Batgirl’s Leslie Grace Finally Has Another Project, And It’s About Vampires
Batgirl’s Leslie Grace is set to produce and star in a vampire comedy podcast called How to Win Friends and Disappear People, as detailed by Deadline. Podcast network QCode will host the comedy-thriller in 2023. Producers say the podcast will bring vampire lore to the modern world.
The series is created, written, and directed by Sophia Lopez, known for writing on Starz’s Hightown. Starring alongside Leslie Grace is Katrina Bowden (formerly of 30 Rock), Rico Rodriguez (of Modern Family), Soni Nicole Bringas (seen in Fuller House), James Paxton (Eyewitness), and Carlos Jamie Alaraqui (of Reno 911!)
Leslie Grace is joined on the production not only by the creator Sophia Lopez, but QCode founder Rob Herting as well. Michele Zarate, Sandra Yee Ling, and Alexa Gabrielle Ramirez round out the rest of the production team.
The story centers on Grace’s character El and her friend Nancy (Nicole Bringas). The two meet and bond in the social media-driven world of New York City millennials. As the two get closer, Nancy discovers that El is a centuries-old vampire.
Nancy is pulled into a dark and alluring world and a toxic friendship with El as she slowly becomes her familiar. The story touches on themes of codependency and the dark side of female bonds. Leslie Grace expressed excitement and gratitude to be part of this series about unlikely friends.
Former CAA agent Rob Herting founded the series’ host QCOde in 2018 in partnership with Automatik and Grandview. Herting called the series perfect for true crime lovers and fans of comedy-thrillers alike. QCode is onto something. Vampire comedies in modern settings are having a moment.
When What We Do in the Shadows premiered on FX in 2019, audiences made it clear that they were ready for the genre. In the FX mockumentary, ancient vampires struggle to make friends and cope with the modern world, to the delight of irreverent fans everywhere. Much like Leslie Grace’s new podcast, the series makes vampires relatable.
The podcast isn’t the only voice work Leslie Grace has done. She’s also an accomplished singer/songwriter. Listeners of How to Win Friends and Disappear People will be treated to her professionally honed talent as the comedy unfolds. Grace has earned multiple Latin Grammy Award nominations.
Aside from her roles in Batgirl and In the Heights, Grace is also credited as an extra in the film Life, albeit under a variation of her name. She’s also released two studio albums and an EP. Her second album, Leslie Grace, was released in 2013 and debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums list. The album took the second spot in the Tropical Albums list.
Grace’s role in How to Win Friends and Disappear People makes good casting sense. Not only is she delightfully talented with a proven voice, but she gives the character authenticity. Leslie Grace was born in the Bronx and understands New York City at a cellular level. She’s the perfect person to portray a vampire who may have walked the streets of New York for hundreds of years.
