A 'Walking Dead' actress on what it's like to play a zombie (more than 2 dozen times!)
To celebrate the Oct. 22 Season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead — the series’ 100th episode — Yahoo TV will be posting a new TWD-related story every day through the season opener.
If playing one of the shambling undead looks like one of the most fun jobs you could have on The Walking Dead, frequent walker actress Katie Lumpkin is here to confirm you are correct.
The former Miss Georgia contender turned actress (she was also a District 13 citizen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and appeared on The Vampire Diaries) has made more than two dozen appearances as a walker on TWD, where she’s been locked in a car trunk, was beheaded by Michonne’s katana, and went Dumpster diving for a snack after Nicholas checked out and nearly took Glenn with him in Season 6.
And she says she couldn’t be having more fun or working with a better group of people.
“They really are,” Lumpkin tells Yahoo Entertainment. “I’ve worked on a lot of shows, but I love The Walking Dead because it’s kind of like Cheers … I go, and all the makeup artists, they know my name. I know they have kids, or a dog, or a cat, I know what’s going in their lives, and they know what’s going on in mine.
“I see Greg [Nicotero], and he’s like, ‘Hey. Katie!’ The first time he did that, I looked around like, ‘Wait. Is he talking to me?’ Just the fact that he knows our names, and the cameramen, the crew, everyone … it’s like, even though I’m not one of the [main cast], I still feel important, and I still feel like I am a special part of the show.”
Read on for more of Lumpkin’s walker experiences, including how she became one of the go-to walkers, Nicotero’s two rules at zombie training school, the episode in which she died twice, and how one of her favorite episodes began with her being asked if she was claustrophobic.
She also talks about the fun and kindnesses of doing one-on-one scenes with Lauren Cohan and Andrew Lincoln, shares the death that’s on her walker wish list, and reveals some of the ways she and her fellow walker actors spend their downtime on set. Hint: Rubik’s Cube and “zombie bumper cars.”
How did your work on The Walking Dead begin?
OK, it’s kind of odd. I found a post on Facebook, on one of the casting sites. It was looking for slender people, with fair skin, with dark hair. And I checked all the boxes, so I applied. At the time, I didn’t know it was The Walking Dead. And about a week later, I got an email, inviting me to zombie school. I’m sure you’ve heard of zombie school, right?
Greg Nicotero’s zombie training school?
Yes. So, I went. At first, I was nervous because Greg was the one leading it, and he’s basically a creative genius in my opinion. He had us go through a whole bunch of different exercises, and really the only instruction he gave us was, do not drag your foot and do not hold your arms out like the classic old-school zombie. Basically, everything was our own creative interpretation of it. We did one exercise where we had to storm the doors, and there were about 20 to 25 people in there participating in my session of zombie school. I was the shortest one. Greg made a comment, like, “The smallest ones always seem to get to the door first.” He was not lying because that happened, and when it does, you’re gonna get smooshed. I basically got smooshed into the door with about 20-some people behind me. It’s so fun. It’s part of the experience. After that, I guess I must have done OK, [because] I got invited on for Season 5.
How did you prepare for zombie school?
This sounds crazy … I hate scary things, so I really hadn’t watched The Walking Dead too much, until I found out it was filming an hour from where I live. I just went back and watched some episodes to see how the walkers moved. I have a background in modern dance. I was relying on some of those creative movement skills to get me through.
What is physically the toughest part of playing a walker?
Honestly, everything. It’s not for the weak, I can definitely say that. You’re in Georgia, you’re under a lot of prosthetics, and at least two or three layers of clothing. And sometimes in the summer, [there’s] 100-degree weather. That in and of itself is physically challenging. Then you add on walking and snarling and growling, as Greg calls it, that adds another dimension to it. Then, there’s also the fact that you may get killed, and you can be shot with a gun, shot with an arrow, stabbed in the head, get your head chopped off by Michonne and her katana … there are endless ways you can get killed. So learning how to fall without getting hurt is a huge, huge thing that we have to do because obviously, you want it to look like you’re dying, but you don’t want to get hurt. That’s something they worked with us on a lot.
