“The Walking Dead’ is based on Robert Kirkman’s hugely successful and popular comic book series. AMC’s new original series, “The Walking Dead”, premieres with a 90-minute episode on Halloween night: Oct. 31 at 10/9c. Written and executive produced by three-time Academy Award-nominee Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption”, “The Green Mile”), who also directs the pilot. The show is an epic, edge-of-your-seat drama where personal struggles are magnified against a backdrop of moment-to-moment survival. It follows County Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) waking up in an empty hospital after weeks in a coma, finds himself utterly alone. The world as he knows it is gone, ravaged by a zombie epidemic. “The Walking Dead” tells the story of the weeks and months that follow after the apocalypse.

Movie Mikes have complied our biggest cast/crew interview series to date for “The Walking Dead”.  Since the show aired on Oct.31st, 2010, it has become AMC highest rating series.  Season two plans were put into full swing just after its premiere and is set for October 2011.

*UPDATE* 3-7-11 – We will be adding interviews with Andrew Lincoln & Melissa Suzanne McBride

THE WALKING DEAD INTERVIEWS:

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John Carpenter is one of the most well-known names in horror films. He created such iconic films as “Halloween”, “The Thing”, “Escape from New York”, “They Live” and the list goes on. John’s last theatrical film was “Ghosts of Mars” in 2001 but he is returning to features with his upcoming film “The Ward”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with John about his career and his return with “The Ward”.

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Mike Gencarelli: Out of all of the films you have made, which is the one you are the most proud of and why?
John Carpenter: Oh man, I do not think I can do that.  It is kind of impossible.  I have invested so much in each one of them. I love them all. But I never want to see any of them again. I  hate them after a while because I see everything that I did wrong. I really can not say to be honest.

MG: Looking back on “Halloween”, would you have done anything different today?
JC: Sure, I think everyone would looking back.  Any director would do something different but you cannot play that game.  This is what you had at the time when you made it. You stand by the decisions you made and tried to make the best out of it.  You have to leave that crap behind.

MG: Was there ever a film you wanted to get made that you couldn’t?
JC: There were a couple I wanted to do that never came about.  That we couldn’t setup or the scripts weren’t right.  All sorts of things like that.  That sort of a thing always happens over a career.

MG: Was there a reason why you never did sequels to your films, Besides “Escape from L.A.”?
JC: Well, I did not think that some of my films had any more story in them.  “Halloween” is a good example, it didn’t really have much of a story left after the first.  But I was proven wrong wasn’t I?  After all these sequels, they just keep making them over and over again.

MG: You directed “The Thing” which was a remake and now they are doing it again, any feelings?
JC: They are doing sort of a prequel to my film.  So if it is good, great.  If it is not, that is too bad.  I have no control over it.  If it is something I do not have control over, I do not worry about it.

MG: Your sound for your scores are so unique, how do you create the music for your films?
JC: Most of the scores that I have done myself and I haven’t done them all but I worked on a synthesizer.  Over the years, the synthesizers are getting better and better.  The sound has gotten more sophisticated.  I started way back when, when you had to tune each synthesizer and amplifier manually.  Now a days you have a whole lot of really cool programs you can use.  The music I create is all improvised to each scene.

MG: Why did you choose not to do the score for “The Ward?
JC: A very, very talented composer by the name of Mark Kilian did the score.  It is too hard now.  I am too old to do it.  I want someone else to take that responsibility [laughs].

MG: Tell us about your return to feature film with “The Ward”?
JC: I stopped directing for a while.  But I did the two episodes for “Masters of Horror” and they were fun.  I thought “Well, I may try this again”. So “The Ward” came along and it was a small enough movie with a small enough cast.  It was contained, isolated and perfect for what I wanted to do at the time.  Even though it was a little film , they are always challenging and I always enjoy making them.  Those are the basic reasons, plus it was a neat little thriller.

MG: What was the hardest aspect returning to directing with “The Ward”?
JC: Every movie has challenges.  Every single one of them.  In this case, it was stuffing all this material into a very short amount of time to shoot.  That is always a challenge with a low budget film.  You have to figure out how are you going to get these scenes done in a very short amount of time.  There is a lot of pre-thinking that goes into that.  You have to figure out exactly how you are going to show a certain part of the story ahead of time.  I spent a lot of my time preparing on that film.

MG: How did you get involved with the upcoming video game “F.E.A.R. 3”?
JC: Steve Niles is a friend of mine.  He is a comic book writer of “30 Days of Night” series.  He called me up and said “I am working on this “F.E.A.R. 3″ game and it is a lot of fun, do you want work on it?”  I said “Sure” and that was it.  I have no role in the game.  We are working mostly on the dialogue.  Video games are different because they involve game play which drives the whole thing.  It is not story, it is game play.  So we are slaves to that.  Basically, Steve and I finessed the characters and their dialogue.  We did a lot of the scenes that connect all the action together.

MG: Have you ever considered writing a memoir to cover your amazing career?
JC: Yeah, sometimes I actually do think about it.  But maybe we will see.  I am not ready to do it yet. We’ll see!

MG: What can you tell us about the upcoming “Fangland” film?
JC: Right now, that is in the stage of development.  It may become a movie right now or it may not.  It is like one of those deals in Hollywood.

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Norman Reedus is known most for his role of Murphy MacManus in “The Boondock Saints” series. He is currently appearing in AMC’s new TV series “The Walking Dead”, playing the role of Daryl Dixon. The character as described by Norman is “a guy who is ready to break down and kill everyone at any moment”. Movie Mikes had the chance again to talk with Norman about his role in the show and how it differs from his other projects.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your role of Daryl Dixon in “The Walking Dead”?
Norman Reedus: Daryl is an ex-con that lives alone with his brother. When the apocalypse happens, he fends for himself. He is a hunter. He hunts with a crossbow. He is quite the hot head. He is also efficient in his killing. He is a no-bullshit kind of a kind. My character comes in on the third episode. My brother, who is played by Michael Rooker, is in trouble. I go looking for my brother with the rest of the crew behind me. They do not know whether to trust me and I do not know whether to trust them. I am not too particularly happy with the situation. I come in just like a tornado and just reek havoc. Slowly through all the situations that happen to us while looking for my brother, they find out that I am good guy to have around. I sort of start of a family with these more “normal” type people. In this show the zombie are not the only enemies. The enemy could be the guy standing right next to you. It is this weird see-saw of who you can trust. It makes for super interesting television. It is such an interesting character. I am really exciting to be apart of it. There is a rumor that Robert (Kirkman) might be putting me in the comic book. That would be really fun to see myself drawn in one of Robert’s comic books.

MG: How did you become involved with this project?
NR: I remember reading the pilot. I had never really done the whole pilot season thing in LA. I was reading them all and I said that this was the best pilot. I got to LA late and I originally really liked the Rick Grimes role. They told me that Frank knows my stuff and they wanted me to read for one of the brothers. I went in and actually read Merle Dixon lines in front of Frank. I do not think my character was even written yet. It was just an idea at the time. Next thing I know I am on-board.

MG: Tell us about working with Michael Rooker, who plays your brother in the show?
NR: I remember seeing “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” was back when and I remember thinking this guy is one of my favorite people ever. Michael was such a cool guy and such a blast to work with. He is such a good actor. He brings so much to the table. He is such a force just to be around. As far as Daryl Dixon goes, you have a brother like Merle as your older sibling and you are always trying to live up to your brother.  You are definitely going have some issues. I went into it with a major chip on my character’s shoulder and I think it plays off really nicely.

