The Walking Dead returns in just two weeks: Sun., Feb. 12 at 9/8c to be exact. If you're wondering how best to pass the time until the Midseason Premiere, why not revisit AMCtv.com's cast interviews for the first half of Season 2? Read on to find out more about Glenn's gung-ho attitude, Norman Reedus's (Daryl) crossbow theories and Madison Lintz's (Sophia) zombification process.

• "Shane really has figured out that in this world it's all about making hard decisions. If you have a group of people and you're trying to survive what do you do if one person is holding you back?" -- Jon Bernthal (Shane Walsh)

• "I wear a dress in [a flashback]... and I've got lipstick on. Most of the crew walked by me on the way to set without saying hello, because they didn't recognize me!" -- Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori Grimes)

• "[Andrea] was such a sobbing, bereft, suicidal person and now she's a warrior... There was more acting required to be, like, scared of zombies -- it's more natural for me on the show now." -- Laurie Holden (Andrea)

• "Glenn's not going to say no because I think he wants to be a martyr or hero. If he goes, he goes out in a blaze of glory." -- Steven Yeun (Glenn)

• "I'm pretty well-versed in crossbow-ness by now, but I'm still figuring out new ways to use it all the time... You can't not look cool with a crossbow." -- Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon)

Continue reading "Get Ready for The Walking Dead's Return With Cast Interviews From the First Half of Season 2" »

The Anthrax guitarist describes his undead cameo in The Walking Dead webisodes and explains why metal music and zombies go hand-in-hand. (The Walking Dead returns with all-new episodes Sun., Feb. 12 at 9/8c on AMC.)

Q: How did the opportunity to play a walker in The Walking Dead webisodes come up?

A: I know Greg Nicotero. We have a mutual friend, Kirk (Hammett) from Metallica. I met Greg as far back as the late '80s through Kirk because Kirk's a big collector of horror memorabilia. So I'd gone to the set of the webisodes here in Los Angeles, and got to get made up as a zombie.

Q: Why do metal musicians love horror so much?

A: They've always gone hand-in-hand. Metal guys are huge nerds. [Laughs] A good percentage of are either horror or scifi or comic book or fantasy nerds. So, all of a sudden if you have some disposable income, you're like, "Wow, I can actually buy that zombie head from that movie!"

Q: Anthrax released a zombie-themed single last summer, "Fight 'Em Till You Can't." Did you listen to it to get yourself pumped up for the shoot?

A: [Laughs] I didn't need to listen to anything to get pumped up for the shoot. I was so excited to get made up by Greg and his team. I was beyond stoked that day. I would have left the makeup on for days if it didn't itch and tighten my skin up so much.

Q: I read that you actually wore the make-up home. Were you able to prank your family and scare them?

Continue reading "Q&A - Anthrax Guitarist Scott Ian (Webisode Walker)" »

Young actress Madison Lintz, who plays Sophia on AMC's The Walking Dead, describes her reactions to learning she'd become a walker and what she thinks of scary movies in general.

Q: What was your favorite part of the season this year?

A: There were a lot of favorite parts! Probably just messing around with a lot of the cast and crew. We bring books on set and we'll offer each other books that we're reading and we'll fool around.

Q: Do you and Chandler Riggs hang out?

A: Yeah, being the two only kids on set we stick together. He's a blast to hang out with.

Q: You're one of the youngest actors on the show but you've been acting a long time. Do you ever give pointers to the older actors on the show?

A: Oh no! They're older than me. Everybody on the show gives me advice and I've learned a lot from them.

Q: Who are some of your favorite actors to work with?

A: Definitely Norman Reedus -- I love working with him -- and Melissa [McBride] is amazing. I love her!

Q: What was your reaction when you learned your character was going to turn into a zombie?

A: It was surprising, but I could see how it worked out for the show. And I had to learn to get over it -- every job comes to an end!

Q: Wise words! Were you petitioning the writers to change the script?

Continue reading "Q&A - Madison Lintz (Sophia)" »

Chandler Riggs, the actor who plays Carl Grimes on AMC's The Walking Dead, explains how the state of Georgia's gun laws differ from those on set and hints at Carl's first walker encounter.

Q: Earlier this season, your character spent a bunch of time injured.

A: It was my birthday on set, the day that Carl got injured.

Q: Some birthday gift! Was it a challenge to remain still like that?

A: It kind of was. After each take I'd go over and eat a bunch of sugary snacks. I'd sit there trying so hard not to break out and yell! It was actually a lot of fun sitting in a bed for those episodes.