Everyone says the contact lenses you have to wear to play a walker are super annoying. Greg Nicotero said his kids turned down the chance to play walkers on the show because wearing the contacts is that miserable. What do you say about them?
They’re a little bit uncomfortable. They’re a lot thicker than normal contacts. They have three different sizes, and I think the largest size actually almost covers your entire eyeball. You can see, but they’re also blurry. They have some that are [for] vision, and some that are not. If a stunt has to wear contacts, then they are definitely going to have the vision contacts. I had one that was completely blacked out, where I couldn’t see anything with my left eye [lens]. And then a lot of the other ones are just blurry, and it makes it really difficult to see. The thing is, we’re not allowed to touch the contacts. We can’t take them in, or take them out of our eyes, and we’re not allowed to drop ourselves, like drop our eyes. You have to be OK with someone else sticking their fingers in your eye. It doesn’t bother me. And the lens techs make the whole contact process a lot easier. They want to make sure that we are comfortable, and that our eyes are safe. They’re the best. So it’s really not that bad, but it does feel very weird having someone else touch your eyeball, and rotate a contact lens in your eye.
What is the weirdest or most fun part of wearing all the prosthetics?
It’s so cool. I love to go in there, and you just look like yourself, and then they put the bald cap on, and they start putting the prosthetics on, or fake teeth, the dentures, which I love, because they get me into character so much more. Some people hate them … you can’t really talk with them in. I mean, I had to have interpreters … my best friend has been my interpreter before. Then you put prosthetics on, and the wigs and everything, and it’s so awesome to watch me transform from this short-haired pixie into this really, I hate to say grotesque, but slightly gnarly-looking, walker. Once, I had two different masks on me — two different prosthetic face pieces — and then to make everything smooth, they’ll put in little fillers, and it’s fascinating to actually watch their process, see what goes on in their brains. I think it’s one of my favorite things, just watching their creative process.
Do you have any little tricks to keep cool in that Georgia heat?
I am slightly blessed because I’m extremely cold-natured. It doesn’t bother me too much, and even when it’s 70 degrees outside, I wear a robe during downtime. For me, it’s not that bad, but they do have tents that have cooling fans, and they’re constantly providing water for us. They definitely have our best interest at heart.
Is it true that the walker actors and the rest of the cast eat separately, because people are intimidated by the walker makeup and prosthetics?
I don’t think they’re intimidated by the makeup. I’ve never heard that. But we do generally eat separately, especially if there are big days of walkers. I’ve worked when there are 200-plus walkers on a certain day. Then the walkers eat in their little separate tent with all of the background [talent], then everyone else, crew and cast, eat in a different tent. However, if it’s a small day, say 15 walkers or less, generally, we’ll all eat together.
Is it weird to mix with the other actors when you’re in full makeup?
I don’t think it’s weird because sometimes I forget I’m in full makeup. I know people have said it’s really weird to walk in and see walkers actually eating a salad, just eating normally.
How many appearances have you made on the show so far?
I should know this, but I don’t know an exact number. I started in Season 5, and since then it’s in the high 20s.
Have you ever played more than one walker in the same episode?
Yes, I think a lot of us have. But they always change up the makeup and the clothes, so you have no idea that I’m gonna be the same person. I’ve actually seen myself a couple times in the same scene as different walkers, because they film them on different days, or maybe like a second unit, one day when they started filming another episode, they just need to go do some fill-ins … it sounds pretty crazy, but you’d never know it was me.
Do you remember any specific episodes where that happened?
There was one episode [in Season 7, “Go Getters”] … we were at the Hilltop. And it was a night scene, that’s all I remember. I remember seeing myself three times, and I got killed two different times as walkers in the scene.
You’ve also played several memorable walkers. You were the kidnapped walker in the trunk, in Season 5’s “Them,” right?
I was.
And you were a walker at Terminus?
