SMASHING INTERVIEWS MAGAZINE: Michael Rooker Interview: ‘The Walking Dead’ Ambles into Season 3
September 30, 2012
by Melissa Parker
Born in Jasper, Alabama, Michael Rooker left the Deep South at thirteen years old to live with his mother in Chicago. His breakthrough film role was playing the title character in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film based on the confessions of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.
Rooker has appeared in numerous films over the years including Mississippi Burning, Eight Men Out, Sea of Love, Days of Thunder, JFK, Cliffhanger, Slither, Super, Tombstone and Mallrats. He has made appearances in the television shows Crime Story, The Equalizer, The Outer Limits, CSI: Miami, Las Vegas, Law & Order, Chuck, Criminal Minds, Psych and Burn Notice.
The versatile actor currently portrays Merle Dixon on AMC’s post-apocalyptic drama series The Walking Dead. The third season of the show is scheduled to premiere on October 14, 2012...
... Smashing Interviews Magazine: Let’s talk about The Walking Dead and the return of Merle Dixon. Isn’t Merle a bad guy?
Michael Rooker: "Merle is not a bad guy. Merle is a survivor, and he’s living now along with every one of these survivors in a world that is different. You no longer have to be politically correct. You can do whatever you want. There are people in this group that want to set down these rules that society had set down prior to the zombie apocalypse just to try to maintain some semblance of a civilized world they’re living in, but it ain’t civilized anymore.
There are monsters out there that will eat you. You’re no longer the head of the food chain, baby. They’re eating your ass up, so survival is key and Merle is the ultimate survivor. We haven’t really seen Merle doing much surviving except for what happened on that rooftop, and that is extreme. That proves to everyone watching that Merle is a human being and not some classified bad guy. Merle is a human being that is big time living, surviving and fighting. That’s who Merle is...
The Walking Dead premieres Sunday, October 14, 2012 at 9/8C on AMC.
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