Hamilton star Javier Muñoz makes his first appearance on Freeform’s Shadowhunters tonight (March 27) with an episode called “The Powers That Be.” On the show, he’s playing Lorenzo, a rival warlock and adversary for Magnus Bane (Harry Shum Jr.). In anticipation of Lorenzo’s arrival we were able to interview Mr. Muñoz about his character and the part he’ll be playing on the series.
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: Had you been a fan of Shadowhunters or the Mortal Instruments books before getting this role?
JAVIER MUÑOZ: Most definitely. In fact, my being a fan of the show is how this whole amazing experience of now playing Lorenzo began.
Freeform describes your character as a “rival and adversary” to Magnus Bane. Can you expand on that?
There is a life long history between Magnus and Lorenzo and Lorenzo has carried a chip on his shoulder when it comes to Magnus all that time. There is distrust, envy, and competition between the two. There is also, however, a friendship mixed in there too, which I think makes this arc so interesting and richer than just another bad guy coming to town, so to speak.
Is there any chance Lorenzo might cause drama for “Malec?”
No spoilers, but I will say that fans will certainly love to hate Lorenzo.
We know that Season 3 is going to go into Magnus’ past, which brings up the question: How old is Lorenzo Rey supposed to be?
How old does he look? I’m kidding. [Laughs] I believe he is in the 100’s but he moisturizes so he manages to hold on to some of his good looks! I’m kidding again… ok, seriously, he is in his 300’s.
What was the biggest challenge in taking on this role?
I’m primarily a stage actor so the biggest challenge has been adapting to camera work. I’m no stranger to TV, however, those projects are greatly outnumbered by the amount of stage work I’ve done. There were a lot of technical adjustments that I had to be very mindful of and get used to.
Can you talk about how different it is to shoot for TV as opposed to a sold out live audience?
It is a live conversation every performance when on stage. The audience there seeing the show is alive and sending us energy on stage with their applause, silence, laughter, even their breathing. That’s why it’s never the same performance twice. It’s almost alive, night after night. TV is about executing in the moment, in a collaborative way, but waiting for the final product long after the work has been done, and the final product passes thru so many other creatives like editing and sound and such. Both, however, are extremely gratifying.
What surprised you the most about the Shadowhunters experience?
[It is] the joy and positivity everywhere on that set. It’s unfortunately rare to come across projects where everyone is so cohesive with one another as well as joyous about the work. It’s literally the best when that happens, however, and Shadowhunters is one such example of a collection of creative people, in every facet, working and creating because they love what they do.
The last time I spoke with Alberto Rosende (Simon) he was carrying on about how great Hamilton is. Has he expressed that excitement when you came onto the show?
He and I talk theatre all the time and I love it. We have definitely spoken about Hamilton and In The Heights extensively. He’s an incredibly creative spirit.
Does Lorenzo have a musical side?
Lorenzo has an appreciation for music and art, but like everything else about Lorenzo, it’s egocentric!! You’re in for a few treats.
What’s the best reason you can give to fans of your theatre work to check out this show?
This is a character they have never seen me play before and I really love playing this role, so please do check it out!
Shadowhunters “The Powers That Be” airs tonight (March 27) on Freeform. Take a look at some pictures below!
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SHADOWHUNTERS - "The Powers That Be" - The Warlocks’ magic is becoming corrupted by a demonic presence, while Izzy and Luke try to track down more information on the recent series of possessions. This episode of "Shadowhunters" airs Tuesday, March 27 (8:00 - 9:00 p.m. EDT) on Freeform. (Freeform/Ian Watson)MATTHEW DADDARIO, HARRY SHUM JR.
