British star of The Walking Dead Andrew Lincoln says he has had to turn down a glut of movie offers after catching the eye with his performances in the hit horror TV series.
The former This Life actor plays American sheriff Rick Grimes in the show, which follows survivors of a zombie apocalypse and was nominated for a Best Television Series Golden Globe earlier this year.
“It’s been amazing for me, it has put me on the radar in America like no other role probably could have,” Lincoln told Total Film.
“It’s a privilege to work in America anyway, but playing an American – and such an iconic role – is beyond my wildest dreams really.”
“There were three films that were very interesting, but unfortunately they clashed with filming dates for The Walking Dead,” he revealed.
“In one sense the runaway success of the show has been a double-edged sword because I also found myself doing a lot of publicity around the world before starting this new 13-part second season, so I wasn’t able to do any other work.”
But Lincoln insists that the cinematic filming style of The Walking Dead is sating any desire he might have to hit the big screen.
“We are making 13 hours of film, that was always the proviso – to shoot on film, to produce it filmically,” he says.
“Three days ago I was on set and there were eight cameras – five film ones and three mini cameras that they dig into the ground in weird places."
"I’ve never been on a movie set, let alone a TV set, that has had that amount. Then there’s the cranes and rigs, it’s phenomenal the ambition of how we’re shooting this – particularly as it’s all on location as well. I have to commend the crew, this crew is the best I’ve ever worked with”
Lincoln added that the season two opener has had the effect on US critics that he and the crew had hoped for.
“One reviewer wrote a two word review: ‘Holy shit!’” he laughs.
“It was always the intention to not pull any punches with the genre, to see how far we could push the envelope and see what we can get away with regards to the horror, the thriller element and the characters.”
The Walking Dead returns Fridays from Friday 21 October, 10pm, FX/HD
