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How would you describe Dracula, leader of the vampires and of Wallachia in Castlevania? Aside from "fancy pants" and "has father-son issues," some might call Dracula the "embodiment of evil." But to Castlevania: Belmont's Curse actor Graham McTavish, ol' Daddy Drac is so much more than a villain. 

At PAX West 2026's Konami panel, McTavish was asked what it was like playing a character like Dracula who is the "embodiment of all evil." McTavish challenged the "embodiment of evil" characterization.

"The thing is, I obviously don't see Dracula as the embodiment of evil. He's got a tough gig. He's immortal and all the things that go with being a vampire, and he falls in love," McTavish began. 

"In my understanding, anyway, the guy's a romantic, rather than just simply the embodiment of evil. He doesn't wake up every morning - well, some mornings - he wakes up and thinks, 'How evil can I be today?' But not every morning. He probably takes the weekends off, and that's when he's in the dog park or something like that," McTavish joked. 

This isn't the first time that McTavish has played Dracula. Previously, he voiced him in the animated Castlevania series, and he's also played him onstage. And with so many experiences embodying Dracula, McTavish has come to grow fond of the character. 

"And the thing about that character is that he's endlessly fascinating, I think. We have a deep fascination with someone like Dracula. The idea of being cursed with immortality, I suppose, is the conundrum that Dracula presents. That something that we yearn for as humans, the idea that we're all going to die, is something that, I think, sometimes fills us with trepidation and fear, and all the usual things. And the temptation of being immortal, and what that entails, and what you sacrifice, and what that leads to," McTavish reflected. 

Dracula certainly gets in his feelings a lot, just like any Romantic in a frilly shirt would be. So maybe let's not be so quick to judge?

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse will be out October 15, 2026. 

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