Earlier this week, I took part in an interview session with Andrew Lincoln and Gale Anne Hurd to discuss the second episode of The Walking Dead Season 3. For the second part of the feature, Gale Anne Hurd talks to us about the location designs and what we can expect from Woodbury.
Andrew Lincoln tells us about some of most talked about scenes from the first two episodes and revealed the horror movie that terrified him as a child:
*Spoiler Warning* Don't read this if you haven't watched the first two episodes of The Walking Dead Season 3.
Can you talk about the design of the locations this season? If feels like our heroes are in a darker world, especially compared to the look of Woodbury.
Gale Anne Hurd: One of the notes given to Grace Walker, the production designer, was to imagine that the people watching at home not only get to see sort of the dark tones, the dirt, and the grime, but almost as if there's smell-o-vision. You know what I mean? It really needs to be a place that only people in these desperate straits would be able to make a home from.
At the same time you've got The Governor and he's much luckier; we'll see if he's smarter. To create the town of Woodbury, we actually shot it in the town of Senoia, Georgia. The Governor has been trying to recreate civilization with a greater sense of normalcy where people can live in homes and there can be shops. People can be safe because they're almost living in a medieval walled city, but one that has that feeling of Mayberry.
What will people be like? What will humanity be like if they can relax for a little while and not worry about when the next attack is coming?
After Rick kills Tomas, he chases the other prisoner through the hallway that seems like it hadn't been cleared out. Was that a reckless action on Ricks part?
Andrew Lincoln: I think you're right. He is behaving in an incredibly irrational and reckless way, and I wanted that to be the case. I wanted moments in it that are born out of fury and rage at protecting the group. He was almost like a serial killer running after his prey, like American Psycho. I do think that over the course of this season, people start to doubt Rick. Certainly his decision making as a leader is very much called into question.
The show continues to follow the basic story from the comic book series, although there are quite a few differences we can see in the first Season 3 episodes. Are you still keeping up with the comic book series and did you use any of the issues for reference when developing your character for Season 3?
Andrew Lincoln: I didn't, actually. I read The Things They Carried, which is a novel about the Vietnam War. I thought it was helpful in understanding the sort of war fatigue, shock, and being continuously in a battle situation and how that affects your psyche. I also read The Road because it begins the story a little bit further after their apocalypse and I think that it's much closer to the tone of where we're heading in Season 3.
[Comic Spoiler Warning- Highlight to Read] We're still finishing off the season now, but after shooting, I've made a conscious decision that I'm going to go back to read the comics. I stopped reading the comic books when my hand was chopped off, but I've decided I'm going to go back and I'm going to read all of them because I'm sick and twisted and I like it that way. Also, because I'm just interested to see where I am as a character in this story. [End Spoilers]
Could you talk about filming the scene where you had to cut off Hershel's leg? Was it a difficult scene for you to film?
Andrew Lincoln: It was an incredibly shocking moment actually. We'd done a 14-hour day at that point and we were just about to shoot that scene. We did it twice because the gang had built two extraordinary realistic legs. I cut the first leg and it was the most intense, adrenaline-fueled thing that I probably had ever done in this show. That's because it was a human leg and Scott Wilson was obviously screaming while it was going on. I was so full of adrenaline, I couldn’t sleep for three and a half hours and I drove home.
Certainly that was an incredibly distressing and strange out of body experience, but rest assured there are countless others in this season. I think that it always seems to be the case that the writers are trying to up the ante each episode. Also, funny enough, I was just talking to someone today and they were going "I can't believe they showed that". I said we're never going to get away with this, but apparently because I'm attempting to save his life, that's why we were allowed to show it. It really makes me laugh.
As we head into Halloween week, and you both play in the world of horror and zombies, what scares you?
Gale Anne Hurd: What scares me is what humans are capable of to one another. I have to admit that's what I lose sleep over.
Andrew Lincoln: I watched The Omen when I was about eight-years old... way too young. My brother leaned over to me after I watched it and said, "That is all true. It's in the bible." I was completely traumatized and I couldn't sleep. It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life.
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Look for more interviews with the cast and crew of The Walking Dead Season 3 next week. You can read the first part of this interview and catch up on our recent coverage by visiting the following links:
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