MG: Your character is not in the comic series, did you find that difficult to prepare?
NR: Frank (Darabont) wrote my part specifically for the show. It is really well written, so I got a good sense of what the character is like from the beginning. As far as being in the comic book, I know some of the other cast members mentioned how easy for was them to see how there character was like from the comic book.  Though none of them wanted to get too far into it though because they wanted to make it their own. I understand their point of view. For me going into it without having anything of my character written actually opened me up. I was able to make Daryl who I wanted to make him. Then again the writing was so good that I got a great sense of who he was very easily.

MG: You are no stranger to the genre but did this project differ in any way for you?
NR: I have done some horror things. I have worked with John Carpenter and Guillermo del Toro. I have also done a lot of serious drama. This definitely falls under serious drama. We are playing it for real. There are no zombies walking up shouting “BRAIIIINNNNSSSS”. It is not corny at all. There is one zombie in particular that Rick goes back to and puts out of its misery. It is one of the most sentimental parts of the whole pilot. I can say horror because it is zombies but it feels more like a large scale dramatic film. It really treats the zombification more like a disease than some surreal monster thing. It feels like there is an epidemic and real people are turning into zombie and not like people are coming back from the grave. You really get the human aspect of the zombies as well as how grotesque they look.

MG: Hopefully we will be seeing a Season 2, would you be returning if we do?
NR: Fuck yeah man, I am ready to fly to Atlanta right now and just wait on them. I am so into this. It is my favorite project I have ever done. I hope it goes on for ten years.

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Laurie Holden is currently starring in AMC new TV series “The Walking Dead”. Laurie is quite familiar with the horror genre having worked on “The Mist”, with “Dead” creator Frank Darabont and films like “Silent Hill”. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Laurie about her career and her new role in “The Walking Dead”.

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Patty Gencarelli: Tell us about your role of Andrea in “The Walking Dead”?
Laurie Holden: Andrea is a gal that before the apocalypse has dedicated her life to defending and protecting the lives of others. So in this apocalyptic world there is no court room but she continues to fight injustice. She has this strong moral compass and this passion to help others. Her journey is an interesting one. A lot of things happen to her that test her mentally and also test her faith. She is a survivor and a natural born leader.  Throughout everything that happens she find that she has this strong resilience that she never knew she had.

PG: How was it working with such an amazing cast?
LH: It has honestly been a dream come true. Across the board everyone has been incredible. Greg Nicotero and KNB have done such amazing work. My cast are the most hard working people. Each and everyone is ridiculously kind and supportive of one another. I a just lucky to be working with such a  wonderful group of people. Plus our crew in Atlanta rocks.

PG: What was the most challenging aspect for you working the show?
LH: I think the most challenging part for me was working in the heat.  We were shooting during the summer in Atlanta and they had a heat wave there. Sometimes it was like a 115 degrees with humidity. There were two days were we shot on the roof of a skyscraper, they measured the heat and it was I believe 152 degrees. But at the same time, it was the end of the world in the show.

PG: How was it getting to work with Frank Darabont again?
LH: He is an incredible artist. This is my third collaboration with him. I did “The Majestic” and “The Mist” with him previously. It such a privilege, honor and a pleasure.

PG: You have done quite a bit of television work, how does “The Walking Dead” compare?
LH: You know it is night and day different. All of my TV work seems to be night and day different. I did a western period piece on CBS called “The Magnificent Seven”. I was wearing corsets. Then I did “The X-Files” and I was in business suits. I was on the “The Shield” where I played an ICE agent and I was shooting in gritty downtown LA. Now I am just a gal trying to keep it together at the end of the world. They all couldn’t really be any more different.

PG: What was your most memorable experience from working on “The Mist”
LH: I think what I loved the most about working on “The Mist” was that had three camera operators. We never knew where the camera was. We shot the whole film in the super market. Literally you had no idea when you were on camera. It really keep us actors on the edge of our seats. We had to be on at all times. It felt like live theater. It was really exhilarating.

PG: Tell us about working on the film “Silent Hill”, Where you a fan of the video games?
LH: That was a really amazing experience, I shot that in Toronto.  Our director was such a visually stunning creative. No I didn’t know anything about the video games. I didn’t know anything about “The Walking Dead” either before I started. I found out it is this international phenomenon. I feel very blessed.

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Greg Nicotero is the creator of some of the Hollywood’s most memorable make-up and monsters of the last 25 years. Greg has worked on projects ranging from “Day of the Dead” to “Sin City” to “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” to “Piranha 3D”. Greg even took a shot at directing with his new short “The United Monster Talent Agency” (view short here), which is an eight-minute faux newsreel for a fictional Hollywood agency representing monsters from Universal Studios circa the 1950s. The short includes cameos by Frank Darabont, Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Cerina Vincent, Dana Gould, Jeffery Combs and Derek Mears. So with AMC working on their first zombie television show, “The Walking Dead”, who else is better to bring on than Greg and his team. Movie Mikes has been long time friends with Greg and finally got him to sit down and chat about his recent work on “The Walking Dead” and his fantastic short film.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your most recent project, “The Walking Dead”?
Greg Nicotero: Frank Darabont and I had been talking about the show for quite a while.  I had met Robert Kirkman at ComicCon with Frank one year and Frank had always said that he was really, really dedicated to doing a zombie show but never found a story that he really thought could carry through…could make sense to him.  And this was years ago.  So lo and behold we’re having dinner in San Diego one night and he introduces me to Robert Kirkman.  He then whispers to me that he’s in negotiation to option the graphic novel to make a series out of it.  So needless to say I was very excited.  Frank and I have been fantastic friends and great collaborators even before “The Shawshank Redemption.”  We were friends long before he directed that.  I had actually recommended some make up artists on the East Coast to do the make up on “Shawshank.”  Then it looked like a small movie and he thought he might need to do a little aging on the guys.  And after that I did all of his films.  I worked on “The Green Mile” with him, as well as “The Majestic” and “The Mist.”  We’re kind of partners in crime so to speak.

