Here's this one [MENTION=3700]H5N1[/MENTION] [MENTION=4329]legendx66[/MENTION] sticky it and then I'll close it until the interviews are ready

 

[h=1]Michael Cudlitz Interview Part Two[/h] by Brian Huntington February 23rd, 2014
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Now that we’ve all seen Episode 411, we thought we’d check in with Michael Cudlitz for more about Abraham! If you missed part one, check it out HERE.
The Walking Dead: You mentioned before [see previous interview] that Abraham has this troubled past in the comic book, and this is not the first time you’ve played a soldier, in Band of Brothers for instance. And in Dark Tourist, you play a deeply troubled man with secrets. Do you feel like this role kind of marries a lot of what you’ve done in the past?
Michael Cudlitz: Everything takes a little bit of you, a little bit of what you’ve done. You get a second chance at certain things, ones you might hope you get to do a little bit differently. But with Abraham, I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it is sort of a marriage between Jim Tahana and Denver Randleman. There’s a lot of that rage that’s underneath that will be tapped, I can guarantee that, and I love that. I want the way he handled the people who handled his family… I want to see that. But I want to see it when it’s earned. With Episode 411, I’m not in a rage, I mean, I love this guy [Glenn]! I’m not gonna kill him because he doesn’t wanna join our group. But in a life or death situation, when someone pisses him off… too f**king bad, dude, you’re done. There’s no in-between with him. And if it’s dead, you just f**king kill it. It’s never been clearer.
I do love that he’s mission-oriented, it is all about the NCOs [non-comissioned officers]. They don’t come up with the plan, they execute an element of the plan, and that’s what he’s doing. He’s got his mission. He doesn’t know how to fix the whole thing, but he knows how to get this element from point A to point B and that’s what he’s gonna do. And that is really a wonderful sort of way to operate as far as what’s your goal and as an actor to perform with having that one end-game in sight. It’s awesome, and everything that pulls you away from it just f**ks you up more. We have to stick to the mission, and what happens when you can’t stick to the mission? That’s what we’re gonna explore. It’s exciting.
TWD: You mentioned the fight with Glenn. How was it fighting with Steven Yuen? Did you land any real punches?
Cudlitz: No, not at all, but he was fantastic. They were actually keeping it a little too precious, and we kinda wanted to go for it knowing the rough blocking and the grappling on the floor, and we said let’s just roll and let’s just do it. We know what we’re doing, no one is really landing any punches. But you know, like he says later, he loves to fight. When [CENSORED FOR YOUR SPOILER SAFETY]. When there’s this opportunity, Abraham’s like alright motherf**ker, let’s go.
TWD: Your fight is broken up when you get attacked by a nice little herd. How is it hanging out with zombies on the set?
Cudlitz: That was awesome. That was the first kill, felt good about it. I know I’m gonna get a bunch of shit from people who are firearms guys because I shoot that one walker in the head with a Dessert Eagle with one hand—too f**king bad because I just envisioned how you guys would do it in the comics and if it were the comics he would definitely be holding it with one hand.
TWD: In these first episodes you hung out a lot with Stephen and Alanna. Was it a while before you hung out with other cast members?
Cudlitz: The cast is really close as you guys know. Everybody reached out to me when I first got hired. Emails, phone calls, just to say hi and welcome, and then they all popped up on set to say hello early on when we were working. Days sometimes overlap too, where the first half of the day is the A story and the second half is the B story, so everyone’s coming in for makeup or haircuts or coloring so everyone’s around for quite a bit so I had a lot of interaction with quite a bit of the cast on set. I didn’t really interact with anyone off set, though, because I was kind of laying low because we didn’t announce until New York Comic Con. So the idea was to keep myself laying low. I mean, you’re walking around with bright red hair and a handlebar mustache in Atlanta, someone’s gonna figure it out. [Laughs]
Again, a huge thanks to Michael for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk with us. Such a cool guy, I can’t wait to see what he brings to the character of Abraham and what the writers have in store for us.

http://www.thewalkingdead.com/michael-cudlitz-interview-part-two/

 

