Exclusive: Dallas Roberts Discusses The Walking Dead Season Three and More
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With “The Walking Dead” arriving on DVD and Blu-ray this week courtesy of Anchor Bay, Dread Central was fortunate to catch up with Season 3 co-star Dallas Roberts to discuss his character “Milton” and what his experiences were like working on the popular series.
For those of you out there who may have missed the last season of “The Walking Dead” but are still hoping to catch up, this interview is definitely going to be spoiler-filled so be forewarned; for the rest of you “Walking Dead” fans out there, read on for more from Roberts about Milton’s fate, his thoughts on collaborating with Laurie Holden (“Andrea”) during their pivotal scene in the Season 3 finale and more.
Dread Central: Great to speak to you again, Dallas; I’m almost a little sad that we have to discuss Milton posthumously since he was such a great character last season.
Dallas Roberts: I know, right? (laughs) Milton was such a great character to play, but I think I went into this role knowing he wasn’t going to be a guy that would make it to another season.
Dread Central: You’ve done movies too, though; did you feel like you had a little more freedom to ‘find’ Milton during last season because you had more time with him? Was it hard at all because you knew he wasn’t going to be the guy that was going to make it out alive?
Dallas Roberts: I’d say I did in some ways; with a feature, you theoretically know your own fate, and when you come onto a television series, you don’t always necessarily know what’s coming. I think what I appreciated about “The Walking Dead” is that they’ve never shied away from being realistic with their characters’ fates. This is a drama set in a zombie apocalypse so the chances for anyone’s survival is slim, let alone a guy like Milton.
When I’m approaching any character though, for television or for film, I’ve always seen it as me pretending to live in this house where I’m building it brick by brick with my performance, and as your character shifts, it’s like adding on new levels to that house, and if that character happens to have a downfall, much like Milton does, then I see it as sort of my job to bring that house down when I’m finished. I hope that makes sense (laughs).
I also think because Milton was positioned so diametrically against a guy like “The Governor” that he never really stood a chance either; where would he go after this anyway? I remember when I got the call that Milton was going to die and I was like, “Cool- how are we going to do this then?” and when Glen (Mazzara) explained the scene, I was really excited to be a part of such a great moment in not only last season but within the series in general. I was thrilled to get to become a zombie too; the makeup was fantastic.
Dread Central: Let’s talk about Milton’s final moments with Andrea last season; how was it collaborating with Laurie for those scenes?
Dallas Roberts: It was such a gift, really. For me, those scenes were huge because we were going to see Milton become a walker and it was also my ‘last dance’ with Andrea too. I think I had prepared myself mentally for this moment for Milton, but I know that Andrea’s death came as a real shock to Laurie so I think that emotion definitely carried over into her performance, which made it all the more wonderful. Because she had been with the series since the beginning, this was a very emotional thing for her to go through, but she was such a champ through it all.
Going in to shoot that final day, I think we both knew it was going to hurt and that we were going to go through this together so we just used that and got ourselves through it. It was pretty incredible- and so meaningful for me because not all the deaths on “Walking Dead” get the kind of time we had. Some deaths on the show have been far more quick and shocking so I think it’s great that Milton and Laurie got some ‘real’ time in the finale, which is what both of these characters deserved, I think.
I loved that our deaths weren’t a throwaway moment either; I know there was some talk about them escaping where only one would survive or something to that effect. I think I remember there even being a discussion on a scene where Milton and Laurie escape, and while they’re running away, The Governor shoots one of them down. To me, that would have been a disservice to these characters so I’m glad they went in the direction they did.
Dread Central: Well, now that we know we won’t be seeing Milton next season, what’s coming up next for you? Are you still balancing out work in both the TV and film worlds?
Dallas Roberts: I am; I’m working on a new series for CBS called “Unforgettable” which has been incredible. I also recently did the Dallas Buyers Club with Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto which is coming out in a few months and I’m really proud of that movie. I think everyone did amazing work in it. I’d also like to find some time to return to the stage but we’ll see- things have just been moving so fast lately (laughs).
The Walking Dead: The Complete Third Season Description
It has become a cultural phenomenon. The fans embrace it, the critics adore it. And now the stakes have never been higher for the survivors… On August 27th, Anchor Bay Entertainment unleashes AMC’s original series THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON on Blu-ray™ and DVD. Available as a 5-disc set in each format, the release contains all sixteen episodes from the past season. Like the previous releases, THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON comes stuffed with tons of bonus features, including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, never-before-seen featurettes, audio commentaries from cast and crew, deleted scenes and other surprises!
Related Story: Official “The Walking Dead” News Archive
In addition, Anchor Bay proudly announces that, in response to overwhelming fan response to last year’s Season 2 limited edition “zombie head” packaging, THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON Blu-ray™ will be available in a limited edition “zombie head tank” package (water not included!) specially created once again by McFarlane Toys. SRP is $79.99 for the Blu-ray™, $69.98 for the DVD and $149.99 for the Blu-ray™ limited edition.
Based on the hugely popular graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON continues to draw in record audiences. Season 3 follows the weary group of survivors led by police officer Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) as they take refuge in a prison and attempt to set up a permanent camp. But while invading zombies are an ever-present danger, they must also battle the living, not only in the form of abandoned prisoners, but also the sadistic “Governor” (David Morrissey) and his followers. New characters introduced this season include Danai Gurira as Michonne, with her two “zombie pets” in tow, and Dallas Roberts (Shadow People) as the Governor’s lieutenant Milton, as well as the return of Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker).
THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON cast also includes Laurie Holden, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, IronE Singleton, Chandler Riggs, Scott Wilson, and Melissa McBride.
Season 4 of “The Walking Dead” premieres on AMC this October. To stay up-to-the-minute on all things walker related, follow @WalkingDead_AMC on Twitter and visit “The Walking Dead” on Facebook. For more be sure to hit up the official “The Walking Dead” page on AMC.com.
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