By Shannon McGrew
In Prime Video's HAZBIN HOTEL, we follow Charlie, the princess of Hell, as she pursues her seemingly impossible goal of rehabilitating demons to peacefully reduce overpopulation in her kingdom. After a yearly extermination imposed by angels, she opens a hotel in the hopes that patrons will be "checking out" into Heaven. While most of Hell mocks her goal, her devoted partner Vaggie, and their first test subject, adult-film star Angel Dust, stick by her side. When a powerful entity known as the "Radio Demon" reaches out to assist Charlie in her endeavors, her crazy dream is given a chance to become a reality.
For the release of Prime Video's HAZBIN HOTEL, Creepy Kingdom's Shannon McGrew spoke with actors Kimiko Glenn, Blake Roman, and Amir Talai who voice Niffty, Angel Dust, and Alastor, respectively. During the interview, they discussed everything from the show's demonic charm to the unique appeal of the story.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to speak with me today about HAZBIN HOTEL! To kick things off, can you give us some insight into who each of your characters are?
Kimiko Glenn: I play Niffty, the maid of Hazbin Hotel. She's demonic, maniacal, adorable, horrifying - she's all of it.
Blake Roman: I play Angel Dust who is an A-lister porn star in Hell and Hazbin Hotel's first guest seeking redemption, or at least Charlie hopes will attain redemption. He is lusty, independent, extremely sexual, but he also puts up a front to hide a more sensitive, vulnerable interior.
Amir Talai: I play Alastor who is also known as the Radio Demon. He's one of the most powerful overlords in Hell. He decides to help Charlie but it remains to be seen why.
When it came to breathing life into your characters, were there any specific attributes you brought to the character that weren't already there?
Blake Roman: We are imbuing them with our own personalities and our own special undefinable characteristics that make us who we are. It's a cool thing to see and read something on the page and then to hear it match up and how it breathes life into the words when you actually have some people at the mic.
What was it about the script that initially caught your interest?
Kimiko Glenn: It's unlike anything I had seen. It's so exciting to have a cartoon set in Hell. It's an endless world, there are so many layers to it that they spell out before you that it doesn't feel expositional at all. It just feels like fun information that sets your brain afire. What does Heaven look like? Who's the first person to get redeemed? How does this all work out? I want to get to know the angels, I want to get to know my character, and I want to get to know everyone. Everyone is so intriguing.
What did you find most enjoyable about voicing your character?
Blake Roman: What I found most fun about voicing this character is that Angel goes through so many different emotional moments. I love the horror genre, but I'm also super critical of it as well. I like watching stuff that's not steeped in a million jump scares or simply there to just repulse you. [HAZBIN HOTEL] uses as many layers as it can to draw you in. Then it starts to hit you that these characters have such depth to them. What makes it scary is that you start caring about them so much. Then, when they're put in impossible situations your heart starts beating fast because you're afraid of what's going to happen to them.
Kimiko Glenn: That's how I felt about Sir Pentious! I was like, why do I suddenly think he's the best ever? I was like no, don't do anything to him we must protect him at all costs! [As for my character], I like seeing how they filled in the blanks. Niffty's a one line queen. I love her. She pops in, says the funniest shit, does the weirdest thing and then everyone's like, we're just going to pretend that didn't happen [Laughs]. The way she was animated she has this creepy, innocent look about her. To see how everyone reacts to her and how she exists in the world was super surprising and just so fucking fun for me to watch.
Amir Talai: Alastor has that smile plastered on his face and the most fun thing about exploring him was when the evil cracks start showing themselves until he truly breaks open and you get the full Alastor.
To bring things to a close, HAZBIN HOTEL has amassed quite the fan base. What do you hope fans of the series and newcomers like myself take away from the series?
Amir Talai: Like Kimiko mentioned, there's nothing like it. I think that fans and newbies are going to enjoy the immense heart, the non-stop jokes, and the out-of-this-world music. Whether you knew about the show before or not, those things are going to be there. It's a crowd-pleaser and the heart sneaks up on you.
Blake Roman: I think the biggest thing I would want people to take away from watching the show is that they hopefully saw themselves in what we're doing here. It's a story that's meant to represent all spectrums of personalities and identities. I think it's a story that's inclusive of so many people's personal stories too. Redemption is a ubiquitous moral dilemma that we are all handling throughout our lives.
Kimiko Glenn: I think for me, very selfishly, I want to see the fan-fiction. That's what I'm personally excited for [Laughs].
The first season of HAZBIN HOTEL consists of eight-episodes. The first four episodes are available to stream now on Prime Video with two episodes rolling out weekly through February 2nd.