http://www.thewalkingdead.com/episode-411-post-mortem-with-robert-kirkman/

[h=1]Episode 411 Post-Mortem with Robert Kirkman[/h] by Lizzy Iverson February 23rd, 2014
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Once again, we’ve got Robert Kirkman talking about the latest episode of The Walking Dead, “Claimed.”
TheWalkingDead.com: I think in both the comics and the show the characters have this notion that when you’re settled in somewhere, you’re safe, and when you’re on the road, you’re in danger. But honestly, being settled seems to just make you a target. At this point in the apocalypse, do you think they’re really safer settling, or is being on the move the safest path?
Robert Kirkman: That’s actually something that gets discussed in the comic book series at a certain point, so I wouldn’t want to spoil anything, but it is certainly beginning to look like being mobile is a good way to avoid being boxed in or avoid drawing attention to yourself. That very well may come into play in the series very soon.
TWD: Speaking of danger, Rick has a run-in with a new group of strangers, including character actor Jeff Kober. He’s one of those guys that you see and instantly recognize but can’t remember where. I think he’s been in every major show ever made [including, but not limited to, Sons of Anarchy, It Always Sunny, New Girl, CSI, 24, ER, Buffy, and way more]. Are you allowed to tell us if we’ll be seeing more of him?
Kirkman: I think it would be very strange if we didn’t since he’s such a recognizable actor. It was kind of by design. I’m actually really proud about how it all ended up. It’s almost hard to spot him the way things are edited and the way the episode goes. His character is definitely going to be returning again and it will happen when you least expect it.
TWD: When they’re in the house, Rick doesn’t hesitate to use violence against these guys. Is it safe to say that farmer Rick is dead and buried?
Kirkman: Yeah, farmer Rick kind of went away during the beating he took from the Governor. I think this is a guy who’s very much back on his heels at this point. He’s trying to do whatever he can to survive. Rick has always been a character who recognizes you have to have certain preparations in order to survive in this world, and farmer Rick only emerged because of the safety that the Prison provided, so now that that’s been taken away we’re certainly going to be seeing Rick Grimes rise to the challenge of being on his own again. What we saw this episode is a big part of that.
TWD: Carl and Michonne’s friendship continues to blossom in this episode. What do you think Carl sees in Michonne? What bonds them?
Kirkman: I think at this point, Carl would be clinging to anyone to try to have a connection to someone outside of his father. He’s had a great many people that he cared a lot about taken away from him. He’s also definitely formed a bond with Michonne in the past, and there’s a lot of intricacies to how that bond works and what both characters are getting out of it. Specifically, that will come to pass in upcoming episodes, so there’s definitely still a lot to be revealed when it comes to Michonne and Carl.
TWD: It’s great to see the two of them bond the way they do over crazy cheese.
Kirkman: Indeed. I think Danai [Gurira] ate like four gallons of that cheese during the filming of that scene.
TWD: We talked about Abraham last week, but this week get to see a lot more of him and what drives him. He was introduced WAY BACK in 2008, but do you remember what inspired him?
Kirkman: I think Abraham as a character in both of the comic and the show represents a drive to alter the story, and he’s also a catalyst to keep things fresh. In both instances, he brought with him new challenges and new situations for the characters to deal with. He also opens up the world. He’s from another part of the country, he’s seen different things and had his own unique experiences and he’s going to be bringing what he’s learned to the group, so the idea behind the introduction of Abraham is to shake things up. And I think we’re going to see that Michael Cudlitz is going to provide that and then some. Introducing new characters is a way to open up the world without leaving behind the characters and seeing too much. But we always get those little snippets and tidbits of information about how things are going down in other areas.
TWD: We noticed some sneakily placed Super Dinosaur comics this episode. This isn’t the first time a Skybound comic has popped up. We’re obviously big fans of that, who’s the one sneaking those into the show?
Kirkman: Well, that early scene in the [Season 4] premiere, where Michonne comes back with comics, we set aside a pile of books aside for that scene. And so the comics have shown up here and there as the season has progressed. Though, I do want to state specifically that it is not me being on set going, “Hey, put my comic over there!” Sometimes I see them and I’m like, “Aw, you’re gonna see my comic there? Come on!” But it’s certainly a cool thing and I hope [Super Dinosaur artist] Jason Howard likes the appearance. We’ll see.
TWD: Well, getting more readers for Super Dinosaur is an awesome thing. It’s a good book.
Kirkman: Super Dinosaur is one of the coolest comics ever made, so… I think it will benefit the Walking Dead show immensely to have it appear on screen.



That’s it for this week! Tune in next week for another chat with Robert!

 

Will post the text later, Eugene Hollywood Reporter
http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/entry/view/id/42913

 

[h=1]'Walking Dead' Dissection: Does Eugene Know What Caused the Outbreak?[/h] 7:00 PM PST 2/23/2014 by Lesley Goldberg
[h=2]New series regular Josh McDermitt talks with THR about what to expect from Eugene and how the character compares to his comic book counterpart.[/h]

AMC
"The Walking Dead's" Josh McDermitt as Eugene

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from The Walking Dead episode 411, "Claimed," as well as the comic book series it is based on.]

AMC's The Walking Dead introduced a new threat Sunday and resurfaced the show's most basic question during "Claimed," when a new group of violent strangers arrived at Rick's place and Abraham, Eugene and Rosita's mission was revealed.