MG: What was the biggest challenge of working on this show?
GN: I wanted the zombies to feel fresh.  I wanted them to feel new.  There are so many zombie movies out there.  75% of them are made for under a million dollars.  And they look like they’re made for under a million dollars!  This whole thing about pouring black ooze into their mouths and having them run ninety miles an hour…there’s nothing scary or interesting or compelling to me about that.  The whole issue of zombies that George Romero established…they’re just another version of society.  But instead of eating hamburgers or cheeseburgers or pizza they just happen to eat human flesh.  They’re not that tremendously different from the hundreds of thousands of people that walk through the streets texting on their phones and never looking up.  Except the zombies are not texting on their phones, they’re just shambling around.  And I think that people often get confused by why there are fast moving zombies and why are there slow moving zombies.  Fast moving zombies are purely a factor of people trying to reinvigorate a genre’.  By stealing the idea from “28 Days” and “Dawn of the Dead” they suddenly did that.  The way we portray our zombies on the show is that, yeah they’re kind of shambling and they are a little slow moving but they certainly can’t accelerate when food is around or when it’s necessary for them to feed.  Because these zombies can starve just like human beings can starve when they don’t get food.  And if they haven’t eaten they’re going to be weak.  And the idea of getting food is going to whip them up into a bit of a frenzy.  So Frank and I always referred to the sequence in the cemetery in the original “Night of the Living Dead.”  Bill Heintzman comes out from behind the mortuary…see’s Johnny and Barbara at the grave stone…he kind of shambles up to them.  But then he grabs Johnny and then it’s a wrestling match.  Then he chases Barbara when she gets in the car.  He chases her down the street to the farmhouse.  There is certainly more menace in that movie than people seem to remember.  Not just zombies walking really slowly.  And I think that’s really critical.  I’ve done dozens of zombie movies and I’ve worked with some of the best make up artists and some of the best directors in the world in regards to zombie stuff.  I’ve worked with George Romero.  Joe Dante.  Even Robert Rodriguez when he did “Planet Terror.”  Those were “zombie-ish” kinds of characters.  But every project that you do…every movie that you do…you think “oh man, I wish I would have tried this.  Next time I do a zombie movie I’m going to try THIS idea.”  Special effects make up and filmmaking…the process is so organic that it just grows.  There are times when you’re on set and you’re thinking on the fly “oh man, next time I want to do a prosthetic with dentures this way and teeth this way and give things a different look.”  A lot of it is casting, a lot of it was the artists’ sculptures, a lot of it was dental pieces and a lot of it was contact lenses.  It really was critical that we give these zombies a little bit of a different look…a little bit of a fresh look.  And having had the experience that I’ve had on all of these other movies really benefited the show.  Frank and I talked quite a bit about what the zombies would look like and what we could potentially do to make them feel a little original and a little bit different.  And when you get into “cattle call” days when there are 150 zombies and you’ve got seven different make up people and you’re blasting everybody through…those days it’s a little harder to get into your hero specific make ups but what we would do is pick and choose our battles.  On days when there were only 20 zombies we would do 20 hero zombie make ups on those guys.  But on the days when we had 150 zombies then we would break it up into hero make ups, mid ground make ups and background masks.

MG: What is your mind set when creating zombies for different projects?
GN: What excited me about “Walking Dead” was that Frank had…Frank is a classic director.  Frank is as “old” Hollywood as you can get.  It’s all character driven.  It’s all story driven.  There are issues and situations that will arise that we have seen in other zombie movies but they’re handled differently.  His treatment of his actors is just so spot on.  So few people really understand that, for real horror to work, you have to care about these people.  If you don’t care about them then it doesn’t matter what happens to them.  It’s the difference between walking down the street and seeing someone you went to high school with hurt versus seeing someone you don’t know hurt.  There’s a connection you need to make.  You want people to be sympathetic.  When you deal with the horror genre’ you invest in these characters.  It’s Janet Leigh in “Psycho.”  That’s probably the best example I can think of.  You go 25-30 minutes into the movie thinking she’s the lead character and then she gets killed off.  I always thought that was such a powerful moment and that is why that sequence still resonates fifty years later.  The audience didn’t see it coming and when it happened they were upset.

MG: How did the cast deal with all of the different make ups?
GN: The cast was just absolutely fascinating to watch work.  For us, the quality of the zombie make ups we were able to do for the show helped their performances.  It was one of those situations where they acted better because they were horrified by what we were doing.  Some of them literally had nightmares about zombies.  They spent a lot of time wanting to understand the process…wondering how they should react if someone they see is bitten and are going to potentially “come back.”  How do I gage that?  So I was really the resident zombie expert on set for the entire show.  That’s why Frank and Gale Anne Hurd gave me a consulting producer credit.  I was the resident zombie nerd that knew everything about zombies.

MG: Tell us about your new short film “United Monster Talent Agency”?
GN: I had been on the road for literally almost two years.  I was in Berlin on “Inglorious Basterds” and then from there I went on to “Book of Eli” and from “Book of Eli” I went on to “Piranha.”  And then from “Piranha” to “Predators.”  I had been jumping around all over the place and it got to the point where I finally got back to L.A. after having been with some of the most influential and important filmmakers in the world.  I looked at my schedule and realized I had about six weeks before I was due to start on “Walking Dead.”  So I told myself if I ever want to do this I’ve got to do it now.  So I called a bunch of my friends and told them I was going to direct this short.  I wrote it in about three hours.  I called Eli Roth, called Frank…I called my friends.  And I told them that I’d never asked a favor of anybody.  That’s not my style.  But I told them that this is my opportunity to do this…would you help me out?  And they were all on board.  I had originally talked to Tom Savini about playing Dracula and he was excited.  It took on a life of its own.

MG: How did you come up with the idea for the short?
GN: The original concept was a goofy idea…what if you see the Creature From the Black Lagoon and he’s running through the jungle…he’s chasing the girl.  The girl falls and puts her arms up.  Very dramatic.  You play up those 1950s “close up” moments.  And all of a sudden these guys run in with a net and in the background you see the Creature struggling and growling.  You pan over to a Rod Serling-type announcer who says “At Universal Studios, we strive for realism, blah blah blah.”  And you find out that Universal actually has all of these monsters living on their lot.  They just take them out occasionally to make movies with.  It was a simple, fun little idea. Then I thought “where do I go with it from here?”  I thought it would be funny to have a shot of King Kong sitting next to the facility and then once you get inside….I had originally imagined a series of holding pens…holding cells where they keep Dracula and Frankenstein and the Wolf Man.  I did a lot of research and watched a lot of news reels from the 50s.  Many of them were trumpeting the future…“Technology is our friend.  It’s here for all of us!  The world is at your fingertips.”  And I thought it would be funny if they had a place where they were developing technology for future movies. “Using science and technology to make bigger and better monsters for your future movies.”  And then it opened up.  And I realized that I could put all of my favorite movies…the ones I watched growing up…”Jaws”…”Dawn of the Dead.”  I could put the “Thing”…I could put Freddy Kruger’s hand in there.  It made complete sense.  So I called my friends and it really began taking shape.  There were a few days where I would think, “Holy shit!  What have I done?”  I had a little mini panic attack one week because I had never done this before.  I was literally entering uncharted territory.  It was terrifying and so exciting at the same moment.  I had one day where I was really nervous but then I thought, you know what, I’ve been doing this stuff for 25 years.  I’ve been on 800 movie sets.  There’s no way I can’t pull this off.  And I got my footing back.  I think everybody in this industry has that one moment where they think “did I really agree to do this?”  I scouted a location in Valencia…an old Borax factory.  I was looking for a place where I could have medical rooms.  This place had a huge lobby and then I thought, “Oh my God, I have another idea.”  Now it was a hustling, bustling agency.  So I took all of the classic movie posters that I own and hung them up on the walls and dressed everybody in period clothes.  And it just exploded.  And the fact that AMC has agreed to distribute the short…you can go on AMC’s web site under “Fear Fest” and “Short Films” and see it.  It’s really exploded on the Internet.  It’s played at film festivals all over the world…it’s played in Ireland…Spain…Australia.  All of a sudden it went from “Hey, I’ve got six weeks free…let’s make a film for shits and giggles.”  Now people all over the world are seeing it.  It’s truly the weirdest.  And to get emails from Guillermo del Toro and Rick Baker telling me how much they loved it…John Landis….guys that I’ve looked up to and admired.  And of course it’s nerd heaven.  Who else can say that they’ve directed a scene from “Creature From the Black Lagoon?”  I had period movie cameras and period clothing with a set we had built at K.N.B….it was the closet any of us could get to being there without really being able to say “we were there.”  We built everything.  Not one shot of the creatures is stock footage.  I licensed four shots of stock footage, but they were just of Hollywood.  When you see Hollywood Boulevard or when you see June Allyson signing autographs…I licensed those clips because I wanted the short to have that “feel.”  Originally I wasn’t going to do it but then I thought “you know, I want it to feel like a newsreel.  I want it to feel like “dateline:  Hollywood…1954.” I wanted it to have that cadence to it.  When you see the “Nosferatu” shot…people are asking me “did you take that from the movie?”  And I say, “no, no, no I shot that here at K.N.B.  And then they ask me “how did you do King Kong?”  King Kong was a miniature we had built and King Kong was the exact same size as the original stop motion armature and we rod-puppeted him to give him that classic, stuttery stop motion feel.  I tried to be as authentic as I could with all the monsters.  Because I felt that if you didn’t think you were watching the real monsters it wouldn’t work.  A lot of the characters were played by my make up artist friends.  Many of them not only played a monster but helped with other make up.  They all did double duty.  I think it was something people didn’t really expect from me  It has charm and character and personality.  It’s not very gory…not a lot of exploitation or a lot of blood.  But I wanted to have fun with it.  I wanted it to have personality.

