GRIMM Celebrates its 100th Episode - What David Giuntoli has to say

By Abbie Bernstein On April 26, 2016 In Actor Interviews, Science Fiction & Fantasy Actor and Author Interviews No Comments

INTERVIEW: DAVID GIUNTOLI ON “GRIMM”

Grimm, now in its 5th season, has just celebrated the series’ 100th episode. However, not everyone imagined it would last this long - Guintoli comments on the surprising success.

By Abbie Bernstein

David Giuntoli got his break when cast in MTV’s Road Rules: South Pacific back in 2003.

NBC’s GRIMM is a relative rarity, a broadcast network horror-fantasy series that has now lasted for five seasons and recently celebrated its one-hundredth episode (number twelve of the current season, “Into the Schwarzwald”).

In GRIMM, David Giuntoli stars as Nick Burkhardt, a Portland, Oregon police detective who discovered in the first episode that he is actually a Grimm. Grimms, it turns out, are supernaturally-gifted individuals who can see and combat Wesen, creatures that usually appear human but are not. Nick also learned early on that, although some Wesen are deadly, others – like his best friend, the werewolf-like Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) – are upstanding citizens.

Nick’s life has become increasingly complicated by Wesen on both the personal and professional fronts. His human girlfriend Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) was turned into a murderous Hexenbiest. Apparently killed by another Grimm, Juliette has been resurrected as the super-fighter Eve, who claims to have no emotional connection to the woman she used to be.

Meanwhile, Adalind (Claire Coffee), a former Hexenbiest who had tried to kill Nick numerous times, had transformed herself to look like Juliette in order to steal Nick’s powers. (It worked, but he got them back.) It turned out that the one-time tryst caused Adalind to become pregnant. She and Nick are now living together with baby son Kelly, but Adalind is worried that she may be returning to her Hexenbiest state, and the hostile mindset that goes with it.

Hexenbiest (female) and Zauberbiest (male) are witch and warlock- type Wesen. Their decaying flesh makes them appear somewhat like zombies.

As if all this weren’t enough, Nick’s police captain, the Zauberbiest Sean Renard (Sasha Roiz), is now running for mayor of Portland, backed by a cabal of anti-human Wesen. Further, Renard also has a child with Adalind, and is trying to help retrieve the missing daughter.

To say that Nick doesn’t have a lot of downtime is an understatement.

The GRIMM company commemorated its milestone hundredth episode first with a huge party for its fans in Portland, where the series is made, and then with a question-and-answer panel for the membership of the Screen Actors Guild at the union’s Los Angeles headquarters.

Prior to the panel, there’s a red carpet for the panelists. Giuntoli, Mitchell, Tulloch, Coffee and Roiz, plus Russell Hornsby (Nick’s police partner Hank Griffin), Bree Turner (Monroe’s fox-like wife Rosalee) and Reggie Lee (the wisecracking Sergeant Wu) all make time for a cadre of reporters and photographers.

Giuntoli, born in Wisconsin and raised in Missouri, recently completed filming the comedy BUDDYMOON, which also stars GRIMM co star Coffee. Earlier this year, he appeared in the action drama 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI.

By the time Giuntoli gets to this reporter’s end of the press line, the panel is due to start momentarily and time is short, but he’s still able to offer some answers about the topics of the day.

For starters, some of the other actors have expressed sentiments ranging from startled to complete disbelief that GRIMM has lasted so long.

Is Giuntoli surprised or just gratified at the show’s longevity?

“I’m only pleased. I’m not surprised. I had faith in it from the beginning.”

How is playing the father of an infant? Giuntoli flashes a fond smile.

“That’s the best. Except those babies cry, and our scenes go over, time-wise.”

Then there’s Nick’s relationship with the baby’s mother, Adalind.

Does he still harbor feelings for Juliette that color his interactions with her new incarnation as Eve, or does he love Adalind?

“Well, I actually don’t know the answer to your last question, but Juliette isn’t there anymore, so I think he’s kind of weirded out by it and had to move on.”

And how does Giuntoli think Nick has changed over the five seasons thus far?

“Nick is very much a take-charge guy now,” Giuntoli responds. “He very much owns all of his responsibilities, and I don’t think he knew how to do that originally.”

Interview by Abbie Bernstein