Season two of The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico is underway, and Michael Vlamis is back to gracing our screen as the lovable Michael Guerin. Not only did he film season two, over the last year Vlamis has been incredibly busy, making The Black List for his script “Blue Slide Park” with Kyle Anderson, and also releasing a successful merch line with Blank Clo.
We got the chance to talk to Vlamis recently about the second season of Roswell, New Mexico, writing, what he’s binge watching, and more.
Read our interview with Vlamis below!
Nerds and Beyond: You bring such passion and emotion to all of your scenes. How do you distance yourself from that and take care of you? What do you do to get into that headspace?
Michael Vlamis: To be honest, I’m not good at distancing myself, but part of me likes that. The more I feel, the better the performance, so bring on the pain! The idea that art imitates life has been very apparent for me when it comes to my work. It’s exhausting at times, but always worth it.
Nerds and Beyond: How hard or easy was it to slip back into Michael Guerin?
Vlamis: Like riding a bike! 6 months of being him every day in season 1 set the foundation I needed. Plus, once you’re surrounded by the cast and back on set, it feels like you never left.
Nerds and Beyond: What was your favorite scene to film from Season 2 that we’ve seen so far?
Vlamis: Now, you’ve seen episode 2, so I’m [going] to say the final scene of episode 2 with Maria. That was a heartfelt apology that had a lot of fight, but also a lot of love.
Nerds and Beyond: We’ve already seen Michael in a downward spiral; pushing people away, drinking, etc. after the loss of Max and his mother. Is this going to continue to have a profound impact on Michael throughout the season?
Vlamis: Definitely. He’s a mess. Hopefully over time he’ll learn more about his past and have some peace, but that might not be for a little while.
Nerds and Beyond: How do you think the loss of Max has impacted Michael and Isobel’s relationship?
Vlamis: Max is supposed to be the savior. Now, Guerin feels he might have to be that. And he hates it. But even though I’m wrestling with that feeling, I know I’m all Isobel has left and I’d do anything for her, so the death of Max has to bring us together.
Nerds and Beyond: One of the things we loved most about the Season 2 premiere was the quote, “I want to be good for somebody.” Is there still hope for Michael and Alex?
Vlamis: The hopeless romantic in me says, of course! When you love someone the way they loved and maybe still do love each other, there’s always a chance.
Nerds and Beyond: Have you enjoyed getting to explore more of Michael’s nerdier side (like with technology/science)?
Vlamis: Haha, oh yes! It’s a challenge. I love working with the blow torches, moving heavy machinery with my mind, and getting scenes with Liz and Kyle, so for sure, bring on the science! It’s only tough when I have no idea how to pronounce certain words!
Nerds and Beyond: Did you all approach Season 2 any differently knowing you had a Season 3 to continue the story?
Vlamis: That’s a good question! I can’t speak on everyone else, but I’m assuming it puts people at ease, allowing them to give their best performance. I guess it could also make people lazy, but I didn’t witness any of that on our set. If it did anything, it motivated us to keep striving for greatness.
Nerds and Beyond: Is there anything (we know you can’t spoil!) that we can look forward to regarding Michael or his storyline coming up?
Vlamis: Episode 5 divulges a lot about Michael’s past and what happened after Michael didn’t go off to college. I’m excited for all of you to see that. Oh, and finding out the truth about my mom is pretty special!
Nerds and Beyond: Moving away from Roswell, we know you wrote a script about Mac Miller. Are there any other scripts or projects you’re working on that you can tell us about?
Vlamis: Oh, yes! I’m always cooking something up. I have a Halloween comedy called COSTUMES REQUIRED set up at Seth MacFarlane’s company, Fuzzy Door Productions, and a comedic TV show, MUSIC THEORIES, set up at Stampede Ventures, which has the AMERICAN VANDAL showrunner, Dan Lagana, attached to showrun. I’m really excited about both of those projects. There are other scripts of mine floating around as well, so we’ll see what happens!
Nerds and Beyond: Everyone loved your merch line. Is that something you’re planning to do again?
Vlamis: 100%! It was sooo much work, but the entire process was extremely rewarding. I already have all the design ideas worked out and was going to release the new line soon, but this pandemic has set everyone back. Either way, it’ll be coming by the end of the year 🙂
Nerds and Beyond: What are you watching right now? What’s something you recommend people can binge-watch during this time?
Vlamis: DAVE! It’s an FX show that you can find on Hulu. It’s hilarious.
Nerds and Beyond: How has being in Roswell, NM affected your life? Have you been recognized a lot more in public?
Vlamis: Definitely, but nothing too crazy. Some weeks I’ll get recognized more often than not and other times, nobody says anything. I have no problem living a normal life. Even when fans come up to me, they’re very respectful. It’s rare that someone makes you feel uncomfortable. But ask me again in a few years!
Nerds and Beyond: We here at Nerds love diving into nerdy things people love. So, below, we’ll have a few questions and answer the first one that comes to mind.
Favorite Disney character:
Vlamis: Goofy!
Favorite musical:
Vlamis: The Book of Mormon
Favorite book:
Vlamis: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Favorite animal:
Vlamis: Monkey
If you had a patronus (from Harry Potter), what animal would it be?
Vlamis: A lion! They’re badass.
Favorite quote:
Vlamis:“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” – Oscar Wilde
Roswell, New Mexico airs Monday nights at 9/8c on The CW. You can also check out Making It, one of Michael’s fist projects that he just released on his website. Stay tuned for updates on Michael and his projects!
