Steve Warren Interview

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This interview was held by Rick123Axel.
Steve Warren portrayed many walkers, most notably the machete church walker.  
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What roles/role have you had in The Walking Dead?
I played various walkers in Season One but didn't get a good shot on camera until the first episode of Season Two, when Rick split my skull with a machete in church.In the first season I was in most of the scenes in downtown Atlanta.  I was in the group that chased Rick when he rode in on his horse, and I was in the group that ate the horse later.  I chased Glenn around a corner in another scene and almost got my big break when I chased Rick and Glenn up a fire escape, but they didn't use those shots.  When the show aired they went up the fire escape with no one behind them, and I was in the group of walkers on the ground underneath.
How did you get your role?
Through Extras Casting Atlanta, which used to be the only agency booking extras for major films and TV shows in Atlanta before the current boom started.  It wasn't the usual call for extras, though.  After we were submitted, those of us who made the first cut got to go to Zombie School, where Greg Nicotero put us through our paces - eliminating some, earmarking some for featured roles and allowing the rest to work in the background.Since I'd already been to Zombie School for Zombieland, I thought I should have gotten a post-graduate degree; but at least Greg liked me.
Did you read the graphic novel or watch the show prior to getting a role in the show?
I still haven't read the graphic novels/comic books, although I met Robert Kirkman on one of my first shooting days.  I couldn't watch the show prior to getting a role because I was working on it from Day One and it didn't air until months later, but I've seen every episode at least once.
Who are you favorite characters?
I haven't tasted all of them.
What is it like to work with the amazing special effects artist Greg Nicotero?
Well, we didn't become BFFs, but we had a few conversations and he was around a lot, keeping an eye on things.  When I started spotting his name in the credits of one big movie after another, I felt honored that he had talked to me at all...and wondered how many clones he has handling all those projects!
What is the atmosphere like on the set of such a serious, dramatic show?
You've got to work on a movie or TV set to understand the atmosphere - or in reality atmospheres. As liberal as the business is, there's a strong caste system.  Walkers are almost always extras, so we're at the bottom of the barrel.  We're not supposed to talk to anyone important unless they talk to us first.  That's not as bad as it sounds.  It makes sense because everyone has a job to do and they may be busy, even if they don't look it.  I've been the guy on other shoots, going over lines in my head while the scene's being set up and needing that time to focus, not engage in idle chit-chat with someone who has nothing better to do.Despite that I managed to exchange a few words with some of the directors (Frank Darabont, Michelle MacLaren, Ernest Dickerson, Greg Nicotero), even though assistant directors usually handled the Walkers.  Andrew Lincoln introduced himself ("Hi, I'm Andy") when we did our scene together and I chatted with Steven Yuen once when we were in a scene together.For the Walkers it's mostly a fun atmosphere because we enjoy what we're doing.  (We could be making a lot more money elsewhere.)  Some actors are regular fun guys when the camera's not rolling, while others prefer to stay in a serious mood while they're working on a serious scene.When I shot my starring role in Scarce I was able to turn my character on and off, cracking jokes as soon as a take ended; but not all actors work that way and you have to respect that.  Better to keep quiet and give them space than to piss them off and never work again.I didn't get close enough to enough actors on The Walking Dead to know what the atmosphere is like in their inner circle, but generally the mood doesn't stay serious and dramatic when it doesn't have to be that way.
Do you have any interesting or funny stories from your time on the set?
I don't have any good on-set stories...that I can tell...without getting in trouble.
What is the best thing about working on The Walking Dead?
It's actually kind of ridiculous, the number of friends and fans we make from a few seconds of screen time on that show.  I froze my ass off in Canada for a month playing the lead (a cannibal) in a movie called Scarce and hardly anyone's seen that, but The Walking Dead is so insanely popular it's probably what I'll be most remembered for.  Sometimes I wonder whether that's the best or worst thing about it.
If a zombie apocalypse were to happen which character from the show do you think you would be most like and why?
I'd probably be like the character I played - a Walker who gets his head split with a machete.  Or before that, Sophia - screaming like a little girl!
Are you currently working on anything interesting that you can reveal?
I recently worked three days as an extra on Cell, which is based on a Stephen King novel and stars Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack.Otherwise, with the spring festival season upon us, I'm mostly wearing my film critic hat and watching other people do the acting. 
Of course I'm always on the lookout for jobs and waiting to hear about various things I've submitted for.  Sometimes it takes years for funding to come together.  I could get a call at any moment about some project I forgot I submitted for.
Thank you again on behalf of the entire wiki! We appreciate it very much!
Category:Interviews