I was. That was my first day ever on set. We were at Terminus, and I got shot my first day. I had to quickly learn how to fall without getting hurt. It was very intimidating because you’re surrounded by all these amazing, award-winning actors. I’m just a girl from south Georgia, trying to make myself look good in one of the top shows on TV. But, once I got the hang of it … I don’t want to say it became easier because I don’t think it’s ever easy … it’s always a challenge, I guess I’ll say that.
You were also one of the walkers who snacked on Nicholas at the Dumpster after he shot himself?
Oh, yes. Quite tasty.
What were you actually chewing on that time?
OK, that time we were chewing on pulled beef and pulled pork in a cornstarch red dye syrup. It was delicious.
Was it really?
[Laughs.] No. It was disgusting.
I was gonna say, it sort of sounds like candied meat.
It was really gross. I just remember asking Greg, “Do I really have to swallow this?” And he was like, “No. You can spit it out.”
You were also the roadside walker who was stabbed by Enid when she and Glenn were going back to Alexandria in “Heads Up”?
That one was really fun because they actually buried me from my waist down underground. So, I was like half of a body, and then surrounded by muddy, watery, goodness.
The kidnapped car walker looked like it must have taken a long time to film and a lot of time in hair and makeup and wardrobe. She was pretty elaborate.
It was. But the makeup artists are so amazing, such masters at their craft that they’ve gotten really good at speeding things along. I wanna say it probably took about an hour and a half to do the makeup for that, hour and a half to two hours. I didn’t know what I was getting into at first. They just asked me on three different occasions if I was claustrophobic. And luckily, I’m not. I love enclosed spaces … I actually sleep with the sheet pulled over my head. So I get there that day, and they say, “Oh, yeah, you’re gonna be gagged and tied up.” My initial reaction was, “Awesome.”
How long did you spend in that car trunk that day?
OK, see, that’s the thing. I would have loved to have just stayed in the trunk the whole time, but I actually had to get out after every take. I guess because most people would not want to be locked up in a trunk. But, yeah, they would take the gag off and undo the tie after every single take, because they just wanted me to be as comfortable as possible.
Honestly, I didn’t even know what was going on in the scene, [story-wise]. They basically only tell us what we need to know. At that time, I didn’t know that Beth had just died. I didn’t understand why it was so emotional. I knew it was, but I didn’t know why until I actually saw the previous episode. But it did take a while. The part at the end, actually, I wasn’t in the trunk when the kill happened. But that was probably one of my favorite episodes that I worked in. I got to work one-on-one with Lauren Cohan, and I just remember during the scene, she would help me with getting into my emotions, and she was coaching me along, which was really cool. I never, ever thought I would be in that kind of situation.
It is such a memorable scene. There are several moments between Maggie and the walker they both seem emotional … we know that the walkers aren’t, but just seeing her bound and gagged in a trunk, you obviously know she’s been through something bad. And she really brought out the humanity in Maggie, for a walker, which we don’t get to see that that often.
Yes! I think another layer behind that, they wanted to make me look like Beth, so it’s kind of like Maggie saw this walker, and it’s her sister almost. And that’s where some of the humanity part comes from, because Beth had just died, and Maggie’s now seeing this girl who has on similar clothing as Beth, who has similar hair color, and who is helpless, and who just died in the trunk … Maggie is looking at her like, “That could be my sister.”
You didn’t know about Beth when you filmed it. When you watched “Them” later, knowing Beth had died, did it just hit you like, “Whoa”?
Oh, it completely hit me, and it made all of the pieces tie together so well. I don’t know if I would have wanted to have known at the time when I shot the scene that Beth had already died.
Do they usually give you a backstory for the walkers that you’re playing? Or do you imagine one for yourself?
Well, it just depends on the specific scene. I mean, walkers at the prison, maybe you knew they were guards … you can tell some of their backgrounds. Most of the time, you have to [imagine] it, think like an actor.
