Darien Jonson, Christopher Weite and Jaime Griffon have all featured as walkers within The Walking Dead. After contacting them – via a quick Google search that led to Twitter pages after their contact details were unknown on IMDB – the three generously told of their experiences throughout their life as a walker. We decided to interview all three of them in this The Walking Dead special interview series.
In this interview, Johnson discusses how he managed to acquire the role, the difficulties of walking long, hot days and the refreshing feeling of having your make-up removed after a day of hunched walking.
HTF: How did you get the chance to play a walker in The Walking Dead?
DJ: I did some extra work before, for that casting company and they sent an e-mail wanting to know if I was interested and of course I said yes!
HTF: Did it seem daunting to be a part of such a popular franchise or did it help to be amongst many others with similar roles?
DJ: Maybe a little intimidating at first, but it did help being around others doing the same thing. There’s always someone interesting to talk to because of the number of zombies on any given day.
HTF: Could you talk me through the process of having your makeup done?
DJ: It takes about an hour for full zombie makeup. They start with trying several prosthetics to get the right fit, next they glue it down and begin the spray painting. The spray paint also goes on the hands and arms. The last part is painting the teeth and blow drying them. The contacts are done on the set. When they remove the makeup it feels fantastic.
HTF: Was it ever difficult to remain in role and were there any difficulties in portraying such a creature?
DJ: I did not find staying in the role to be difficult. You actually feel more like a zombie as the day goes on because you are so exhausted.
HTF: Did you get the opportunity to work with any of the leading actors?
DJ: Yes, I did interact with some of the main cast.
HTF: How would you sum up your experience?
DJ: Overall it was great, but it is not as easy as it seems, mainly because of the long hours in the summer heat.
HTF: Financially, how does the role of a walker compare to others?
DJ: The pay is low, but the experience makes up for that.
HTF: Finally, do you have any upcoming projects/roles and where can our readers find you?
DJ: I am in” Horror Hotel Web Series” Episode Invader” and ”Tesla’s Tooth” I will be a in a episode medical examiner in a new series on Investigation channel called “Bloodlands” I was briefly in the first episode of “The Red Road” on Sundance channel.
