Dan Cade has captured our curiosity as Roberto on this season of the Syfy series, Van Helsing. PopWire caught up with the London-based actor to discuss his casting process, details about his character, and more.
Prior to landing his role on the post-apocalyptic drama, Dan Cade (“Absentia”) was already familiar with the series — he’d seen and admired the work involved.
Coincidentally, the actor knew someone vital to the show, who informed him of its shooting locations for its fifth and final season. “A friend of mine got in touch with me in November, 2019 to tell me Van Helsing was shooting in Europe, and I should get on it,” Cade tells us.
“Little did I know, she was assisting the Vancouver casting, so I sent her my up-to-date demo reels and they had me audition for [the character] Roberto. I taped for it and in January, 2020, I got the news I had the role, which was great! I knew of the show beforehand and loved the concept and always thought I would be right for the show, so I was a fan of their work.”
Cade describes Roberto as an “intense” and “strange” hunter who uses the darkness and his skills to his advantage. “He is sharp, precise and loyal to the cause,” he says. “A true vampire hunter.”
He is also very much a protector of Bathory, a Bridesmaid of the Dark One, played by Jesse Stanley (“The Stand”). “Roberto is loyal to Bathroy and is her sidekick and assist’s her in hunting The Sisterhood,” he says. “Roberto is her right hand man who is always there for her, protecting her and by her side.” It’s too bad he wasn’t able to protect her from eventually becoming the Oracle.
Unfortunately for those invested in Roberto, we are sorry to say that Friday night will most likely be the last time we see the handsome vampire hunter. “Roberto is only in the first 3 episodes,” he reveals, “so unless there is a spin-off or another season, this is the only way the character will come back.”
During his brief stint on Van Helsing, Cade had some great memories from the set with his co-stars. “Jesse Stanley, who plays Bathory, and myself would do acting warm up exercises, which consisted of lots of strange sounds before we would do the takes, which was pretty entertaining on the set,” he shares. “Nicole [Muñoz], who plays Jack, would join in and we would end up saying all the dialogue in very strange voices and accents, which was pretty funny!”
Production of the final season halted for some time due to the global pandemic, but fortunately for Dan, his episodes had already wrapped in Europe prior. “I was lucky that I just missed Covid when filming Van Helsing,” he says relieved. “I finished right before the pandemic started. The rest of the episodes were slightly delayed in Canada due to Covid.”
Though the timing was just right for work on the Syfy series pre-pandemic, Dan did share that he has done some work during the health crisis and that it has been an adjustment. “I have filmed other projects during Covid and it is not easy,” he says, “but it can be done with the right safety measures in place.”
Of his final episode, titled “Lumina Intunecata,” where his character Roberto is sure to leave an impact, Dan Cade teased what viewers can expect. “[Friday’s episode] is full of action, thrills and chases,” he says. “You may even get to see me kill some vampires!!!”
Van Helsing airs Fridays at 10pm on Syfy.
Additional reporting by Rowell E.