During the hour, Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Carl (Chandler Riggs) head out for supplies -- and some bonding time -- leaving Rick unarmed at the house where he's woken up by a group of scavengers looking to claim the place as their own. While Michonne shares her heartbreaking history with Carl -- she had a 3-year-old son named Andre whom she lost after the outbreak -- Rick (Andrew Lincoln) kills and sneaks his way out of the house. As the new strangers, including a mysterious character played by Sons of Anarchy's Jeff Kober, wait to presumably have their way with the woman of the house (Gasp!), Rick spies Michonne and Carl and is able to detour the duo away from the new threat, ultimately finding a sign advertising a new Sanctuary and opting to seek safety from the uncertain road ahead. It's the same community that Tyreese (Chad Coleman), Carol (Melissa McBride), Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino), Mika (Kyla Kenedy) and baby Judith are headed toward. (For its part, AMC declined comment on just whom Kober is playing and if we'd see him again.)
Meanwhile, Glenn (Steven Yeun) wakes up to find himself a new member of Abraham's Army -- and on a truck, a good three hours past the bus he last saw Maggie (Lauren Cohan) on. After Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) stops the truck, Glenn parts ways with the group in a bid to find Maggie. Being the soldier that he is, Abraham makes a plea for Glenn to remain in the group and stick with them on their mission. He reveals that they're on a classified mission to get Eugene (Retired at 35'sJosh McDermitt), a scientist who knows what caused the zombie outbreak, to Washington, D.C., after the government stopped responding on his satellite phone. As Abraham insists Glenn give up his search for Maggie and instead opt to survive, Eugene accidentally (or intentionally?) shoots holes in the truck's gas tank during a walker attack, rendering the vehicle useless and allowing Glenn to more easily go after Maggie. It's at that point that Rosita (Twilight's Christian Serratos) turns the tide with her boyfriend, Abraham, and follows Glenn, as Eugene almost orders the soldier to follow.

The Hollywood Reporter caught up with McDermitt to grill the new series regular about whether Eugene, like his comics counterpart, is lying about what he knows in order to remain safe in a world in which he wouldn't survive on his own, the mysterious new Sanctuary that everyone is slowly finding and what's ahead.

How much did you know about The Walking Dead before you were cast?
I knew it was a comic, but I hadn't read it. I didn't get caught up on the comics until after I was cast. But it was my favorite TV show. We would have friends over and cook dinner and watch. It's a dream to be working on the show; I didn't think I would ever get an audition for it, let alone to be working on it. (Laughs.)
What was the audition process like? Did you know you'd be playing Eugene?
They're very secretive about casting and I didn't know who the character was or if he was in the comics. I was just trying to focus on the information that they gave me. After I was cast, I had a long conversation with [showrunner] Scott Gimple and that's when he told me I was playing Eugene -- and he has a mullet. I got really excited because it's a fun character. I never thought I'd be on a drama looking like an idiot with a mullet!

Is that your real hair? Did you actually have to grow a mullet?!

Luckily, my hair was already grown out. I was actually going to get a haircut the week that the audition came down, but something happened and I didn't get to it. I'm a natural blond, and they cut my hair into a flattop and left the longer hair in the back so they could clip in extensions and dye it all brown. When they take those extensions out, I look ridiculous. I was so embarrassed running around that I asked someone to take me to the store so I could get a hat because I was so mortified at what I looked like. They took me to Wal-Mart and I walked in and there were like five people with the same haircut. I thought, "You know what? I'm OK." (Laughs.)

What kind of relationship on the show does Eugene have with Abraham?
The Abraham, Rosita and Eugene dynamic is a lot like a couple brothers and a sister on a long road trip. When you're cooped up with someone for a long time, you're going to fight, argue and bicker with each other, but, at the end of the day, you're like family and you're going to have each other's backs. On the surface, some of the other characters might look at Abraham and Eugene and say, "Abraham's running the show." But I really think Eugene is running the show, especially after he shoots up their truck and everyone takes off. Glenn (Steven Yeun) heads up the road and Tara follows him. And then Rosita follows and Eugene steps up next to Abraham and says, "This way's clear, who knows what's that way. Trust me, I'm smarter then you," and he just starts walking. That tells you the dynamic between these guys. You might think Abraham calls the shots being the ex-military guy and as much of a badass as he is killing walkers all the time, but Eugene is the brains and he's the one really running the show.

