Andrew Lincoln And Lennie James Discuss The Walking Dead Series Premiere

After Walker Stalker concluded its Saturday convention, GabBox presented the series premiere of The Walking Dead to a packed Thomas Murphy Ballroom in Atlanta, Georgia’s World Congress Center.

Following the episode, Ross Marquand introduced Andrew Lincoln, Lennie James, andto the stage.

Lincoln says the premiere was aired at the Hollywood Cemetery. A man came up to him and said, “Yeah, yeah. I like it. It’s a great pilot. I give you two seasons.” At the time, Lincoln was pleased with it.

Marquand asks Lincoln how he looked so weak in the pilot episode. “I think it might have been nerves,” Lincoln said. “I lost a lot of weight. I think it was about three quarters of a stone before we started. It’s not that much actually.”

“All I know is Jon Bernthal had just injured himself and ripped a tendon in his knee because he was training so hard to look butch,” Lincoln said. “Day one, I had to drive him to work every day and I kept driving on the wrong side of the road. He was really panicky…The medic wouldn’t take the stitches out of his knee and he looked at me and says, ‘Andy, will you do it?’” He goes on to recall trying to keep Bernthal from crying while he removed the stitches from Bernthal’s knee.

Lincoln talks about his favorite walker from season one. He asks if “Addy” is here – she is not here – but she played bicycle girl. “Only because I loved it,” Lincoln said. “I love what it said about the story. It was seeing the human behind the monster.”

“Rick is almost sort of able to put her down in that episode which says so much about who Rick is as a character,” Lincoln said.

“I stole one jacket for my brother in Season 3,” Lincoln said. “He’s eBayed it. So I won’t be stealing anything for my brother ever again.” However, Norman Reedus rides home fully costumed according to Lincoln.

Lennie James talks about the first walkers he ever saw on set.

“She was the first walker I saw and it was at lunch time.” “The whole top of her body was perfectly prosthetic, but her bottom was just blue trousers.”

Lennie couldn’t figure out how the bicycle girl was going to look scary on TV.

Andrew talks about the first episode shoot. He said the intention was to make it like a movie. The shoot was about 20 days and it is still his most incredible experience on film to date.

Steven Yeun enters to a standing ovation.

Steven says hello and there is another thunderous applause.

The first question to Yeun is about his audition. He first talks about his pilot appearance on Big Bang Theory. He says the casting director probably felt bad about another pilot.

Yeun says the audition for the role was really cool. It was a simple process. He was in a room with Frank Darabont and a couple of producers, and a camera.

“It was an intimate room. He really wanted you to succeed.”

Marquand asks Yeun what drew him to the role. “It was mostly employment,” Yeun said. “I really can’t answer that question as if I had any say.”

“I was like, ‘I need a effing job, stat,’” Yeun said. “I can see a lot of myself in him and things that I went through when I was a kid.”

Lincoln and James discuss developing their southern accents from their real English accents. “A lot of my heart resides in this country now,” Lincoln said. “I believe in it. I believe in the people in this country.”

“A lot of the crew and cast are friends for life,” Lincoln said. “I have nothing but good things to say about the south.”

“It wasn’t my first southern accent,” James said. “I had done a few plays back in England.”

Lennie is asked about his tattoo. He says if he wasn’t acting he would wear his hair in dreadlocks. He had them growing up and people called him “lionhead.” So his tattoo is a lion-rasta figure that he has named Clarence.

Lincoln tells him that it was such abad-ass story until he said Clarence.

After being prompted by the audience, Lennie rolls up his sleeve to show his tattoo.

The last question is for Steven. What was his first walker kill like?

He contemplates which kill was his first and he decided it was the walker in the alley.

Yeun says the kill was awesome because the filmmaking team had great timing. To be honest, he really doesn’t remember it. So much was going on and it was so early into filming, it was all kind of a blur.

Yeun says the thing no one explains to as an actor is how to exist in that world. He was part of this multi-million dollar production and all he was told was when to show up.

“This thing we’re making is essentially a bunch of people just showing up at the same time.”

“It’s a random splattering of general arrangements,” Yeun said. After Steven talks he bids goodbye to the audience with one final thank you.

“Thank you guys for just watching a bunch of idiots come together.”