The Strain – Q&A with Miguel Gomez

Is there a degree to which he’s still trying to atone for being the one that drove The Master into New York and unleashed this without really realizing what he had been set up to do?

Miguel: Yes, I think that’s what really drives him.  I think he feels that he lost his mom, and his brother, and his best friend because of his mistakes, and I think his nature is to be protective of the people he cares about and the people that care about him.  So, yes, I think that’s what’s driving him, that revenge and that redemption, and I think he has one goal now and that’s to seek out whoever caused all these things to happen to his family and get revenge on it.

What was it actually like to shoot [the scene with The Master]?  Was it as creepy to shoot as it came across on the screen?

Miguel: It is super creepy because Adriana Barraza, the lady that plays Gus’s mom, she’s such a wonderful lady.  She’s such a beautiful person, and to see her in that makeup and then to hear her speak those words to me, it was definitely something that—the way I am is I allow that into my body, into me, and those fears and those things to sort of awaken.  And when I hear her saying these things and I just think back, and yes, it was super creepy to see her in that makeup and to see her completely change, no longer Gus’s mom, just pure evil at that moment.  Yes, it was really scary and creepy.

What kind of reaction have you been getting from the fans?  Do they love the character, or love to hate the character?  

Miguel: Well, actually, it’s been really great interacting with the fans because it was really important to me to show a different side of this guy that comes from the street.  And I think what’s really great about Gus is that what they’re ultimately saying in the show is you can’t judge a book by its cover, and people have been really giving him a chance and really seeing who he truly is.  I think he’s just a guy that’s trying to do the right thing, really loves his family, and is really just doing his best with the circumstances that he’s in.  So, yes, for the fans to actually see that and give him a chance, it’s really been an honor to play a character like that.