Can you introduce yourself to our readers and tell them a bit about your work on The Walking Dead?

Hey ya'll! My name is Alyssa Mullan and I had the honor of portraying multiple walkers on The Walking Dead.

 

Alyssa,how did you get picked to play a walker in The Walking Dead TV show?

My story is a really crazy story for me, being from a small town in the states. It all began after season 2 with me just wanting to be a part of the show in ANY capacity and so I decided that I was going to start poking around to see what I could do to make it happen. I had known a friend that lived in the Atlanta area and I knew they filmed there, so I contacted her and asked her if she knew any of the casting information. She had tried out once before so she gave me an email for the extras casting company. I decided I'd email them along with emailing AMC and Greg Nicotero's SPFX studio.

I even went on The Walking Deads' facebook and posted on one of their posts. I knew it was a long shot, seeing as thousands of people have posted and emailed them about being on the show. Among all those comments, someone noticed and I got a message from this man saying that he was a production assistant on the first season of the show and that he could lead me in the direction I needed to go.

 

Of course I thought, "oh yeah right, how many guys try and say that?". I did a little detective work and he ended up being truthful. To this day, I am still so grateful to him for believing in me because without him I probably wouldn't have gotten as far as I have. He gave me the current emails of the casting folks, told me their names and what to include in my emails. So, I followed his advice and the first casting call I saw said no one out of state so I thought, just great, I'm done but I was willing to do whatever it took including travel and he knew that. I emailed them and left out where I was from and two days later they emailed me back asking for a 30 second video of my walk. I instantly went out into my backyard that was overgrown, so it fit the part, decked myself out in walker makeup and made the video and sent it. The next day they emailed me and invited me to zombie school and of course I said yes! Me and my boyfriend found a babysitter for our children, jumped in the car and drove 14 hours to Georgia for zombie school, which was 3 hours and then immediately drove 14 hours back to Illinois.

 

Zombie school was another great experience! Greg Nicotero led the class and we had Glen Mazzara there and Gale Ann Hurd. He split us into groups and had us do our walks while he took notes and gave us advice on how walkers would realistically move. That was my first great memory of many! That day was the same day that he asked to use us for a quick minute and we stepped out back of the studio ONTO the prison set. As a comic fan, I was blown away because we all know how iconic the prison is. It was beyond anything I'd ever imagined and once again I was honored to even step foot there. After that I have been fortunate enough that they continued to ask me back! I've done a lot of traveling by greyhound bus, by plane, by rental cars and also spent a ton of money just to be there but I wouldn't change a thing.
 

 

Have you had much interaction with the main cast and crew?

The great thing that you will hear a lot of people talk about is how much of a family the cast and crew is. Even if you have been on the set for one day, you feel so welcome and like you have been there from the beginning. I think it's the mutual love for the story that makes everyone really come together and work as hard as they can to create the best story for the fans. As a walker on set, you really only get to see the cast when you are on location. Once you are done with scenes we go back to extras holding where we hang out and relax until we are needed again. I, personally, have gotten some great interactions with the cast just by being in scenes with them. Irone Singleton was the first one to really welcome me onto set for season 3.

He was so grateful to everyone and took the time out after scenes to introduce himself, shake our hands, tell us how great it was to meet us all and that's really not what I expected being on a set my first time. I always figured that extras were background and that they weren't really treated like anything but. I couldn't have been more wrong! Everyone in the cast and crew is appreciative of every role, big and small. Norman, of course, is very interactive with everyone and will talk to you and joke around. Laurie Holden was the most interaction I've had with a cast member. We were in a scene one on one for season 3 episode 14 and being able to be one on one with an actress I really respect, as an extra, was beyond my wildest dreams. She is fantastic, they are all fantastic!
 

 

Can you tell us about the makeup application process?