So far, Eugene, Rosita and Abraham's story is very similar to the comics. Considering Gimple's remix approach to the show and comics, what kind of differences can we expect from Eugene?
The really cool thing about when you're playing a comic book character is that no one knows what he sounds like. We see that Eugene speaks very quickly and he is very knowledgeable, with an enormous brain, but he lacks emotion; it's dry and emotionless. We haven't really jumped into these characters enough yet to really look at the differences in what we're going to see in the show as it compares to the comics. I know that's coming, but, as we get further in this season, we're going to see these characters come to life a little more and jump into their backstories, and that's where we're going to see the differences. But they're going to be pretty close to what they were in the comics.

Eugene claims to know who caused the outbreak. How much does he really know about this?

We're introduced to these characters as they're in the middle of their mission. They've been driving halfway across the country to get Eugene to D.C., and I don't think they're going to stop. It's going to take a lot for them to not make their way to D.C. Eugene is always the smartest guy in the room, but he also doesn't want a lot of people in that room because you never know who could be smarter. And when people start asking questions, then maybe some of the things that Eugene has been saying start to unravel a bit. So it's going to be interesting to see how Eugene is able to keep the group on the road and away from other people so people don't start asking questions. Ultimately, people will find out the truth.

One of the things that they're likely to find about is his satellite phone, which we know from the comics doesn't work. How did Eugene convince everyone about that and his ties to the government?

When Glenn asks what's going on with their trip to D.C., Eugene replies that it's classified. That's government speak. Abraham was a soldier and he gets that there are people above him who have more knowledge than he does. Eugene steps away and says, "I need to discuss this with the people back in Washington," and he just hopes that Abraham doesn't walk over and have to hear him. Eugene is trying to keep everyone at bay with the military speak. There's a definite hierarchy in the military and Eugene is definitely playing that up with Abraham.
How trustworthy is Eugene? We know in the comics he lies about knowing what caused the outbreak, his ties to D.C. and other things because he's scared for his life.
It's interesting seeing him at this point because you don't know who you can trust anywhere. I think Eugene is a trustworthy guy even though it may turn out that he is lying. But again, you just can't trust anyone. I don't think he trusts Glenn, and there are elements of Abraham he doesn't trust -- the way he can fly off the handle and kill someone in a moment's notice. We're going to explore Eugene's whole backstory. It will be interesting to see how this comes out and how trustworthy he ends up being to the group.

How might Abraham react when and if he finds out about everything?

We saw him just destroy some walkers in the beginning of this episode, and he enjoyed it. I don't know that he would enjoy beating up Eugene; there would be a lot more anger there. Eugene shoots up their truck and Abraham doesn't kick his ass. That right there says that Abraham has a level of respect for Eugene that other people might not have. Abraham looks at it as just another roadblock. As Cudlitz likes to say, "Eugene is the package." Once that falls away, there's no telling what Abraham would do. He could kill Eugene.

Eugene is very willing to follow Glenn and detour from their mission to D.C. Is that part of an effort on his side to cover his butt with Abraham and buy him some more time?
Yes. Eugene is constantly scheming, and he is always a few moves ahead. It's like he's planning a chess match. He could have swung the gun the other way and killed the walkers, but instead he swung it at the truck. Whether he did it on purpose -- and I like to think he did -- but even if he didn't he's able to use that and think, "How can I use this to my advantage? How can I continue to stall this trip to D.C.?" As much as he doesn't want to be in the room with a lot of people who might ask a bunch of questions, he likes to keep that group small and manipulate them. He likes to be the one who pulls the strings and he feels like he can help Glenn find Maggie. That is going to slow up Abraham, and Eugene may try to and appeal to Abraham's humanity in that. We start to find out more about Abraham and it becomes a question of why wouldn't you want to help this guy get his wife back?

What about Rosita? What kind of relationship do she and Eugene have? Is there jealousy there for Eugene? We know in the comics that he has romantic feelings for her.
Eugene is absolutely jealous of Rosita and Abraham. He loves women and he's probably the type of guy that didn't have a girlfriend before the apocalypse. He sees Abraham and Rosita together and it drives him nuts. But at the same time, what can he do about this? First and foremost, he wants to survive and this is the situation that he's able to survive in right now. If he can find some love in this, that's a bonus. But he looks at her like a sister, too. When you spend all your time with someone, they become family after a while. Eugene might have a little bit harder time controlling her as he does with Abraham. So there's some frustration there as well.
Looking ahead, everyone seems to be headed for this mysterious sanctuary. Could this be a trap of some sort? We know in the comics that Rick and company have a very chilling run-in with a group of cannibals.

It's tough to say because you just can't trust anyone. Eugene doesn't want to go there because he doesn't want to be around people who could ask questions. He doesn't want to get another truck and get back on that road with Abraham and Rosita going to D.C., and they could find another vehicle there. He doesn't know what that camp is. I think he wants to stay on the road as much as possible. But at the same time, here's this safe haven being advertised that those who arrive, survive. And without a prison around, it's going to be interesting to find out what happens with the group and if people end up making it there. I think Rick, Michonne and Carl all make that decision to head there and everyone else is certainly hearing about it.