MG: Any plans for any more directing projects?
GN: I would love to.  I directed 2nd Unit on “The Walking Dead.”  And I’ve also been doing a lot of directing on “Vampire Diaries.”  It’s exciting that I’m getting calls.

MG: What films are upcoming for K.N.B. EFX?
GN: We just did the movie “I Am Number Four”, directed by D.J. Caruso.  We have worked with him on “Eagle Eye”, “Disturbia” and a few others also. There’s a movie called “Priest” coming out that we did all of the make up effects for.  We did “Fright Night” with Colin Farrell.  We’re certainly keeping busy.

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Robert Kirkman is the creator of the comic book series “The Walking Dead”.  He has also worked on other comic series such as “Invincible” and “Marvel Zombie” series.  “The Walking Dead” is currently heading to the screen screen on AMC, Kirkman is serving as writer on the show.  Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Robert and discuss his work on “Walking Dead” and his find out what his favorite comic series is.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about the process of bringing “The Walking Dead” from comic book to the small screen?
Robert Kirkman: From my point of view it’s really quite simple.  You find a great network like AMC and an excellent director like Frank Darabont, a great producer like Gale Anne Hurd, add a great writing team and go from there.  To be honest I really haven’t had to do all that much, which is awesome because everybody involved are top of the line. Knowing that it’s going to be on TV. is pretty crazy, because there is some cool stuff that happens that you wouldn’t expect to see on television.  I’m pretty excited about that.  It’s been an amazing experience.

MG: Do you feel that because it is on television, and not a feature film, that it is better or worse?
RK: It’s better because with a movie you’re not trying to cram 77 issues of a comic book into a two hour movie.  I think that everyone involved….Frank, the actors, AMC…are thinking that this project is going to be very long term.  They plan for the show to run for a good long time.  Because of that the first six episodes really doesn’t cover all that much.  We’re allowed to take our time with it, not cram too much in, and that’s great.  Another thing I’m excited about is that the show isn’t following the comic too closely.  I mean, there are a lot of big moments in the comic that people will expect to make it to the TV show, but you don’t want the show to be boring.  Part of the joy to fans of the comic book is that they never know what to expect.  Anyone can die at any moment.  There is really a shock value to the whole thing where you really don’t expect certain things to happen.  I think for the television show to run along the same story line as the comic, for the fans of the comic I think that would really be boring.  Because they would know what happens next. I think it’s great that the writers have taken liberties with the story line and followed some new paths that I may have glossed over.  Frank and the writers have gone in and expected things that I covered very quickly.  They’ve added new characters and, therefore, new story lines for those characters.  There is going to be a lot of stuff that the comic book fans
aren’t going to expect.  I think it will be a real cool experience for all involved.

MG: Do you ever see an end for the comic series in sight?
RK: Every story has to end at some point…I don’t plan on living forever (laughs).  I won’t be writing this book until the day I die so I will have to end it sometime.  But not in the near future….not in the far future….if I have my way.  It’s the zombie movie that never ends, so to fulfill that I think it needs to go on for a long time.  I’m still as excited writing issue #80 as I was writing issue #1.  And as long as it’s like that I’m going to keep going forever and ever!  I can see it reaching issue #300…I can see it reaching issue #400.  I definitely plan for it to go for a good long time.

MG: Do you have any other comics that you would like to adapt as well?
RK: I would love to see ALL of my comics adapted to this format.  Television is a perfect format for comic books.  Comics tell a long form narrative that continues from month to month.  And I think more people will be by passing movies and turning comics into television shows because it’s a much more natural fit.  You get the same kind of experience from a television series as you do from a comic book.  I think “The Walking Dead” will show people how well that translates.

MG: Besides, “The Walking Dead”, what is your favorite comic series you have worked on?
RK: I have a superhero series called “Invincible” that I have a lot of fun with.  It’s been running as long as “The Walking Dead.”  I’d love to see that turned into a television series.

MG: Now for a hard one: what is your favorite comic series of all time?
RK: That’s surprisingly an easy one.  My favorite comic book of all time is “The Savage Dragon.”  A series that started publishing in 1992.  It was my favorite comic when I was younger and it’s really everything you could ever want out of a comic book.  There’s a lot of drama…a lot of emotional stories…great character bits.  And on top of that there’s the kind
of action you can only get out of a comic.  There are things that really can’t exist in any other art form in that comic. I highly recommend to anyone to go out there and pick it up.  They won’t be disappointed.

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Michael Rooker is known for many roles throughout his career. Some of the notable ones are from the films “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer”, “Days of Thunder”, “Mallrats” and “Slither”. Michael is currently starring in AMC new TV series “The Walking Dead”. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Michael about his role in the show and also about his many memorable characters he has played.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your role as Merle Dixon in “The Walking Dead?”
Michael Rooker: Merle is a survivor of the Zombie Apocalypse. And you can tell when you first meet him that even before all the shit went down he was kind of an asshole. We don’t play a lot of it up in our portrayal but he’s
the kind of person where you’re not really sure if he should be in charge…if he would be a good leader or not, though he certainly thinks he is.

MG: How do you feel about playing a new character which was not adapted from the comic book?
MR: Like the character I’m new to the comics. I started reading them when I was cast and couldn’t put them down. And I couldn’t find my guy in there so I realized that obviously my guy is a new guy. And when I went to Comic Con the writer of the comics made it clear to the fans that, yes, there will be new characters. And believe me, all of the “Walking Dead” comic fans will be very surprised at all of our attempts to bring the story to life. We’re not going to do everything in the same sequence as they’re done in the comics. I mean we learn as children that we want the same things again and again and again and again and again. And it’s not going to happen this way. We’re going to have fun with it. I’m going to do it the way my instincts dictate.

MG: What has been the best part of working on the show?
MR: Working on the show! I didn’t expect it, it came out of the blue. I didn’t expect to even be in the show. But once I read it I was like…”shit yeah!” The role is perfect for me….for the kind of energy I have. For the kind of person that intrigues me. I was like, “yeah man, I want to do this.” And I did whatever I could and whatever it took to land the role. Luckily I did. I had a lot of people on my side. The casting people stood up for me and fought for me and they’re the reason I’m in this show. Plain and simple. I’m looking forward to seeing how people are going to respond to the show…how middle America is going to respond to the show…how fans of the comic are going to respond to the show. From what I’ve seen they’re going to enjoy this a whole hell of a lot. Anybody who’s a fan of zombies or sci fi or action or tough portrayals are going to be wallowing in a big field of mud! Like pigs they’re going to have a great time. They’re going to enjoy it. And I’m going to enjoy it. Even though I’m involved in it I’m going to watch it and enjoy it.

