He is one half of the bad-ass Dixons. If you grew up with Merle as your big brother, you probably grew up with a lot of chips on your shoulders. He's a wild card - you don't know if he will save you or cut your throat while you sleep. He ends up fighting for the good team on the way to look for his brother, and you don't know if that alliance will keep, or if he will betray it.
"A good team..." as opposed to siding with the zombies?
Nah, the zombies are everyone's enemy. The biggest enemy could be the guy standing next to you. Daryl is a hunter. You don't know if he is just siding with "the good team" to get his brother back and then betray them, or keep fighting with them.
Is he as big a racist and general douchebag as Merle is?
Not as big a douchebag, but you grow up with Merle as your older brother, and you start to emulate him. You love him for all his faults, and it hurts you to see him in trouble. Daryl seems to be getting along well with the rest of the group, so I don't see him as being as big a douchebag.
How did you get the role?
I did the pilot season in LA for the first time. I read a bunch of pilots, and this was the only one I really wanted to do. It was the best by far. I actually read for Merle's part at first, but then the Daryl role opened up. I heard Frank Darabont created this character from scratch - he wasn't in the comic book. I did cartwheels to get this role. I basically slept with Frank to get this role [laughs].
Were you familiar with the comic before you took the role?
I knew of the comic book, and had read a couple issues, but I didn't realize how in-depth it got with the characters. I wasn't an avid comic book reader until I got this part, and then I really boned up on the series. It is so well-written, and so real. I can really see why Frank wanted to make this into a TV show. Every character could be their own comic book.
The show comes across as very real.
Reading the pilot, I realized it had very little to do with zombies. It was about these people, what it takes to "man up," so to speak. That's really what drew me to it. I think if you have corny zombies, you are dead in the water. Luckily we have Greg Nicotero - he's a rock star.
Do the zombies ever play pranks on the cast, or are you kind of used to seeing them out and about?
My first day on set, I had been there for thirty minutes, when this zombie approached me and said, "Hi, I want to introduce myself: I'm Greg Nicotero." He was a zombie, and he looked fucking insane. He's sitting there, eating a deer, with guts hanging out of his mouth. I thought to myself, "Where the hell am I? This is awesome!"
The feel on set, between takes - is it lighthearted and playful, or do you guys stay in character?
I want to give a shout out to San Pellegrino time. That's an inside joke we have on set. After we do a really tough scene, and it is 120 degrees in Atlanta - they really do beat the crap out of you on this set - we all sit around and look at each other and say, "It's San Pellegrino time." That means it is time for a proper San Pellegrino in the shade. Between takes, you are kind of fighting for survival between takes, so it works.
If the zombie apocalypse were to hit for real, what would you do?
I'd probably break into a Lamborghini dealership, steal a purple Lamborghini, and drive around like a maniac. Naked. Maybe I'd start burning things to the ground - just go insane. Nah, I'd probably just curl up in a corner and cry. I'm just trying to sound tough. But I would like to do crazy things. As long as I was naked.
Are you a zombie fan?
I love zombie movies. I'm also really into realistic drama, which is what I feel this show is closer to. It has a lot to do with zombies, but it has more to do with human interactions. But zombies are fun.
What is coming up for you?
I have a film called The Conspirator, directed by Robert Redford, which is about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln [due out in Spring 2011]. Other than that, I'm just going to stay off the Twinkies so I am ready to play second season.
So you are coming back for season two?
Yeah. Oh yeah.
Where do you think your character will go?
I think he is going to become a big asset to the survivors. There will be a conflict coming up that I can't talk about, but then he will prove his weight. Others will see a level of trust in him. He's a good guy to have on your team. Hopefully we will get into the mind of Daryl a little more. Different shades of redneck.
