Is ‘Grimm’s Wu Turning Werewolf? Reggie Lee Previews His Character’s Hairy New Problem

This is not a good time to be Drew Wu. The hilariously cocky police sergeant of NBC’s Grimm—played by Reggie Lee—was recently scratched in a confrontation with a werewolf-like creature known as a Lycanthrope. Now he’s experiencing the most alarming symptoms—night sweats, crazy dreams, ghastly headaches—and when he woges during a full moon he looks downright Cro-Magnon. So far he’s managed to keep his condition a secret from his trusty partners at the Portland PD, Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby). But the jig’s up in the Friday, April 29 episode—titled “Taming of the Wu”—when the sickly sarge commits an unspeakable act that cannot be ignored. Lee gave us a preview.

With all these horrible symptoms, why isn’t Wu calling a doctor? Wouldn’t you be on the phone immediately if you were coughing up creepy, bloody hairballs?
I’m a total hypochondriac in real life, so you damn well bet Reggie Lee would be calling a doctor! [Laughs] And then the doctor would probably put me in a mental hospital. I mean, try explaining this situation! Wu is sprouting hair where it doesn’t belong. He passed out at the precinct. He’s having very weird, primal, animalistic dreams where he’s out in the forest hunting but the dreams are so muddy he doesn’t know if they are memories or illusions. So Wu is really in denial. He just holds it in until the bubble bursts, which is exactly what happens in this next episode.

Wu won’t even open up to Nick and Hank about this.
Well, don’t forget that those guys took their sweet time telling Wu about the whole weird Wesen world, so there’s a trust factor at play here. He was the last person invited into the club. So there’s real fear there, especially as things get freakier and freakier. What’s going to happen if he tells Nick and Hank? Will he lose his job? Will they take him down? Will they kill him?

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Wu’s plight parallels Adalind’s, in that they’re both struggling with inner demons—literally—and Nick is certainly making some compromised choices now that his baby mama is once again a Hexenbiest. Why wouldn’t he cut Wu some slack?
Can Wu really trust that friendship? Though Nick has worked with Wu the longest, Wu is the least in the loop about Nick’s personal life. How close are they really? Wu doesn’t know, so he’s not going to take a chance.

Do you think Wu secretly suspects he’s turning Wesen?
He’s not stupid. He got a pretty big scratch. But, at the same time, he’s been through the Grimm books and has been schooled by Nick and it’s been established that humans cannot turn into Wesen. He has no idea we’re dealing with a virus here.

Silas Weir Mitchell (Monroe), Bree Turner (Rosalee) with Lee

Could this be a disease that’s not curable but manageable? And, if so, is there maybe an upside to all this?
Wu could become completely rabid and go crazy, or maybe this is something that can be harnessed and used for good. In that regard, it’s exciting. If Wu actually had a power, he’d be so jazzed! He always hides behind his sarcasm but he’s really a very vulnerable guy. He has no one in his life. He lives alone, except for his cat…a cat that you never see anymore.

Things only get worse for Wu this week when he’s caught committing a deed that is beyond illegal. What’s he going to do now?
It’s bad. There’s no way Wu can hide it from Nick and Hank. Again more questions: Is this going to put him away for life? Did he actually do this deed with his own hands? Has he done things like this before and he doesn’t remember? Is he a danger to the people he cares about? And how does he live with himself, morally speaking, after what he’s done? There are so many legal and emotional issues.

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Speaking of issues, NBC’s decision to pick up Grimm for 13 episodes rather than for a full season does not seem like good news. Should we Grimmsters be panicking?
No. Here’s what we’ve been told: NBC loves the show. It’s a moneymaker for the network and it has a huge international fan base. But they have so many shows on their plate right now that they didn’t want to give us a full order right away. They’re saying we’ll do a minimum of 13. I’m not worried about it. I think we’ll be fine.

So you actors weren’t surprised then?
Oh, the 13-episode order was certainly news to us but we understood it. NBC wants to see what they can pair us with. You know, Grimm has never had a lead-in or a lead-out that has worked. But you never know. This next season may be the last, but if it is I know that our writers and showrunners are going to go balls out. [Laughs] As if they’ve ever held back!

Grimm, Fridays, 9/8c, NBC