MG: How do you feel that approaching 25 years “Henry: Portrait of Serial Killer” is such a huge cult classic?
MR: I have two movies that are approaching more then 20 years and both of the are absolute classics. I am extremely blessed and lucky to have been involved in any movie that doesn’t go straight to video (laughs), though that’s not such a bad thing these days, don’t get me wrong. I mean, “Henry” is approaching 25 years and “Days of Thunder” turns 20 this year. Each year they gain more popularity…each year new fans come on board. The fan bases are tremendous…two or three generations of fans for both of these projects. I was just approached by Paramount earlier this year to do a game based on “Days of Thunder.” I’ve got a full fledged, action packed, arcade style race car game where my character, Rowdy Burns, is the crew chief/racer that leads you through the game…and you end up racing against me as well. Fans of that movie are just going to be ecstatic when that game comes out because it’s going to be a kick ass game. Now I’m not going to do a game of “Henry” (laughs loudly) but if we did do a game of “Henry” what kind of game would it be? I’ve
been approached by game producers about doing a “Henry” game!

MG: Your role in the film “Slither” is definitely not for the squeamish. How was it working on that film?
MR: Well it took about eight hours just for the makeup. My call time would be for 3:00 am and I’d be in the chair until 8 o’clock, then go on set and work several hours. Then it would take another four or five hours to take it off. That was the longest. We did get it down to around five hours to put on and maybe two hours to take off. It became manageable. But it was hard…especially on the neck. I’ve been very lucky in that most of my characters have been pretty memorable. If I go out and get hit by a Mack truck tomorrow they’ll be able to say, “he played some pretty memorable people.”

MG: Your role in “Mallrats” steals the film. Was it fun working on that film?
MR: Fortunately or unfortunately, I didn’t know what the film was going to end up being when all was said and done. But that’s my goal. My goal is to steal a scene or to steal the show. Take it over and make it mine. Make every other actor chase me. Make them come up or come down to where I’m at…to get down and dirty in the scene. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I don’t know if that’s a “team player” or not. But that’s the way I like to play. I like to play hard and I like to win. And I like to have fun doing it. And when I’m on set with other actors they may think I’m going to kow-tow to them, like it’s THEIR scene. But I’m going to take it and it’s up to them to try and take it back. And when actors work that way…when you’ve got a juicy competition going on…that’s when you end up with a good movie. A good scene. A good memorable character. All of those characters will end up being memorable. That’s only my opinion. I’m sure a lot of people think “I don’t think so, buddy.” Maybe that’s why I’ve never worked with Stallone or Tom Cruise or Kevin Costner ever again! “F*** that guy…he’s not going to be in MY movie!” I like to have fun…I like to do my thing. And in “Mallrats” they allowed me to do my thing. You know from most of my roles that I tend to be very physical. Whether it’s a comedy or a dramatic situation I’m usually a physical guy at time. And that sometimes scares directors. Especially those that are more into the words…they’re not necessarily into physical comedy. But doing “Mallrats” I think we both (Rooker and director Kevin Smith) had a good time. And I’m a little upset that before we did this interview I didn’t get a special delivery of chocolate covered pretzels! (laughs)

MG: Tell us about some of your other upcoming projects?
MR: I’m in a movie called “Hypothermia.” It’s not really a remake but it was probably inspired by “Creature From the Black Lagoon.” This time around the creature is a bit more aggressive and hungry. And he doesn’t fall in love with the girl, he actually wants to eat her! That’s “Hypothermia” in a nut shell. Another film is “Super.” It’s one where your friend calls you up and asks you if you want to do a role but they don’t have a lot of money. “I don’t even know if we can fly you down to the set.” The budget was that minuscule. And I told them, “you know I drive everywhere. Give me money for gas and I’ll sleep in my car if I have to.” So they gave me some gas money and I made it down and they even put me in a hotel. It was a lot of fun.

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You might recognize Sarah Wayne Callies as Dr. Sara Tancredi on “Prison Break”. Sarah is currently co-staring as Lori in “The Walking Dead”. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Sarah to discuss her role in the show and her other upcoming projects.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your role of Lori on “The Walking Dead”?
Sarah Wayne Callies: Probably the first thing she would say about herself is that she is Rick’s wife and Carl’s mom. This is a woman’s who identity is very much situated in those relationships. She is somebody, who in contrast to other characters I have played before it wasn’t really raised with a sense of a whole lot of possibilities or ambition for herself outside of the family. She lived a very ordinary/normal life. Then everything goes to hell. She starts learning things about herself that is actually surprising, encouraging and terrifying.

MG: Did you enjoy playing such a strong leading role?
SC: For me this isn’t a zombie story. This isn’t a horror story. For me this is a story about people. It is about what happens to us in the most extreme of circumstances. Not just a one off. This is a very protracted scenario of people living constantly in crisis. They are in a pre-industrial revolution. You really never know who someone is going to be and you never known who you are going to be in those circumstances. What I love about Lori this is a woman that six months ago who have told you that she is capable of all of the miraculous mundane wife and mother things. She discovers that she has enough inside to be able to help the people she loves survive.

MG: Were you familiar with the comic prior, or after did you check it out?
SC: Not only was I not familiar with the comic book. I had never read a single comic book. They have never come up on my radar. Now I am that deep in it. My husband and I got utterly hooked on it. We were back at the comic book store like a junkie. The guy at the comic shop told me if this is your first comic then I have struck gold.

MG: How was it playing Dr. Sara Tancredi on “Prison Break”?
SC: They are such different women. Sara was a woman who was very confident at her way to think her way through and out of things. She was very intellectual and very privileged. She is a woman who is not only a doctor but a doctor at a prison. Sara had a very limited sense of her own capability when it came to relationships, love, trust and family. Here journey in the story was about coming to terms with ability to open up and trust and make a family with someone.

MG: For a show that you were in for almost five years, how do you feel now that its over?
SC: I feel like we told our story. I feel good about it. It has a beginning, a middle and a end. There was controversy all throughout, some people didn’t like the beginning, some the middle and some the end [laughs]. I feel we ended the show where the show needed to end. I am really proud of it.

MG: How do you feel going from crime drama to zombie horror?
SC: What is interesting, “Prison Break” was more a romance for me. This is from experiencing the show through my character. It was a story of a woman learning that she could fall in love. “The Walking Dead” to me is the story of a woman learning what it means to survive. They are not as far about as you might think. Part of what I get off on as an actor is doing characters that are as different as possible. It is nice to do something different. I have never seen a zombie movie before this. The gore I am starting to see in the show is an important part of creating a world where you really do believe these people are constantly in danger.

MG: Congratulations on your screenplay getting optioned, what can you tell us about “Elena’s Serenade”?
SC: Thank you, I am so excited about that. “Elena’s Serenade” is a simple story about a little girl that crosses a desert to be become a glass blower. Her family is a glass blower but will not teach her. Her family is desperately poor and needs help in the shop. So she sets out who all of the competence of youth to save her family. It is infused with a lot of magical realism. Talking creatures, music and parts of it might be a dream. It is the perception of the growing world as it unfolds to a child’s eyes. I think it is realistic in the way that children see things. It is a children’s picture book that I have been reading to my daughter for like a year and a half. I thought to myself one day that I see the full length version of this. I have been in touch with the author and he and I talked a lot about it. It is has been a close calibration. We are just taking the next steps. We are also considering translating the film into Spanish and doing it as a foreign language film. Depending on which director we end up with if they think that will be the way to go.