In the comics, Eugene ultimately becomes a very key member of Rick's group who manufactures bullets. Does that give you confidence that you're going to stick around on the show?
Oh God, no! (Laughs.) I'm actually worried about watching the episodes we've already filmed because maybe they somehow shot some footage that I didn't know about where Eugene ends up dying and I'm going to find out when it airs! I don't think there's any guarantees in any of this and that's what's scary about this show and what makes me appreciate this job.

 

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsideth...h-mcdermitt-discusses-eugenes-intentions.html
[h=1]'The Walking Dead' Season 4: Josh McDermitt discusses Eugene's intentions[/h]

By Terri Schwartz

February 24, 2014 9:30 AM ET

Follow [MENTION=7630]terri[/MENTION]_Schwartz on Twitter | Google


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After "The Walking Dead" Season 4 episode "Claimed," it's become pretty clear to viewers that there's more than meets the eye with character of Eugene. Zap2it spoke with the man behind the mullet, Josh McDermitt, about his character's journey on the show, whether Eugene meant to shoot the truck's fuel tank and what was up with that smile.

Zap2it: What an introduction last week. Was that the first scene you three shot?
Josh McDermitt: That was the first thing we shot. We kind of rolled in to Atlanta. We were there almost a week just getting our hair colored and changed and getting our wardrobe fittings and all that, and then we shot that scene in about five seconds. So that was our first taste of it. And then I think they were kind of shooting stuff out of sequence, so we actually didn't go back for a few weeks. It was really hard to kind of go there at first and just have kind of that little taste and then come back to Los Angeles, hair color changed, and I wasn't able to talk about anything having gone through this immense, just like so exciting of an experience. It was really tough. We were itching to get back.

Can you explain why Eugene smiled that way after convincing Abraham to follow Glenn?
For me, it just kind of says that Eugene's plan is coming together. I don't want people to be mistaken and think Eugene's a bad guy and that oh he has this big evil plan. It's none of that. Eugene's just trying to survive like everyone else and this is the only way he knows how, by manipulating Abraham. This big dumb idiot Army guy doesn't know much, and [Eugene's] definitely smarter than most everybody he ever encounters, and when things kind of work out in his favor, when maybe they might not and they end up working out, I think that kind of makes Eugene smile a little bit. He gets joy out of kind of messing with people's minds a bit. I think that's really what that was.

What about when he shot the truck's fuel tank. Was that intentional?
There's two ways to look at it for someone like Eugene. I kind of like to look at it like he's in the middle of a chess match where he's thinking three or four moves ahead of his opponents. When the fight's going on, Eugene's hanging back by the truck, partly because Abraham probably told him, "Hey, if we ever need to get out of the truck or whatever, the safest place is you to stay there," because to everyone else, Eugene's the package. He's the most important element of their mission.

But then also Eugene's probably going, "Okay, we're wasting time. How can I use this to my advantage?" Of course, when the walkers come out, he starts shooting them up. The two ways you can look at it is he could have swung the gun the other way and still figure out how he could slow up their progress and their trip, or he can swing it toward the truck and take the truck out too. I don't think Eugene does everything deliberate, but I also don't think he flies by the seat of his pants and just wings it. I think there's a nice mixture of both.

This idea of a cure for the zombie apocalypse hasn't been a part of the show for so long. How will it change "The Walking Dead"?
Honestly, it starts to give people hope. They've lost a lot of people that they've loved already, but if there's a cure, that means there's hope. If you start to look at the show you see yeah it's a show about survival but they're never going to get out of this; they're not even trying to get out of this. It's a really dark place to be, and what this does is this brings light.

I think Eugene is obviously trying to survive and he's doing what he knows best, which is use his brain and kind of BS his way through life, but I also think that in the comics he kind of finds Abraham in a really dark place when they first meet up. There's an element to Eugene where he wants to make people feel good too. It's not a malicious thing.

Are we going to find out more of Abraham's motivation for deciding to follow Eugene?
The conversations I had with [showrunner] Scott Gimple and the times I've heard Robert Kirkman talk about it, they're saying that our backstories are going to be pretty similar to what happened in the comics. If that's the case, then I imagine that we're definitely going to explore that more. The group is split up into however many different subgroups right now, and I think they're trying to figure out how to get everybody back together. Everybody's trying to find each other. What's going on with Abraham, Eugene and Rosita's backstory, that may not be a priority at this point, but I'm sure we're going to get into it pretty soon.

