry among all of you. Coming from Hawaii, was there a shock when you started to work in the movie and TV industry?

Yes, I find that I wasn't really seeing a lot of Filipino people on TV and in movies, per se. And I feel like that wasn't too different to me. But what was very different was definitely the sort of energy and the culture for sure. The shock of everyone not really knowing each other- compared to, in the sense that Hawaii is very small and people see the same people go to the same places every day. And everyone's kind of in each of those lives- everyone is family. And being on the mainland and working in the industry is sort of different. It's not the same. It's not the same energy that you had with people back home and New York has a bad rap for people being kind of in your face. But I actually enjoy that aspect of it being real.

Speaking of home, how often do you go back home and see your family?

I haven't been back since 2019, so it's been a little bit but my girlfriend and I are planning on going for Christmas. 

That's nice.

We're just excited.

So aside from acting, are there any other roles in the industry that you would like to assume, say directing, writing, producing?

I've tried my hand at writing something and it's, let me tell you- like from firsthand experience, it's terribly hard. I don't understand how writers are able to live with their thoughts. 

I was just saying that it's the sort of pressure that's put upon yourself as a writer to make it make sense and I get like the whole pressure of giving your work and rights to other people and hoping they don't shit all over it. So it's definitely a very... I find myself to be very neurotic when I try to write stuff. So that's been difficult but it's been a creative outlet for me, which is something I enjoy. Directing, not sure, I don't know if I can think fast enough and smart enough to be a director. But again, I will act with anyone, do anything. Acting is probably my main thing for sure.

Okay. As a pretty beloved actor with a wide and diverse fanbase, how does it feel to know that there are little kids looking up to you and wanting to be like you?

It's humbling in the sense that I don't think I was ever going to be in this position. It's humbling to know that people find me as a role model, in the sense that I don't think I ever wanted to be that but I feel this obligation and responsibility to represent people who can be seen but won't. And I think that's what really stuck out to me is that I feel like I don't deserve it at all. There's people way better than me but I will take the responsibility and be that person for other people if need be.

You deserve all the success you're getting. 

Thanks man.

And I think it's really important, and what you're doing right now is providing visibility for Asians- and for Filipinos out there, on mainstream media. It's really important for people to see that if you can do it, others can also do it. You're inspiring people.

Yes, absolutely. 

That's great. 

Thank you, man. That means a lot.

How do you feel about representation in movies and how that is progressing right now in Hollywood?

I think it's a lot better. I find it to be refreshing that people are starting to realize that there's more stories out there to tell and that there's more people out there to be in film and TV, obviously. It's refreshing for sure. I can't really say anything else because I've been so used to it not being like this but I think it's finally time that it should be. And that's probably the one thing I'm unapologetic about is that everyone deserves equal opportunity.

Absolutely. Now, you have several upcoming projects on the horizon. Congratulations on that.

Thank you, man.

Talk to us about Reginald the vampire and Zaya. Can we talk about that?

Yes. Well, Zaya... Inanna and her boyfriend, Matt Noszka who I worked with on Let it Snow, kind of just hit me up, and I was like, yes of course! I would love to be in it and it turned into this whole thing where I don't have my own stuff. I'm really not hip to the times where I don't have a microphone and proper stuff to do a live podcast thing. 

But they actually did send me the stuff and I had to somehow use my basic technology knowledge and try to connect it to my computer so I could actually do those shows but it was amazing. It's really cool. I've never done a podcast show so it was basically like this little series on our own podcast show. It's really exciting, yes.

How about Reginald the Vampire?

So yes, Reginald the Vampire basically is about this guy who unbeknownst to the vampire community, will become the bane of their existence. He's like this very... he's not the leading man type that you would expect when he becomes a vampire out of his own free will. And he's sort of the scourge of the vampire community so they're trying to get rid of him. And this show is basically about how... it's kind of like... it holds American society accountable and that people who may not look like the leading man type or the leading female type will not get treated as well as they would. And the sort of societal shifts from finding beauty not in the superficial but what's underneath.

Yes.

And it's a lot of that and it's still just a really fun comedy adventure. Starring yours truly that will make it fucking great.

Hell yes. I remember when we were shooting, you mentioned something about how they kind of incorporated some aspects of Filipino culture… something about our food, during the show. 

Yes! 

How was that?

In one of the episodes they explained, Reginald sort of explained some of his favorite Filipino foods which is amazing. I had a really amazing talk with the heads of the studio and the show and about how they really wanted to represent my culture in the show and not never mentioned my ancestry or my family heritage, and stuff like that. They absolutely want to put my culture into the show, and that's a really big part. Again, its representation and really being seen as Filipino people.

That's amazing! Now if you could live and work anywhere in the world, where would you live and why?

I don't know, I always tell my girlfriend that I want to live in Bora Bora...  I've always wanted to go... I want to vacation in Bora Bora all the time. So yes, anywhere warm. I feel like my girlfriend has had a big influence on how I feel about the weather, like New York I was okay with because I'm always gone during the wintertime. But California has definitely been a good option.

I feel like with a lot of work, I have been low key looking for places to buy there. But yes, I will say Hawaii would be great too, if you were 75 and retired. 

Final question for you. If you were a book, what book would you be and why?

I feel like I'll be a book called Ulysses. Because I feel like I'm very weirdly complex and not understandable. Like most people, I don't really know how to explain myself. So I just come off as a crazy all over the place person. The energy I try to give you is calm, but I'm really freaking out all the time on the inside.