MG: Tell us about the other projects you are involved in?
SC: I just did a movie with Milla Jovovich called “Faces in the Crowd”. It was great fun and a kind of crazy experimental type of film. The role I am playing I think there are six other actresses playing the role as well. It was a lot of funny and something I have never seen done before. I worked on this very cool Nigerian film about the Niger Delta, called “Black Gold”. That was an incredible experience. It has been an incredible year, I feel like I have got to work with some really extraordinary people. I am so honored by the work I have been able to do.

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Jon Bernthal is currently starring in AMC’s new TV series, “The Walking Dead”. Jon is no stranger to TV or movies. He appeared in recent films like “Night of the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” and “The Ghost Writer”. On television, he recently co-starred in “Eastwick” and HBO’s “The Pacific”. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Jon about his role in “The Walking Dead” and his other recent projects.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your character Shane Walsh in “The Walking Dead”?
Jon Bernthal: I just came from New York Comic Con, unlike San Diego…New York was a more feisty crowd and they booed the hell out of Shane. I dig that people feel that strongly about the character but since I am playing him I think that Shane is a really loyal friend of Rick’s. We are going slightly in our own direction from the comic. We are playing up that Rick, Lori and Shane are childhood best friends. They grew up together. Shane is Rick’s best friend. I look at him as Rick’s pit bull. He is naturally Rick’s number two. I think that is how they work as friends. Rick’s is settled and has this great wonderful family. We are hinting that Shane is this wild and crazy bachelor. He is a guy that can just roll into Rick’s house at any point, pull up a chair and start eating dinner with them. When the apocalypse hits and Shane assume Rick to be dead, the first thing he does is go and get Lori and Carl to protect them. He leads them out in the woods with a group of survivors. I think at that point he crosses into this leadership position. It doesn’t suit him, he is a number two guy. When Rick comes back in order for the group to survive, it makes more sense for Shane to fall back. Unfortunately now he has had a little taste of what it is like to be number one. That is a center where a lot of the drama comes from in the first season.

MG: What was it like working with such an amazing ensemble cast?
JB: I gotta tell you, I have been out in Los Angeles like 5 years now and I have been really lucky. I have got to work on some really cool projects. I gotta say, this project really kicks everything in the ass. I have never worked with actors like this. In episode three when we are all together, everyone is just so great together. They are all so talented. As far as Andrew (Lincoln) is concerned who plays Rick Grimes. I have never seen anything like it. I already got a chance to see the pilot and saw how great he actually is. Getting to work with him day in and day out is so great. I think that there is not a person on television right now that can throw down a performance like he does. I am thrilled to be working with such great people. They are all awesome.

MG: What was the best part so far about working on the show?
JB: Frank Daramont is a genius. They created this unbelievably interesting character. He dies really quick in the comic , but Frank really explores this guy. He is giving me an opportunity as an actor to week in and week out try to change the audiences mind about whether he is a good guy or bad guy. It is really cool character for me to play. I think he is going to be a character that keeps people guessing and keeps proving people wrong. It has been a great opportunity for me. Greg Nicotero did the makeup and he is the best in the business. I love AMC, it is my favorite network. The comic book is so amazing and we are lucky to have (Robert) Kirkman on board. We are able to come up with some really cool tangents from the comic. It is all really cool. I think my favorite part was honestly going to work everyday and being a part of this all. We felt like we really did something good.

MG: How do you feel working on this show differs from your other TV shows?
JB: I think this show is different for a whole number of reasons. Look, I do not think I can really compare this with anything I have done on network TV. He we are just playing by a completely different set of rules. First and foremost everyone really wanted to make a show that was as good as possible. AMC’s whole outlook is quality first. They really want to bring people to the show rather than bring the show to the people. They not taking any shortcut or pulling any punches. The only thing I have been a part of that I can compare it too was “The Pacific”. I think “The Pacific” described the numbness and the horrors of war. This show is really about digging in and finding humanity in a really fucked up world. This is a real character piece. It really shows the relationships between the characters and emotions. I tell people I am going a zombie show, they all of the sudden think of a gory campy cute thing. This show IS gory but there is nothing cute about this. It is really gritty show. These characters really land like they do on the page. It is something that is really human. That is what really takes it apart from “The Pacific”, it is not just about the big battle scenes. It is really about these people and most of that really comes from the comic.

MG: What like it like working on such a big budget film like “Night of the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”?
JB: It was really cool. A lot of that movie was done in improv. We went off script all the time. I got a chance to do improvisation with Christopher Guest, Hank Azaria and Alain Chabat (who played Napoleon). They were some of the best actors I have worked with. They have this great sense of comedy. A lot of the stuff we did ended up getting cut from the movie. We did a lot extra stuff but I do not think it served the main storyline. Ben (Stiller) was a great guy. I really loved that movie. It was ton of fun and I never been apart of something like that before.

MG: Last fall, you played Raymond Gardener in the TV show “Eastwick”, how was it working working on that show?
JB: [laughs] It was cool man. I grew up playing sports like baseball and football through college and I am boxer. I am active type dude and that was a pretty feminine show. It was weird going from “The Pacific”, where it was like 150 guys in a rain forest in Northern Australia to a show about three beautiful woman on the back lot of Warner Brothers. It was a different experience for me. It was cool. I made some good friends from the show and it was interesting experience.

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Emma Bell is probably a familiar face to television fans.  The 23 year old actress has appeared on “Law and Order” as well as it’s spin off “S.V.U.”  She has also shown up on “First Watch,” “Ghost Whisperer” and “Supernatural.”  Those last two shows prepared her for film roles in such thrillers as “Frozen”, which she stars in.  She is also slated to star in “Final Destination 5.”  Staying true to the genre, Bell has a starring role in the upcoming AMC series “The Walking Dead.”  Movie Mikes recently had a chance to talk with Emma about her roles and how horror has been good to her.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your character Amy on “The Walking Dead”?
Emma Bell: I’m so excited about “The Walking Dead” coming out.  I’m proud of every project I’ve done but this project in particular I’m really, really proud of.  Just the amazing people attached.  I’m very, very happy.  I’m really proud of it. I play Amy, the younger sister of the lead character, Andrea.  The story line is that the sheriff in a small town in Georgia gets shot and when he wakes up the Zombie Apocalypse has happened in the world.  And he doesn’t know what’s happened. He doesn’t know why its happened.  So he then goes hunting for his family and on this hunt he finds this survivor camp where his family is, as well as myself and other survivors.  Our personal story line is that I’m a college student and we were

on a road trip.  My sister decided she wanted to go on a road trip with me back to college.  So we’re just two girls on our way through Georgia when the Apocalypse happens.  We manage to make our way out of Atlanta and are taken in by a man and his army to their campsite.  That’s our story line.

MG: Where you familiar with the comic prior?
EM: No, I wasn’t really an avid comic reader.  When I was younger I read a lot of books but not a lot of comic books.  But as soon as I booked the part I went out and read all of the comic books.  I was really impressed.  To me a comic book really lends itself to a TV series.  While reading the comic I would say to myself “of course this is going to be a great TV show.  It’s
got drama, it’s got character.  It’s got great elements.  And for me, reading it in comic book form was really interesting for me because I’d never really read a comic book.  It’s amazing how you’re reading a story through visuals versus words.   It’s a really different vein of storytelling.  And I continue to read the comics.  Every time there’s a new one out I have to read the story.

