Total Film recently got a chance to catch up with Michael Rooker to mark the release of The Walking Dead season three on DVD and Blu-ray.
The actor, who made a name for himself in Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer before building up an extremely diverse CV, plays Merle Dixon in the zombie TV drama, which has recently started broadcasting its fourth season.
Read on to find out what Rooker had to say about the show, but beware - HUGE SPOILERS follow for anyone not up-to-date with The Walking Dead .
Still with us? Don’t say we didn’t warn you…
So the last time we saw you, you’d been turned into a zombie and shot by your own brother… were you happy to go out like that?
“It was a great arc from season one, all the way to the end. Thinking about it though I guess it was one of those blaze of glory deals!”
What was it like being around all that blood and gore every day? Did you get a bit sick of eating lunch with people dressed as zombies?
“Those zombies tend to hang out with themselves! At lunch time, the zombies have their own little table… Greg Nicotero is so good at that kind of stuff. It’s all so real. You did get a bit… Oooh… I think I’ll eat looking this way!”
Did they tell you where the series is headed next?
“Not at all. Everything was very hush hush, even when you’re doing it. Now that I’m not doing it I couldn’t even imagine being kept in the loop!”
Are you going to keep watching it?
“I will. I really enjoyed the work, but I also enjoyed watching it. I just caught up though – I didn’t watch all of the episodes whilst I was doing them, I didn’t have time. I hear there’s going to be a marathon real soon too. To be honest I watched about four or five episodes on the way over here on the plane. Un-edited too! They had five or six in a row and I just kept watching them until I was done."
You’re busy filming Guardians Of The Galaxy at the moment, how’s it going? Are you having fun?
"I tell people in these Q&As or at conventions that Merle has moved on to a better place! Marvel heaven y’all! I love the role. My role as Yondu is killer, man. It’s a killer role. I’m having a great time."
