Q&A – Josh McDermitt (Eugene Porter)
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Actor Josh McDermitt, who plays Dr. Eugene Porter on AMC’s The Walking Dead, talks about modeling his character on a close family member and the secret truth about his mullet.
Q: This is your first season on the show. What about The Walking Dead appealed to you?
A: The Walking Dead was my favorite show before I even auditioned for it. That’s every actor’s dream, to be on a show that they’re a fan of. It’s just dark, and as a comedian I’m drawn to dark things.
Q: Is there room for comedy in the apocalypse?
A: I think there can be some humor, but it needs to be subtle. I’m not sure that’s what draws people to a show like The Walking Dead. I talked to some of the writers about this, because one of them came up to me after a scene and was like, “Oh my god, that was so funny.” And I was scared! I’m not trying to make it funny. She was like, “No, no, no. It’s great. It works.” So as long as it’s grounded and it’s real, there’s a little room for it.
Q: Have you ever known anyone like Eugene before? Is there anyone that he reminds you of?
A: I definitely know people who are like Eugene; if they don’t know something, you’ll never know that they don’t know it. In fact, I’m hesitant to say this because it will make him upset, but I’m pretty much doing an impression of my little brother when I do Eugene. He’s dry, he doesn’t show any emotion, and you’re thinking, “Man, this guy’s an asshole.” Well, he’s a sweet guy, my brother. But he also will BS his way through anything. He convinces people he’s Russian all the time, and he went out and learned a lot of Russian to be able to speak to people so that he could back up this claim. And look, my brother and I are cut from the same cloth. So it was very easy to identify with Eugene.
Actor Josh McDermitt, who plays Dr. Eugene Porter on AMC’s The Walking Dead, talks about modeling his character on a close family member and the secret truth about his mullet. Q: This is your first season on the show. What about The Walking Dead appealed to you?
A: The Walking Dead was my favorite show before I even auditioned for it. That’s every actor’s dream, to be on a show that they’re a fan of. It’s just dark, and as a comedian I’m drawn to dark things.
Q: Is there room for comedy in the apocalypse?
A: I think there can be some humor, but it needs to be subtle. I’m not sure that’s what draws people to a show like The Walking Dead. I talked to some of the writers about this, because one of them came up to me after a scene and was like, “Oh my god, that was so funny.” And I was scared! I’m not trying to make it funny. She was like, “No, no, no. It’s great. It works.” So as long as it’s grounded and it’s real, there’s a little room for it.
Q: Have you ever known anyone like Eugene before? Is there anyone that he reminds you of?
A: I definitely know people who are like Eugene; if they don’t know something, you’ll never know that they don’t know it. In fact, I’m hesitant to say this because it will make him upset, but I’m pretty much doing an impression of my little brother when I do Eugene. He’s dry, he doesn’t show any emotion, and you’re thinking, “Man, this guy’s an asshole.” Well, he’s a sweet guy, my brother. But he also will BS his way through anything. He convinces people he’s Russian all the time, and he went out and learned a lot of Russian to be able to speak to people so that he could back up this claim. And look, my brother and I are cut from the same cloth. So it was very easy to identify with Eugene.
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