MG: How did you get involved with “Frozen”?
EB: I auditioned like any other project.  I read the script and really liked it so I went in and auditioned.  The story is that I was the very first person to read for the role.  I came in really early one morning and did my thing and I guess they really liked me.  They kept auditioning people but they eventually hired me.  It’s funny because when I went in for the audition I was really sick.  I was under the weather and not even sure if I was going to go to the audition that day…maybe I’d just stay in bed.  But I’m really glad I decided to go.  It’s really become a big thing for me.  Anyway, a few weeks after  I read I got a phone call saying they wanted to hire me and they invited me to the cast read through.

MG: Tell us how it was working on that film?
EB: We were actually up on a real ski lift.  We shot for six weeks in the winter…we shot through February and March in Utah.  We were sixty feet above the ground.  We got hit with constant blizzards while we were shooting.  We had three weeks of night shoots.  But it was beautiful because it all worked so well for the film.  And the cast all pulled together
through the experience.  And it made it all seem more real because you’re surviving the shoot.  The director pushed to have the shoot out in the elements.  Some people wanted to film it all on a stage with green screen.  And the argument was how are we going to act like it’s really cold when it’s really 72 degrees.

MG: Are you a fan of the horror genre?
EB: Horror is a genre’ that has a lot of branches to it.  There are lots of different opportunities to do lots of different types of horror.  I’ve loved all of the jobs I’ve worked on.  Horror has certainly been very good to me.  “Frozen” is kind of a horror/thriller. “Walking Dead” is kind of a character driven horror/thriller.  The thing I love about horror is that everything in horror is heightened.  It’s very dramatic.  There’s either a killer or you have to survive some kind of horrible experience.  Or even death itself is approaching you in the “Final Destination” films.  It’s very dramatic.  And that’s a really cool experience to portray as an actress.

MG: You take the lead again in “Final Destination 5”, what can you tell us about your role and the movie?
EB: Yeah it is really great.  We are filming in with these amazing 3D cameras.  Steven Quale, who worked with James Cameron on “Avatar”, is directing and he is so great.  The rest of the cast members, we really love each other.  I have no words to describe the feeling I have when I found out, I got the role.  I play Molly and she is sort of a small town girl.  Nicholas D’Agosto plays Sam, who is her love interest.  His character is the one who has the premonitions like the other “Final Destination” movies.  He is an aspiring chef and trying to figure out what to do with this life.  We go on this crazy ride due to his premonition and are joined by a bunch of their co-workers.  Molly is very girly.  I wear a lot of pink.  She is very vulnerable and has a big heart.

MG: How has it been filming so far?
EB: We are shooting in 3D and that has really been the coolest thing so far.  I get watch these masterminds work with this new technology.  Just doing these scenes in front of these 3D cameras.  It actually looks like it is two cameras intercepting each other.  It is really cool, there is a viewing both where you can watch the takes.  You put on these 3D glasses. It has really been a surreal experience so far.

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You may not be familiar with the name Irone Singleton but that’s going to soon change. A working actor for 15 years, he got by with small parts in films like “Fled” and “Remember the Titans.” Then came “The Blind Side.” He caught everyone’s attention with his role of “Alton,” the project tough guy who tries to bully Sandra Bullock’s character, only to have the tables turned on him. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Singleton received a dual degree in Theatre & Speech Communications. His most recent project is the television series “The Walking Dead.” Irone recently took some time out to talk to Movie Mikes to discuss his career and his now TV show “The Walking Dead”

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about how you got the role on the upcoming TV series “The Walking Dead.”
Irone Singleton: I received a call from my agent in Atlanta about The Walking Dead. I wasn’t familiar with the comic book but when I heard that Frank Darabont (director of “The Shawshank Redemption) was putting it together, I immediately called my agent back and said yes! I auditioned for it and the rest is history.

MG: What can we expect from your character T-Dog?
IS: T-Dog is great character, and any character I play I try to shake them up with my life experiences. He grew up in the inner city and got a break playing Division 1 football. He’s a happy man…he has a conscience. But he’s fighting his conscience because humanity has been stripped away because of this apocalyptical world that has taken over. People are committing crimes without impunity and he has to decide “do I become a part of this world or do I continue to hold on to my humanity?” He’s an “everyman.”

MG: Did you read the comic after being cast?
IS: I’ve actually read everything BUT the comic book. I’m waiting, as we speak, on the Compendium. It’s been weeks since I ordered it and they still haven’t delivered it. I’m sure I’ll get it soon. But I’ve read just about everything else I can get my hands on off the Internet.

MG: Did you get a chance to meet Frank Darabont?
IS: I’ve met him a few times on the set. My only disappointment is that I haven’t been able to follow his directions yet, since he only directed the pilot episode. When I heard he was only directing the pilot I was like “Nooooooo!” I hope I last through next season. I hope I don’t die off before I get a chance to be directed by him.

MG: How was it working on the Oscar nominated film “The Blind Side”?
IS: That was my moment! Have you ever heard a person say “that was my breakthrough moment?” Much of Hollywood didn’t know I existed until that film. At that point, I had already been in the business for fifteen years but still hadn’t “made it.” But John Lee Hancock (the film’s director), after the audition said, “We’ve found our Alton” (IronE’s character in the film). After that God has been blessing me with a lot of great opportunities. Everything has been great and it’s all going at such a fast speed. I auditioned for the film in March 2009, started shooting in April and ever since I’ve been in six or seven different major projects. To work with Sandra Bullock, who’s one of the best actors in our business…she’s such a wonderful person. She has a great spirit. What you see on TV is who she truly is. She has such a warm personality.

MG: Can you believe the response the film received?
IS: It’s incredible! The budget was $30 million and I was told that the producers would have been happy to have made $60 million. So to make $100 million would have been mind boggling. To date it’s made over $300 million. Do you know how insane that is? Nobody expected it. The Blind Side is such a great story. When you reach out to somebody you don’t know and give them love regardless of who they are or their circumstances or background, even God says “I’m going to be a part of this because I want the world to see it.” When we do something special, that’s exactly what happens. That’s one of the reasons I became an actor. I wanted to have a positive effect on the world just like the movie did. To see the effect the movie has had on the world is more validation that I made the right career choice.

MG: Besides “The Walking Dead,” what else are you working on?
IS: I have a supporting role in a project called, “The Hungry Rabbit Jumps,” which stars Nicolas Cage. In that film, I portray the character “Scar,” who is an intelligent henchman under Guy Pearce’s leadership. Guy runs a secret organization that takes out contracts on people. Also, I recently played a Priest in the new ABC pilot “Detroit 1-8-7,” which aired in late September. Then there’s a VH-1 project being produced by Queen Latifah called “Single Ladies,” which should premiere in Winter 2010. Another project you can catch me in is a film called “A Box for Rob,” where I am starring as an FBI agent named “Tim.” That movie will be released in 2011. It’s my first starring role and was a great opportunity to break out of the “villain box,” because I didn’t want to be typecast as “Alton” [The Blind Side]. For anyone who knows this business of acting, for someone to book two major projects in a year is great, but since “The Blind Side” I’ve booked seven. God has been so good to me. Thank you, God!

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October is usually swarmed by horror/sci-fi genre movies, some are good…most are not. This October, we have had the following genre films released, “Case 39”, “My Soul to Take” and “Let Me In”…so far all disappointing. We only have “Paranormal Activity 2” and “Saw 3D” to finish off the month, expectations are weary. Luckily for us “Monsters” is also being released. It is a micro-budgeted film from first time director and visual effects artist Gareth Edwards…and it kicks ass!

