Bernd Lorenz
Since June 2007 Non Commercial Fanwebsite
Interview with Ben Bladob- TWD Walker
Today my guest is Ben Bladon. Ben played many Walkers,also in the Season 5 Final Episode. Thanks for taking the time to talk with The-Entertainment-Junkie.de.
BB: Thank you for having me
Can you introduce yourself to our readers and tell them a bit about your work on The Walking Dead?
BB: Hi, my name is Ben Bladon, and I have played about 8 different walkers on Season 5 of the Walking Dead (from ep 8 - ep 16)
-Ben,how did you get picked to play a walker in The Walking Dead TV show?
BB: I have actually been a "Professional Zombie" since before I became a walker. I used to belong to a local haunted attraction here in Atlanta called the Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse. For Halloween, we would take over this huge paint ball facility and basically create our own zombie apocalypse stories, some of which were kind of realistic, and others were akin to classic horror movies. We also did things throughout the year such as parades, zombie walks, we took over Turner Field and had a zombie night at an Atlanta Braves game, and even made a indie movie based on the attraction in which I played one of three featured hero zombies. Anyway, the whole time I'm doing this, everyone at the AZA is telling me how much I need to be in the Walking Dead.
I'm just like "whatever" because I never put much thought into being an actual actor. Then one day, One of my friends tags me in a casting call that they thought may be for TWD, and I'm like "What the hell", so I submit some pics, including zombie pics from the AZA, and two days later, they get back in touch with me via e mail inviting me to zombie school, and the rest i history. When they first started filming, I had a temporary job which I thought at the time may become permanent, which is why I didn't start until ep. 8, but after the job ran out, I started working as a walker whenever they would have me
-Have you had much interaction with the main cast and crew? BB: Crew, yes, but mostly the PA's and of course, the makeup artists. Cast, not really, there is a rule that you are not supposed to talk to them unless they talk to you first. But in my time there, I had one or two small interacions with Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, and Greg Nicotero, which was a treat Do you have any interesting behind-the-scenes stories you can share? Sorry, when I joined the show I signed a non disclosure agreement that says I can't really talk about behind the scenes stuff. In the interest of being asked back for season 6, I don't really know what I can or can't say that may or may not get me in trouble
-Can you tell us about the makeup application process?
BB: Not really, I just sit in the chair and let the makeup artists do their thing
What was the longest it’s taken for them to prepare you for a scene?
BB: Hero walkers, which are the featured walkers take on the average 2 hours to get their makeup finished. A couple of times, I think, it took about 2 1/2 hours. Add on about 30 minutes to an hour to get situated with wardrobe (depending on how many walkers there are in the scene that day)
-Which episodes have you appeared in? What was your role in those episodes?
BB: I just started in season 5. Episode 8 was my first episode. I was in the group of walkers at the school (where Father Gabriel finds Bob's leg on the grill) that busted through the door and chaed Gabriel through the parking lot. You can't really see me in that episode, but you've got to start somewhere right? In Episode 9, When The group is trying to get out of Noah's neibhorhood, when they open the gate and all the walkers come at them, I'm the walker you see coming straight at Rick and I get a machete to the face.
In episode 10, I'm in the group of walkers standing outside the barn when Daryl opens the door (towards the end of the episode).
In episode 11, I am the walker right behind and to the left of the infamous flare walker. After you see him get shot by the flare, you see me get a samurai sword to the head by Michonne.
Then in episode 13, I get my most featured part so far as the walker under the ram, or the "take my hand" walker as they named me in the Talking Dead. in Episode 14, I was two different walkers. I was the second walker to get shot in the head by Abraham at the constuction site, and I was the second walker to get shot by Eugene (he shoots me in the leg first and then shoots me in the head while I'm laying on the ground)
And lastly, in the season finale, I was one of the hanging walkers in the truck, and if you look close enough, you can see me as one of the walkers surrounding the car that Drayl and Erin are in. And, there you have it. All the screenshots to these are up on my Acting page
-Ben you had the pleasure to play in the Season 5 Final Episode with Millions of Fans watching on TV, what do you feel when you realise that so many people see this?
BB: I feel extremely honored, humbled and well, lucky, that I got to be a part of this amazing experience that has been a huge jump start to my acting career. I think it's awesome how the fans of the show see the walkers as much as actors as the actors are, and I'm am grateful and in awe of the support that the fans have given me and the other walkers I have become friends with.
-Do you want to play in The Walking Dead an other role as an walker? Maybe a guy in Alexandria?
BB: Yeah, it would be awesome to play a non - zombie/actual speaking role in the show. Honestly I'm up to do whatever roles I can get my hands on, but I especially love being on the shows that I would enjoy watching even if I wasn't on it, like TWD or the featured role I did as a possesed corpse on the season finale of Constantine
-Are you currently working on any other projects?
BB: Currently, I have been cast as a recurring character in a TV show called the Immortalz: ATL. Which is being pitched to Several cable networks, and I'm getting ready to audition for a role in an indie film being made here in Atlanta. Other than that, I just kep throwing myself out there to see what happens.
-At the last some words for our readers and your Fans?
BB: Thank you very much for taking the time to read about me, and thank the fans of the show for your continued support. If you want to keep up with my work, to see all the screenshots to the scenes I mentioned above, and stay posted on other, current, and future projects I'm working on, you can find it all here at https://www.facebook.com/Herozombieben?ref=bookmarks
Thank you very much and maybe we see us some day in germany.
BB: Thank you very much. I would like that as well