Were you a fan of the show already?
Oh yeah, I was a huge fan. It was my favorite show. I didn't think I'd ever do an audition for it, let alone be on it. It's a dream. I come from a comedy world where I did standup for 10 years and I do sketch and improv and that sort of thing. All the while I was doing that I was working on my dramatic acting so that I could hopefully book a job like this. For it to actually work out, that's awesome. How many times do things work out?

Are we going to see any of your comedic talents shine through?
[laughs] I think there's like a little side mission going on with Eugene where he not only wants to get to DC, but he also really wants to do a standup comedy show along the way.

They totally should do webisodes of that.
[laughs] Yeah, Abraham's like, "Listen, we've got to get these guys to DC, but first, Eugene's got a bit he wants to try out." ... No, I'm trying to play it as straight as possible. If people laugh, that's not necessarily my intention. But I do think it's a fun character to write and it's a fun trio to write.

I think there's definitely humor there that Robert Kirkman found when he first introduced them in the comics. Abraham is just a different animal. He's foul-mouthed and he's this larger-than-life character. It's like he's something they haven't seen before. That element mixed in with Eugene kind of very stoic and very emotionless; I think they're a nice little comedy duo if you think about it that way.

Had you read the comics before you were cast?
I had to get caught up. I didn't know that there was a comic before I started watching the show, and then I heard there was but I still hadn't read it until I started getting into the casting process. I really wanted to play catch up, but I do know that like the character of Daryl isn't in the comics. I get that it's like two different entities, but I still wanted to have that knowledge, and it's obviously helped, especially how they want to keep our backstories very close to what's coming out of the comics.

Do you think there's a chance of Eugene's story arc playing out in some different ways than in the comic?
I don't know. It's interesting because the show progresses and new storylines emerge that maybe aren't necessarily even in the comics. Obviously they're brand new and we're going to see these characters of Abraham, Eugene and Rosita have to deal with that. There could be some hope there that we're going to explore some new territory, obviously yeah. I don't think it's going to be lock step with what the comics were. But I know Scott Gimple likes to tell versions of stories and just kind of do a remix of things, so to speak. I think we're going to get a healthy dose of both.

Looking at your headshots, it's clear you don't have a mullet in real life. Have you ever had a crazy fad hairstyle?
When I was 14 years old, I went to Game 6 of the NBA Finals, when Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns were playing the Chicago Bulls. I lived in Phoenix and I was such a huge fan of the Suns, I shaved my head, but the only hair I left on the back of my head was number 34 for Charles Barkley. My aunt was a hair stylist so she did it for me, and then she dyed the hair purple and orange, which were the Suns' colors.

The Suns ended up losing that game, and I had to walk around with that hair color after losing the NBA Finals. That was probably the most ridiculous hairstyle I've ever had.

So can you tease anything exciting coming up? Will we see Eugene handle a machine gun again?
Yeah, I think that that was Eugene's dream to fire off a machine gun, but that was quickly taken away from him, and I don't think we'll see him handling a gun anytime soon.

"The Walking Dead" airs Sundays on AMC at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

 

if they are about 4-11, it's normally about post-episode interviews

 

[h=1]'Walking Dead' Newbie Josh McDermitt Talks Eugene, His Gun Skills, and, of Course, That Mullet[/h] By Kimberly Potts 4 hours ago Yahoo TV

You may remember him from "Last Comic Standing" (he was a semifinalist in Season 4), you may remember him from the TV Land sitcom "Retired at 35," but fans of "The Walking Dead" are now going to associate Josh McDermitt with the AMC drama, where he plays the newly-introduced Eugene Porter.

[Related: Take a Bite Out of Our 'Walking Dead' Recaps]​

Mulleted Eugene, part of the trio that also includes comic book favorite Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) and Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos), debuted at the end of "Inmates," but played a key role in Sunday's "Claimed," when his sloppy gun play led to a major change in plans for his group. McDermitt, a big fan of the show before he joined the cast, talked to Yahoo TV about Eugene, what his real motivations may be — i.e. spoilers ahead, especially if you haven't read the comic books — and the painful, but funny process of whipping up that retro hairstyle.
Congratulations on this very intriguing new role of yours.
Thank you, it's so awesome. I never, in a million years, thought I'd be playing a character with a mullet, on the most watched drama in the world.
OK, you brought it up, so we have to ask about that first … You are sporting what is probably the greatest TV mullet since Uncle Jesse's on the early years of "Full House."
[Laughing] Yeah, thank you. We went a few decades without a good mullet on TV, so I'm happy to bring it back.
Dr. Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt) in The Walking Dead

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Describe the process for creating that. Is it your real hair?
Half of it's my real hair. Thankfully, I don't have a real mullet. I had longer hair … in fact, it's naturally blond. They fashioned it into a flattop, and they left whatever length I had in the back. Then they clipped in some extensions and dyed it all brown. But when they'd take those extensions out, I'd still look ridiculous. They were taking us back to the hotel, after we were shooting one day, and I was so sad and embarrassed, and I said, "Can you please, just take me to the store so I can buy a hat?" They looked at me funny, and went, "Yeah, OK, whatever," so they take me to Walmart. I walked in, and there were like five people with the same haircut. Instantly, I'm like, "You know what? I'm OK."