“Monsters” is easily one of the best films I have seen this fall – Click here to read my review.  Movie Mikes has had the chance to interview the cast and crew from the film.

MONSTERS INTERVIEWS:

This film is following the footsteps of other low budget sci-fi films like “Cloverfield” and the upcoming “Skyline”, very small budget but high production value. The film was made for around $100,000 dollars and with another $400,000 spent in post production. The film itself has computer graphic effects that could easily pass for a multi-million dollar film.

The cast in the film features actually real life husband and wife, Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able. Their chemistry in the film is so fantastic and you find yourself memorized watching these characters. Jon Hopkins composed and performed the score for the film, which is so fantastic. Jon’s music sets the mood for the whole film and really makes the film move well. I cannot wait until they release the score on iTunes, it is a must buy for movie score fans!

The film is set for US release on October 29, 2010. Make sure you go out and support the film and all independent movies. Check out the trailer below for those who are not familiar with this gem.

Chandler Riggs is starring in AMC’s new TV series “The Walking Dead”. Chandler plays Carl Grimes, the son of lead characters Rick and Lori Grimes. Movie Mikes had a chance to ask Chandler a few questions about his character and how it has been working on the show.

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Mike Gencarelli: How did you get involved with the TV Show “The Walking Dead”?
Chandler Riggs: First, my agent asked me to go on tape for “The Walking Dead”, and then they didn’t call us back for so long that we forgot about it. They called us two months later and after a couple of auditions, I was told that I got the part!

MG: Tell us about your character of Carl Grimes in “The Walking Dead”?
CR: Carl is the son of Rick and Lori Grimes. Carl is an average kid trying to adapt to this destroyed world and the other survivors. The first step in surviving is to have his mom and dad together and be a family again. That is the first of many problems.

MG: Where you familiar with the comic book series?
CR: I wasn’t familiar with the comic book series. My dad googled “The Walking Dead” and when we found out that it was a comic, we went to our local comic book store and bought a few issues.

MG: How did you prepare for the character?
CR: I prepared for Carl by reading the comic books and thinking about how he must have felt. We also watched a few movies that featured kid actors in intense roles to get an idea of what would be expected of me.

MG: How was it working with so many fantastic actors?
CR: I loved it. They treated me like an adult. Not just a little kid that annoys everybody!

MG: What was the best of working on the show so far?
CR: There are so many things that I loved.I really don’t think I have one favorite part. To see that I am part of something that means so much to so many people is really awesome.

MG: Are you a fan of horror films? Do you have a favorite?
CR: Yes. I love horror films. My favorite is “The Mist”. It was so cool seeing Laurie, Jeffery, Juan, and the amazing job that Frank did in directing that movie. Especially the creepy way that he ended it!

MG: What was it like working on the movie “Get Low”, any cool moments?
CR: It was so cool seeing Bill Murray and Robert Duvall. They were also very nice to me. My favorite part in “Get Low” was a deleted scene and didn’t make it into the movie. I got to shoot Robert Duvall!

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Madison Lintz started acting when she was 6. She has been in numerous commercials and industrial projects. Madison’s most recent commercial was a national Golden Corral spot which aired all over the country. Madison co-star in this fall new TV series “The Walking Dead”, playing the character Sophia. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Madison about her role in the show.

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Mike Gencarelli: What drew you to the TV show “The Walking Dead”?
Madison Lintz: Because the comic books are pretty grown up I hadn’t read them, so when I auditioned, it was all new to me. But now, I love the story and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

MG: Tell us about your character of Sophia in “The Walking Dead”?
ML: Sophia is a young girl who is living in a very scary nightmarish time. She and her mom and dad have escaped the city and are living in a camp with many others to try to hide from the zombies. This is where she meets Carl and Rick and Lori. She and Carl stick together through all of the chaos. Living every day in fear of dying makes her quiet and somber. But you also see scenes where the kids in the camp are playing and trying to do normal things in a very un-normal situation.

MG: How did you prepare for the character?
ML: I read some of the early comic books to try to see where it was all headed (edited by mom!). Also, I just made sure I knew my lines so I didn’t mess everyone else up! It wasn’t hard to react naturally on set. Those zombies were scary looking!

MG: How was it working with so many fantastic actors?
ML: It was fun because they gave me a lot of inspiration and advice on how to play my role. They treated me like I was a mini-adult which felt great! We had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. One time, just to mess with us, the director didn’t call “Cut!” after the last line of the scene so we all just kept sitting there, looking at each other, trying to stay in character. Then Jon Bernthal cracked up and we were all done! It was hilarious.

MG: Where there any moments during filming that were too scary?
ML: There’s a scene where the zombies find our camp that was scary. But then, in between takes, I would have little chats with them so it made it all good! Actually, the thing that was the hardest was eating lunch with them.  I really did lose my appetite several times because they look so real! I started eating in my trailer on zombie days instead. Ha-Ha!

MG: What was the best of working on the show so far?
ML: I made a lot of new friends that felt like family by the end. Just getting the opportunity to be part of such a great show is really amazing. Especially when it’s a show that so many are eagerly waiting for. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks when they see it!

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Steven Yeun may be new to Hollywood but he is off the right start. He is currently co-starring in AMC’s “The Walking Dead” as the character Glenn. Steven also loves doing improv and is currently part of a comedy duo. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Steven about his role in the TV show and his up-and-coming career.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your character Glenn in “The Walking Dead”?
Steven Yeun: Glenn is kind of the scavenger of the group. He is a young kid but he is always willing to help do the right thing. He slowly starts growing and turning into a man and finding his family within this group he is in.

MG: What was it like working with Frank Darabont?
SY: I didn’t get to directly work with him. He directed the first episode. My character comes in around the second episode. What was great though was he was behind the show the in every way. He had his hands in every single episode. It was so great.

MG: How has it been working on the show?
SY: I do not have much to compare it to but if this is what Hollywood is, than this is the best. The experience has been unreal. From the cast to the crew everyone is so behind it. Since I came in so fresh, everyone was kind, supportive and willing to help with any questions I had. I tend to ask a lot of questions and they have been so great. All the veterans have mentioned that this is as hard as it gets. We have some really difficult moments in terms of physically and emotionally.

MG: Are you a fan of the horror genre?
SY: I have to be honest, I am not the biggest horror man. Mostly because they scare the crap out of me [laughs]. Zombies I am cool with. Like vampires, werewolfs and othermythology I love. Ghosts…I can’t do ghosts.

MG: Where you a fan of the comic series before working on “The Walking Dead”?
SY: Yeah, actually I was. When I graduated school in 2005, I moved to Chicago and a friend of mine told me to check it out. I picked it up and literally couldn’t put it down. i literally bought tons of issues after that. It was surreal for me actually being a part of this.

MG: Tell us about your film “My Name is Jerry”, which recently was released on DVD?
SY: It is an independent film, I got be apart of like two or three years ago. Doug Jones plays the lead. It is about a guy that is coming to terms with his life. He gets into a bunch of things and meets people. One of the them being my character. It is a pretty fun movie.

MG: What else are you currently working on?
SY: I actually do a lot of improv. I’ve got a lot of live shows here in LA with a friend of mine. It is called Left Hand, the Improv Duo. That is it for now and just trying to see what else is out there for me.

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