In Season 4 of the NBC series Grimm, Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) must deal with the sudden and unexpected loss of his Grimm abilities, digging deep to decide what type of person he wants to be.  Meanwhile, he must still train recently discovered Grimm, Teresa “Trubel” Rubel (Jacqueline Toboni), to both help her stay alive and to get her help with the Wesen he can no longer see.

During this recent interview to promote the return of Grimm, actor David Giuntoli talked about how Nick is going to be handling the fact that he is no longer a Grimm, where Nick’s focus is now, how his relationships will change, what it’s been like to have Jacqueline Toboni on the show, the fun of getting to play his character in a different way, how terrifying it is for Nick to know that there are things out there that he can no longer see, the Wesen that will be on this season, returning to the key storyline, the connection between Adalind (Claire Coffee) and Nick, and whether Wu (Reggie Lee) might ever find out what’s really going on.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

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Question:  How is Nick going to be handling the fact that he is no longer a Grimm and can no longer see Wesen?

DAVID GIUNTOLI:  Yes, Grimm powers are gone from Nick, and he’s enjoying his new normalcy, in a lot of ways, but he also knows that the Wesen are out there.  So first and foremost, he’s going to be using Trubel as his seeing eye Grimm.  He is going to be tapping on Monroe’s shoulder quite a bit.  He’s going to be using his team of Wesen and Grimms to try to do what he used to be able to do.  But he doesn’t have his powers anymore, and that means that not only can he not see the Wesen, he’s just not as powerful as he was.

Now that Nick is no longer a Grimm, which of his other qualities do you think he’ll be focusing on more? 

GIUNTOLI:  He has to focus on being a cop again.  He used to solve crimes without having blatant tells as to who did this.  So now, he has to remember that he was a good detective and start solving cases the old-fashioned way, through evidence.

How will his relationships change this season?

GIUNTOLI:  Even though Nick is not a Grimm, there’s no peace that comes with it.  We know about the world and what’s going on out there, and they know about us.  So, I depend more on Monroe and I depend more on Trubel.  She and I grow very close.  That’s what you’ll be seeing.

How will the team’s relationship with Trubel evolve, now that they really need her?

GIUNTOLI:  She becomes more ingrained in the fabric of our lives.  I desperately need to teach her what it is to be a Grimm.  It’s not just a free pass to go kick Wesen ass, all day long.  I try to show her the finer points, and tell her to actually try to use the law before going all rogue and Grimm.  She lives under the same roof with Juliette and I, so she becomes like a daughter figure to us.

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What’s it been like to have Jacqueline Toboni on the show?

GIUNTOLI:  Jacqueline Toboni was just such a breath of fresh air on our set.  She’s so fresh and talented and eager.  It seems as though Grimms can only be Italian Americans.  There’s Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, David Giuntoli and Jacqueline Toboni.  I don’t know if that’s what they’re going for, but it happened, and we love it.  And she’s incredible.  She’s like a little sis.

The show is called Grimm because you were a Grimm, but now you’re not.  What do you think about this whole storyline, and what’s it like to play Nick in a different way?

GIUNTOLI:  It’s fun to just be a normal dude again, who is still somehow tormented by knowing that there is this other world out there.  He’s no longer really a part of it.  He’s just adjacent to it.  I’m playing it like it was a great loss of a loved one.  This thing that I hated so much, in the beginning, and then slowly came to really love and depend on, is now gone.  It was a painful process to go through, but the bright side is that it could make things better for Juliette and me.

What was your initial reaction to getting that Season 3 finale script and seeing that Nick would be losing his powers?

GIUNTOLI:  I don’t know. I was excited.  It’s always fun to play these new situations.  I knew it would shake things up because I would now be needing the use of a young, inexperienced, off-the-cuff Grimm, with Trubel.  And I knew that that would create a lot of problems.  But I was excited to see what would happen with Juliette and Nick’s relationship, and how his new identity as just a detective and normal guy would shape his relationships.

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The season finale left everyone in some state of chaos.  What can you say to tease where everyone is at, coming back?

GIUNTOLI:  Oh, boy.  So, Adalind and Nick are now connected in some magical, horrible way.  I don’t know if I can say why.  I certainly can’t say how this all ends.  Monroe and Rosalee have postponed their honeymoon, due to the chaos that’s ensued.  Wu is getting very suspicious of what he’s been seeing.  I’m freaking out because my Grimm is gone.  Hank’s just having a good time.  Everybody is in a state of chaos, and that never really ends on our show.

How terrifying is it for Nick to know that there are threats out there that he can no longer see?

GIUNTOLI:  It’s very terrifying, on that level, and it’s also just difficult, on a human level.  He had this identity, and it’s no longer attached to him.  It’s like he lost an important job.  His whole reason for living was to battle these Wesen.  He had the rare blood to be able to see evil, and now it’s gone.

What can you say about the Wesen that we’re going to see in this new season?

GIUNTOLI:  In one of my favorite episodes of the season, we deal with the Chupacabra.  We have many new wonderful Wesen. We have the Gedachtnis Esser, which is the Octopus Man.  We have the Schinderdiv demon beast with chin fangs.  We have a golem, which is a piece of Jewish folklore.  So, we go all over the place.

What is going to happen with the Chupacabra?

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Image via NBC

GIUNTOLI:  I can say that we have to use Juliette quite a bit.  She has a mastery of the Spanish language, so she needs to help Nick and Hank and Monroe out.  We learn the actual origin of what the Chupacabra is and its relation to the Wesen community, and it’s an interesting take.

Last season, Nick was zombified and actually ended up getting some extra powers.  Were those tied to your Grimm powers?

GIUNTOLI:  They’re gone with the Grimm powers.  If I become a Grimm again, I get the whole deck of cards back.  But now, I’m just a dude.

Are we ever going to get back to the key storyline?

GIUNTOLI:  Oh, yes, without a doubt.  We will be getting back to the key storyline.  People are after the key.  And the more Grimms out there, the more people are going to be hunting for those Grimms to get those keys.

Given Nick’s connection with Adalind, what will the impact of that be, on the future for Nick and Juliette?

GIUNTOLI:  The Nick and Adalind spell links us in a very profound and mysterious way.  Something goes down, in order to reverse a spell that she has put on me, that is just crazy.  It affects Juliette and I, in a very intense way.

Do you think Wu will ever find out about Nick, and that Wesen are real, or do you think he should remain in the dark?

GIUNTOLI:  That’s a very good question.  I think that there’s going to come a point where he’s going to have to find out.  I don’t think he should take it too easily, and I don’t think he will if he does.  But yes, I think that he will, at one point, have to find out.  I think it’s fun that he does not know, at this point, but the poor guy is being driven insane.

What kind of film roles are you interested in?

GIUNTOLI:  I actually wrote a feature project, this summer, that I shot and filmed with two good friends of mine.  It’s a complete departure from what I normally do.  It’s a comedy.  I play more of the straight man.  That will be soon named and soon out, and I’m excited for it to happen.

Grimm airs on Friday nights on NBC.