Q: What was your favorite moment from being on set this season?

A: Definitely my birthday. They got me a cake that said "Don't Open Dead Inside," which had fingers coming out of it. We also had these zombie-head cake pops that were made from red velvet cake, so it looked like blood when you took a bite. It was pretty cool.

Q: Did you watch the whole season last year after you filmed it?

A: I did! I watched every single episode.

Q: Do your parents like the show?

Continue reading "Q&A - Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes)" »

Laurie Holden, who plays Andrea on AMC's The Walking Dead, describes her own shooting skills and attaining a Zen-like calm.

Q: Now that it's approaching winter, do you miss the summer heat on set?

A: The thing that's great about our new location is that there are more trees and more of a breeze in the summer. It was not as hot and unbearable as it was last year. So we were dying when we shot it but that's the intent.

Q: Andrea looks pretty comfortable with a gun. Have you acted with guns before?

A: On The Shield, I played an agent so I used guns a little bit, but I've never... had the training I've had for The Walking Dead. I got hooked up with a shooting expert and we were going into the backwoods of Georgia on weekends for like two hours at a time. He would put bulls-eyes throughout the woods. They were tiny. When I saw that, I was like, "Come on!" He told me just to try it -- and I started nailing all of them! He said he'd never seen anything like it. I guess I have a knack for shooting I didn't realize I had.

Q: Kind of surprising for someone studying human rights at Columbia.

A; None of it makes sense! It's very bizarre.

Q: Last season Andrea was an emotional wreck. Have you enjoyed the shift in her character this season?

Continue reading "Q&A - Laurie Holden (Andrea)" »

Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon on AMC's The Walking Dead, talks about Daryl's zombie ear necklace and why it's impossible to not look cool with a crossbow.

Q: "Chupacabra" is a pretty intense episode.

A: It's like Deliverance meets Motorhead.

Q: In this episode, Daryl has a necklace of ears. Were you pleased with the necklace?

A: It's a necklace of ears, man! Cutting off the ears is just Daryl getting angry and doing what he has to do to save himself. I love that he's still like that.

Q: Last year you told us your challenge was to make a racist likeable. Now your character is a fan favorite. Have you enjoyed the switch?

A: I've tried to make him more of a multi-layered character -- someone who can tear up and then try to knife you. He's kind of like this wet little coyote that doesn't know where he's at and people are trying to reach over and pet him and he snaps back.

Q: Last year you told us you had never used a crossbow before. You must be pretty comfortable with the thing by now?

Continue reading "Q&A - Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon)" »

Steven Yeun, who plays Glenn on AMC's The Walking Dead, explains the trouble with keeping secrets then dishes on his first on-screen sex scene...in this series at least.

Q: How has Season 2 been different from the first for you?

A: I think there was a learning curve. We kind of had the pressure trying to recreate the chemistry that everyone had from the very beginning, but we figured it out. And once we figured it out, we fell right back into our groove.

Q: You spent some time at the legendary Second City in Chicago. How has your experience at the comedy club helped you on The Walking Dead?

A: If anything it's the improv training that's helped. It's nice to take a step back from a script and think about how you would say something personally -- and then apply that. What's cool about the show is that it stretches me in ways that I wasn't stretched at Second City. On the show you kind of have to kill jokes. You can't play them too big or it breaks the reality of the situation. So they'll write a joke in the script, but you have to just drop it and put it on the ground and say it as realistically as possible.

Q: Do your former Second City cohorts approve of your move from comedy to horror?

Continue reading "Q&A - Steven Yeun (Glenn)" »

Melissa McBride, who plays Carol on The Walking Dead, describes how playing her character is like witnessing a car wreck and imagines the kind of zombie-killing arsenal that would suit her.

Q: What was your reaction when they told you that Sophia would disappear this season?

A: I was shocked! It's been a thrill to play it out. And I'm anxious to see what happens when this gets resolved.

Q: How do you keep yourself level-headed on set when going through so many emotional swings?

A: Well it can certainly wear on my emotions a bit, but I have a strategy to just be able to let it go and breathe it out. Playing Carol is almost like witnessing a car wreck. It didn't happen to you but you still have the sense of having witnessed this kind of terrible thing. As the day wears on, it kind of wears off a little. I also really love this part -- I have a great interest in psychology and I enjoy trying to figure out what happens with Carol to elicit her reactions to things.

Q: What's the most interesting part about playing Carol?

Continue reading "Q&A - Melissa McBride (Carol)" »