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And you had to keep your hair like that for the entire time you were working on the second half of the season?
Yeah, and it was really difficult, because a lot of my friends are actors, all of us having blond hair, and coming back to Los Angeles, all of a sudden, they see I have brown hair, and it doesn't quite look right. They say, "What are you working on?" I couldn't tell them. I just kept saying, "Oh, I just wanted to change my hair."
We had a nondisclosure agreement we had to sign, and keep everything a secret. It was pretty tough. I was wearing a lot of beanies and baseball hats, [and] I, honestly, don't look good in a hat. I just have a large head.
Dr. Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) in The Walking Dead

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Eugene's gun play was the big thing that propelled the plot forward in this episode. Now he and his crew are heading off in the opposite direction of where they were going …
The thing to keep in mind with Eugene is, he's kind of playing a chess match in his head. He's always scheming and trying to manipulate the situation for his own gain, and not necessarily manipulation that's bad. He's not a bad guy, but yeah, I think he shoots that truck on purpose.

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Because, in the comics, he's lying about knowing how the apocalypse started, so he shot the gas tank on purpose, to delay the trip to Washington and the discovery of his lie?
Now, obviously, there are walkers coming after them, and he needs to take care of that, but he could've swung the gun the other way. I think that … yeah, I definitely think he's always trying to stay a couple of moves ahead of everyone and really dictate whatever group he's a part of, what their motives are, what their mission is.
Just as with the Governor, where there was this feeling that he was someone who, before the zombie outbreak, did not have any sort of power, and this was his chance to create a situation where he was in control and did have some power … is that true of Eugene too, in a less villainous way?
Yeah. I think there's actually an element of that in just about every character, if you think about it. This is obviously a show about survival, and it's kind of asking that question, "What are you going to do to survive?" Gale Anne Hurd, one of our executive producers, had a quote that I read, "Everyone who survived to this point had made the choice to survive. It's easy to die, but it's hard to survive," so you ask yourself what kind of changes are you going to make? If you look at Michonne, she wasn't running around wielding a sword, and she wasn't a complete badass beforehand. She did what she had to do, and I think that's where you can tie in, yeah, the Governor is doing what he has to do, and Eugene's doing what he has to do. You look at Abraham's character. He's doing what he has to do to make it through this.
I think there' are some people that are able to take on a new persona and really almost get a do over, in a sense, and other people, maybe not so much, but they're still having to make that change in themselves. I definitely think Eugene is going, "Oh, this is my chance to start over." And again, I don't mean he's a bad guy.

[Related: Will 'Walking Dead's' Abraham Be Like Comic Book Abraham?]​

We know you can't say a lot about what happens the rest of the season, but can you say how much Eugene and his friends factor into the next five episodes?
I think that, up to this point, everyone's been safe in the prison, the other group, and now we're introducing this new element of these nut jobs on the road [laughing]. To try to get to Washington, D.C. … I think it's going to [depend on] if we meet up with the rest of the group. If we're able, what's going to happen? Are we going to try to continue this trip to D.C., or are we going to try to settle down, and build another little sanctuary, in a sense, a kind of safe haven like the prison was?
It's definitely going to … I think it's going to change the group dynamic. Before, the group just had a singular focus of, "Hey, let's just get through this together. We're going to survive." Now, all of a sudden, Glenn's trying to find Maggie, and we're trying to get to D.C., and we're all together. There's going to be some conflict there.
It's definitely going to change the focus and the direction of people's needs, and wants, and desires.
Dr. Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt), Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), and Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos) in …

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Were you a fan of the comics before you got the role on the series?
This was my favorite TV show. I never really thought I would be on it, let alone even get an audition. In fact, I didn't know it was a comic, until I started watching the show. Once I got the audition, I had friends who had the comics, and I just grabbed them, and started reading them. They're a really quick read. They're awesome. They're just as good as the show.
Are you caught up?
Not completely, but I'm caught up maybe through, somewhere in the 80s. It was difficult to read the comics, having already been a fan of the show, because there were so many things that are different. There are characters that are on the show, that aren't in the comics. There are characters that are still alive in the comics that are dead on the show and that sort of thing. I didn't want to confuse myself too much. It was starting to get frustrating, a little bit, just trying to keep things separate. They're both their own separate entity, and that's cool.