The makeup process is so thrilling to watch. I grew up wanting to do SPFX makeup so to watch them work was quite the experience for me. When you are an extra there are levels...you have deep background which don't have much makeup on, it's usually masks. Then you have mid ground who are closer to the camera so they require the airbrushed makeup and then you have featured extras who will be the closest to the camera and require the most makeup. I was fortunate to be featured on a number of occasions and I was surprised to see how quickly they can turn these walkers out! It took me about an hour and a half to get the makeup on and prosthetic pieces were used. They are flawless. The guys on the makeup crew are geniuses and to be their canvas on a number of occasions was another great honor that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
 

 

What was the longest taken for them to prepare you for a scene?

Like I said before, it never took too long for them to get me ready. An hour and a half at the most and then throughout the day they do makeup checks and retouch if they need to. When it is that hot outside, getting touch-ups is a must!
 

 

Which episodes have you appeared in? What was your role in those episodes?

I have appeared in Season 3 episodes 1, 2, 4, 7 and 14 and most recently did Season 5 episode 1. For the third season episodes 1 and 2 were midground so my scenes weren't really that featured. It was just quick flashes of me. I was hoping that episode 2 was going to be more prominent but for the story, that scene was cut which makes total sense now that i saw the episode as a whole. That episode was fun to shoot because we were at the prison and it was the scene where Rick locks Andrew (the prisoner) out with all of us walkers. We were to descend on him, obviously and one of the takes he didn't get away from us fast enough and we ended up eating him, which was NOT supposed to happen! After that take we were all like, uhhh, that was NOT supposed to happen
 it would have been a great outtake! For episode 4 I was featured and I was one of the walkers outside of the fence on the opposite side of the pond right before all hell breaks lose and the walkers invade the prison. For episode 7, I was also featured as the walker that Daryl kills in the forest when him, rick, oscar and michonne are on their way to rescue Glenn and Maggie from Woodbury. Episode 14 was my scene with Andrea (Laurie Holden) that I talked about before. I was the first walker that she kills when she enters the warehouse on her run from the Governor. I wasn't able to make it back out for season 4 due to financial issues but I got a chance to go back for season 5 episode 1 and that ended up being a great welcome back. I made it there, went to my scene where Carol and Tyreese are on the tracks with Judith and I was just mid ground that day. Well, I let it slip that I was from IL while one of the makeup guys, Gino, was touching me up.

I thought for sure that they would be mad seeing as they said no one out of state and I applied anyway but he was blown away and was just amazed that I'd traveled so far just to be on the show. My first thought was, "really?! who wouldn't do that?!", but he was impressed and told me for that he was going to see what he could do. He went and talked to some of the other crew and makeup guys and by the time I arrived at my hotel that night, I had already had an email asking me to come back the following day. When I arrived, Gino, had gotten me a part as the walker that Rick kills in front of the container that is holding the crazy guy at terminus. I want to give a HUGE thank you to Gino for going out of his way and telling people about me! He is the reason I was killed by Rick! Does it get any better than that?! I think not! So, thank you Gino!!! Thank you to every single person that allowed me to be there and be a part of this amazing world!
 

 

Do you want to play in The Walking Dead an other role as an walker? Maybe a girl in Alexandria?
I have always said that I'd love, love, love to have another part as a living person on the show. Even if I say nothing or utter one word, I would be ecstatic to be given the opportunity. I hope to move in that direction very soon!

 

Are you currently working on any other projects?

I don't currently have any acting projects lined up but I am a cohost of an amazing podcast called Creech Question with Cj Creech sponsored by The Dead Connection, where we discuss all things walking dead and have amazing cast interviews. Here our the official channels Facebook- Creech Creative Productions Alyssa Mullan TWD Walker The Dead Connection Twitter- @AlyssaLeann @deadconnection @cjcnov88

We'd love to interact with everyone, so stop on by!!!

 

At the last some words for our readers and your Fans?

I would just like to thank EVERYONE that has supported me and helped me along the way. Rodney for helping me start this adventure, Extras Casting for giving me a chance, Gino for giving me the amazing part I had for season 5, the whole cast and crew for letting me help them make this the best story possible and the fans for being the best fans in the world and being so supportive and standing behind me! Here is to hoping I get to visit Germany someday soon! All the best!

-Alyssa Mullan

 

Thank you very much and maybe we see us some day in germany.