We speak with Norman Reedus, Steven Yuen, and Danai Gurira of AMC's popular The Walking Dead.
So you guys are getting a little break now between The Walking Dead. What are you guys doing in your spare time?
Reedus: I’m doing nothing (chuckles). As much nothing – I’m growing my hair really long, that’s all I’m gonna do.
Yuen: Whole lotta nothing, that’s right.
Gurira: Uh, this and that, here and there.
Yuen: (laughs) “this and that”.
Just hangin’ out?
Gurira: No, I’ve got a few things I’ve gotta get done, but they’re not fun. Just – stuff, you know “life”.
Yuen: Taxes.
Gurira: Yea, taxes
This coming January, yea.
Gurira: Where am I gonna live? That stuff.
Yuen: Library returns. When are you gonna return all those books that you borrowed from the library?
Gurira: Right.
Yuen: Yea.
You guys be sweatin’ on set. Now, how much of that – is that real sweat, or is that just makeup adding all the sweat?
Reedus: That’s 100% real, and then they squirt us on top of that, which is kinda weird.
Yuen: It’s gross.
Gurira: It’s good and shiny, good and shiny.
Reedus: We get stitches and bug bites, and sweat.
Gurira: Yea, and ticks.
So how’d you guys end up getting involved in the Walking Dead?
Reedus: Well, I came out here for pilot season - where every jerk actor floods this town - and I came out and I read a bunch of pilots, and that one just popped off the page. I went in and I ended up reading Merle’s lines, and then when I left, thinking like, “I don’t know if Rooker’s gonna not – did he say no?” y’know, whatever. Then I heard Frank wrote that character for me, so –
Gurira: Oh, wow.
Yuen: Uh, hey, I just moved here (chuckles) the year of, and um, this came out, and so for me I can’t really say I got involved like, “oh yea I was looking at all these scripts” and stuff. It was more like, “I want a job”, and this just happened to be the first job, so it was amazing.
Gurira: Uh, really I was here – I was just moving out here, really more for my writing – and my play was in hiatus, and I just came out here, and then the auditions started happening, and I was like “oh”, and then the next thing I knew I had the part and I had to move to Atlanta (laughs).
So how are you guys gonna prep for the next season?
Reedus: Some of this (mimes lifting weights), I’m gonna grow this (gestures to hair) – uh – y’know, that’s about it.
Yuen: Same thing. Tons of curls, just tons of curls, yep.
Gurira: Yea, I guess some sword swinging – the weights’ll make it harder to lift it.
Yuen: (laughs)
