One of the more intense moments from The Walking Dead comic book series is Rick's hand-to-hand fight with Hilltop resident Ethan, and for our latest Q&A feature, we caught up with Justin Kucsulain, the actor who played Ethan on Season 6 of AMC's The Walking Dead. Kucsulain discussed filming the gritty fight scene with Andrew Lincoln, being on the set of the Hilltop, his role in Season 2 of Bloodline, and more.

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Justin. When were you first inspired to become an actor and what drove you to pursue acting as a career?

Justin Kucsulain: I was first inspired to become an actor on the set of the 2013 Marvel summer blockbuster, Iron Man 3, working as a featured extra. At the time I was just a “big, fit dude” with zero craft, working strictly off of natural ability. I was on set for eight days down in Miami. It was like I went from zero to 1000 in just a six-hour drive from Tampa to Miami, haha. I was right in the mix with Sir Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Robert Downey Jr., and James Badge Dale. If that doesn’t make you fall in love with this business, I don’t know what will.

What’s kept me going in this business? Constant self-discovery, I’m always creating or finding new ways to approach a character and that is an amazing therapeutic journey.

You played the key role of Ethan in Season 6 of The Walking Dead. Can you tell us about the audition process for that role?

Justin Kucsulain: First of all, like almost every audition sent out by The Walking Dead, you sign your life away to secrecy and then and only then will you get your sides [audition lines]. In my audition for Ethan I was simply robbing a convenience store. I submitted the tape, then was asked to go on tape with a very quick turnaround, and when I received the sides for the second audition, they were for the clerk being robbed by my previous read, haha. It was all very surreal to me; I felt very confident on this one. But I had no idea I was auditioning for the role of Ethan.

As Ethan, you brought intense emotions and believability to your encounter with Gregory (Xander Berkeley) at the Hilltop Colony in a scene similar to what happens in issue #95 of The Walking Dead comic book series. Before filming, did you read the comics to get a better feel for your character and his actions? Were you already a fan of the comics?

Justin Kucsulain: Indeed, I did read the comics. Friends of mine purchased issues #94, #95, and #96. Issue #94 covers Rick’s group pre-arrival at the Hilltop and issue #95 is basically the altercation between Rick and Ethan. My favorite is issue #96, which sheds light on how important Ethan potentially is to the Hilltoppers; a little more depth to the character, so to speak, and the emotions that fly after my (Ethan’s) death.

Your character gets in a ferocious fight to the death with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). What was it like working with Lincoln to create that physical, gritty, and ultimately bloody scene?

Justin Kucsulain: One word: INTENSE. He looked at me and we both were like, “Let’s do this.” It was amazing. We orchestrated that entire scene with very little interruption from the amazing Monty L. Simons (The Walking Dead stunt coordinator). We simply padded up and fought. We both added to and brainstormed ideas for the entire fight. It was my most memorable moment on the set of The Walking Dead for sure.

Ethan was driven to acts of violence because Negan was holding his brother captive. Did you view Ethan as an innocent, overall nice guy trapped in a bad situation?

Justin Kucsulain: Ethan was a good guy who did a bad thing. He was willing to negotiate; he had the blade pressed on Grimes’ throat, all he had to do was execute. But what Ethan didn’t know is that Rick is in a place where he trusts no one. Wouldn’t it be great if we knew more about Ethan and what kind of a guy he was? I’m completely open to a backstory.

What was your experience being on the incredible Hilltop set?

Justin Kucsulain: This place was a replica of the Hilltop in the comics. My arrival to the set was very memorable: we listened to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the van on the way to set through the woods and trails upon trails. We arrived at this place surrounded with telephone pole walls. From the chicken coops down to the stables it looked like people were really surviving there. It could most definitely support a real apocalypse.

The fight scene was like a dream. They asked if I wanted a stunt double? I said “no.” They asked after every take of Rick and Ethan’s fight scene if I was okay or needed anything and I always replied with, “I’m fine, this is freaking awesome! But I’d like a Neat Grand Marnier, please.” Obviously I was joking, but it had everyone around me chuckling. It was a really serious scene, so I felt I was lightening the mood. I do distinctively remember Andy Lincoln asking me in total Rick mode, “How hard do you want to go?” And of course I said, “All the way, brotha.” He even connected on one of the punches and gave me a written apology later when he signed the cover of the comic Ethan appears in, issue #95.

You played a character named Robert Kirkman in the 2013 short film Sleigh Bells Ring. Was that a nod to The Walking Dead creator?

Justin Kucsulain: My character was never referred to as Robert Kirkman in the short. My friends at Digital Caviar are pretty creative guys. We are all fans of The Walking Dead, so it was just a way for them to pay tribute to a great piece of art. In the film I’m actually wearing a T-shirt that says “Walking Dead Survivor” and we all know that’s not the case. Hahaha!

In the second season of Netflix’s Bloodline series (now available to stream on Netflix), you play Henry Rourke. What can you tell us about Rourke and your experience working with that amazing cast?

Justin Kucsulain: Hank! Well, I arrived on set the night before filming and was given my script late at night. I read it 100 times, so I was prepared. When I arrived on set, my scene with the lead, Kyle Chandler, was up first, and of course I was nervous as hell. He looked over the script and started scratching lines out with a pen. We basically collaborated together and improvised a lot of the first scene where you see Hank. Changes were okay as long as we got the point across, and that is true expression as well as organic chemistry between one actor and another. You get “reality” in your work.

The cast is another close-knit family like The Walking Dead, eager to capture the moment. I was able to get a few pictures and souvenirs, too. The Keys aren’t a bad place to work, either. I met new friends and locals that are just down-to-earth, real people that I will continue to reach out to and see how life is. When you get a bunch of adults in a big group and you all just play pretend, it’s truly epic and for a guy that’s still trying to grow up, it’s a dream come true.

Will you be appearing at any upcoming conventions to meet fans of The Walking Dead? Where can people find you on social media?

Justin Kucsulain: I have plans for Pensacola, FL in August and I’m booked for Monroe, MI Comic-Con in October.

What would you like to see in the near future in terms of career goals and new opportunities?

Justin Kucsulain: MARVEL! My sights are on the Marvel Cinematic Universe; I want it so bad I can taste it. People are talking on social media that my doppelgänger is Sentry and guess what? He’s an Avenger.

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To learn more about Justin, visit:

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5573827/

Social links:

*Photo above via Mick McNabb.

  • Derek Anderson
    About the Author - Derek Anderson

    Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.

    When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.