And a lot of times it really depends on the costume or the makeup. I think in Season 6, a lot of times I was put in clothing that made me look like a kindergarten teacher, or a really cute old lady, and I know it sounds super strange to say a walker’s cute, but … and there were a couple of times I had braids or a ponytail, and so I imagined myself being like this kindergarten teacher who had a class of 20, and she was the one who saved them, jumped in front of them. That’s what I did sometimes. Other times, I just rolled with it.
Do you have a favorite episode you’ve been in?
I think [kidnapped trunk walker] was probably my favorite because it’s the first time I actually had that one-on-one interaction with one of the main actors. But another one of my favorites was [Season 7’s “Hearts Still Beating”], it was actually last season, do you remember when Rick and Aaron, they are in a boat on a lake and they both start sinking? Then they’re trying to get to this canoe, where there’s a walker … I’m the walker in the canoe. So, I remember we were about to take a break, and Rick stabbed me in the head, pushed me to the floor of the canoe, and then he gets in. Then he frantically starts searching for Aaron who has fallen in the water, walkers have pulled him in. I remember we were on a two-minute break, and I got a personal canoe ride from Andrew Lincoln to the shore of the lake, and I must say, probably every girl’s dream … he’s so nice. After every single take, he’s like, “Are you OK? Did I hit you too hard?” They really treat us like we’re part of the show. They treat us like actors, and that’s one of my favorite things about working on the show, that I actually feel like I’m a part of it instead of feeling like just an extra, or just a number.
How far in advance do you get the call to do an episode?
Sometimes only a day or two, so you try to stay pretty open and available.
Can you say if you’ll be in Season 8?
Maybe … I’ll leave it at that.
Are you conscious of trying to move differently, or add little things in your portrayal, to make each walker you play distinctive?
I do. Yes. I put my own little twist on my walker walk. I try to make it a little bit different, depending on the scene I’m doing. But my friends can point me out now. They’ve figured me out, how I walk, and my body language and everything.
How many different ways have you been killed as a walker?
Oh, goodness. OK, I’ve been shot, had my head chopped off, had my head stabbed by a regular knife, and the katana. The only way I know I have not died is by a bow and arrow.
Is that on your walker bucket list?
It is, it is on my walker bucket list! I want to have an amazing kill, of course, where I get killed by an arrow, and then have my head chopped off by Michonne. Then maybe my arm or something shot by Rick, or Carl, and just have this epic death scene.
When you were beheaded, was it by Michonne and the katana?
Yes. It was in last season during the carnival scene [in “Say Yes”]. Half of us went toward Michonne, and half of us went towards Rick. I was in the group that went towards Michonne, and I just remember getting my head chopped off, and it was really cool.
What is the overall day like when you’re on the set for the whole day as a walker? You’re in the heat, lots of makeup and prosthetics, clothes, you mentioned it’s tough to talk if you have fake teeth … how do you spend your downtime? Do you read? Do the walkers hang out together?
I’ve been working with a lot of the same people since Season 5, so I’ve accumulated a lot of walker friends. I never know who is going to be working when I go on set, so it’s always exciting to see my friends, and know it’s going to be an awesome day, even if we’re out in the sun for like 15 hours. A lot of times we can just hang out, we sit and talk, read if you don’t have the contacts in … one of the most random things that we do is, we have a Rubik’s Cube. Last year, one of my friends on set, Garrett, taught us [how to solve it], so now, I always bring it to set, and if he is there, we always go at it to see who can solve it the fastest. He always wins, but it’s very weird to see walkers playing with a Rubik’s Cube.
And, some of my friends and I have a game we like to play. We call it zombie bumper cars. Because, OK, if you’re a walker, you’re basically … you’re dead, you’re not going to walk in a straight line. You can’t really see. The way that we find our people to eat is smell and noise. So, some of my friends and I, we like to bump into each other, or figure out ways to create, not a pile up, but create a little bit of movement … sometimes you may hit someone, and they don’t know you’re doing that. I’ve had a couple people get mad at me, but it’s all in fun. It never is malicious. It’s just entertaining.
Zombies gotta have fun too.
Exactly.
The Walking Dead Season 8 premieres Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. on AMC.
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