SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Harvey Guillén, who quickly rose to fame in 2019 with the What We Do in the Shadows television series, spoke on his acting career and “letting others in” rather than “coming out” with an audience at FanX 2023.

Guillén took the stage for almost an hour in front of a packed room of eager fans, as part of a panel moderated by ABC4’s resident Film & TV Critic Patrick Beatty.

According to the actor, getting started with the series was rather surreal — meeting a new acquaintance at a friend’s party in Los Angeles who set him up with an audition.

The rest is history as he received a call from producers offering him the Guillermo de la Cruz role, which he’s played for five seasons now.

During his Q&A session, one fan commented on his journey and how Guillén’s character in the series helped him find his sexual identity.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you, you’re beautiful,” Guillén said. “As humans, we always tend to pry into other people’s lives that way… Someone’s sexuality is none of our business.”

Further adding to the topic, Guillén gave some sound advice for those sharing their sexuality with the world.

“I don’t think that people ‘come out,’ because when they tell somebody, they already know who they are,” the actor remarked. “People don’t come out, they let you in.”

With a room full of applause, and some insight into his own experience, the actor gave his fans plenty to reflect on during the panel.

Other topics he chatted about during his panel included his love for Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, finding inspiration for his iconic Guillermo look, and the arc his character takes through the series.

To watch the full panel, click the link here to watch via the See It or Skip It Reviews channel on YouTube.

Season 6 of What We Do in the Shadows is slated to release on FX and Hulu in 2024, with episodes from Season 5 now streaming.