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How did the role come about? Even the process of auditioning is pretty secretive; you don't necessarily know the real character you're auditioning for, true?
Yeah. As soon as I got the little breakthrough that casting sends out, I did a Google search and quickly found that was going nowhere, and I realized, "Oh, I think they're just making all this up, and they really just want to see the character more than they want to give you storylines that are going to be coming up in the show." What I was able to do … they actually give you a nice, hefty paragraph of who this character is, and I didn't know [which comic book character] it was. I hadn't gotten to Eugene yet in the comics, but there were just a lot of things that were very relatable for me, and I was able to latch onto that.
Once I found out it was Eugene, it was actually after I was cast. I was talking with [showrunner] Scott Gimple, and he said, "By the way, the character's Eugene," and I was like, "Oh, awesome." I had gotten caught up at that point, I was excited, and we were able to really talk about it, both as a fan of the comics and the show, but also just as someone who's going to take this character and make it its own thing. They're really trying to make the characters as similar as they were in the comics, but they're also doing a TV version.
How much input do you have into that? Did you get to do anything to help shape the character?
There are little things that they will bring to it, but not necessarily … it wasn't as collaborative, like with phone calls and developing it back and forth that way. They're very clear on what they want, and, honestly, that actually makes my job a little easier. Unless it's difficult to understand what someone wants, I prefer to know what they want, so I can just take that and do it, and they're really good at making little minor tweaks and changes here and there. Essentially, I'm just doing an impression of my brother, so that's kind of what I'm bringing to the role, just that sort of cadence and dry delivery. It's really just my brother, Zack.
Does he know you're basing Eugene on him?
[Laughing] You may be the first person to let him know. I don't think he knows. He's my younger brother. Everyone in my family is really dry, and he makes everyone else … he's the driest, and he's emotionless, and I think I told him, because he loves "The Walking Dead," and I told him, "Hey, man, I booked 'The Walking Dead.'" His response was, "OK." And that's pretty excited for him. I don't know that I told him I was basing it off him. I don't want to offend the guy. I'm afraid of what he might do.
As you mentioned, Eugene's cadence, the way he speaks and the fact that he doesn't say very much, is funny. Is that something that will continue, that he'll provide some much-needed humor to this deadly serious series?
I think there's definitely a humorous aspect to Eugene. I'm not necessarily trying to make him funny, but if you take a step back and look at this guy, here's this idiot coming across, he thinks he's a scientist, and he's got a mullet, and when he speaks, you're just like, "What the heck?" I definitely think there is a bit of humor in that, and that's kind of something that's being injected into the show, just at least with our group, that maybe hasn't necessarily been there before, and I think that's kind of cool. It's not out of left field, and it's definitely just who these people are. You watch their dynamic. They're like siblings, Abraham, and Rosita, and Eugene, in the fact that they're spending all their time together, and might bicker, and fight, and argue, and all that stuff, and I think there's some humor in that. We're starting to see more humor too between Michonne and Carl. We're starting to see some lighter sides, something that you do not necessarily see in a show that's so dark.

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Are you having fun with the whole experience?
I'm having the best time. I can't even put into words how excited I am to be on this show. Me, Josh, as an actor, I sweat a lot, and they're constantly having to wipe me down [in other projects], but on "The Walking Dead" they're like, "The more you sweat, the better." They don't even come to make sure you look O.K. I'm like, "This is great."
And everybody's awesome, everybody is nice. The very first week we were out there, Andy Lincoln came down, and he wasn't even working that day, but he drove down to have lunch with us, and to meet us, and I just went, "This is a really special thing," because I've worked on other productions where you just don't feel as good as you feel when you're working on "The Walking Dead." They were very welcoming, just brought us into the fold right away. Before we even started, Steven Yeun was emailing me, saying, "Hey, if you need anything, let me know. Here's my number …" I just went, "Wow. This is different. This is special." I've seen other people, not on this show, but I've seen other people just treat other people poorly, and you remember that. It just makes this show, it just separates it. It just sets it apart that much more.
Speaking of phone numbers, your cell phone number is listed on your Website. Is that really your number, and if so, how many "Walking Dead" fans have called you so far?
[Laughing] No, I forgot that I had that on there. I put that up a long time ago, and it was one of those phone numbers that you can call and get a stupid answering service or whatever, like, "Hey, thanks for calling. You're wasting your time by listening to this message," or whatever. I forgot I put that on there, and a few weeks ago I called it, and now it's a number for a Caribbean cruise line. I was like, "Uh oh," but I don't know how to fix it. I don't know how to take it off, so if anybody knows how to do it, they should let me know, because the Caribbean cruise line's going to sue me.
"The Walking Dead" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.