The Walking Dead: Q&A with Jon Bernthal (Shane) and a Sneak Peek of Episode 2.02 – Bloodletting

Steve Barton |

Oct 17, 2011

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“The Walking Dead” on AMC

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http://www.amctv.com/the-walking-dead/videos/the-walking-dead-sneak-peek-episode-201-what-lies-ahead

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So, was everyone else as impressed by the Season Two opening episode of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” as we were? Quite an ending, right? Well, in anticipation of next week’s ep, entitled “Bloodletting”, the network has released a sneak peek video along with a Q&A with Jon Bernthal, who plays Shane Walsh, in which he describes the various mannerisms that make Shane unique and dishes on which survivor he would most want by his side in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

In addition, if you visit the official “The Walking Dead” page on AMC.com, you’ll find highlights of Episode 2.01, “What Lies Ahead”, along with an “inside look” at the ep in which Andrew Lincoln and his co-stars talk about developing their characters, a wrenching storyline, and more zombie killing in the thrilling Season 2 premiere.

Q: I didn’t think this was possible, but the walkers have gotten even more terrifying this year.

A: Greg Nicotero is the best in the business; we all know that. Last year he blew all of our minds by turning gruesome vulgarity into beautiful art. What I’m seeing this season is that there’s a specificity with each zombie. You can actually tell who they were before they got infected and how they got infected and where they were bit. I think that’s really what we’re trying to do with the show: Nothing is taken for granted.

Q: A lot of people all have dreams about work. Do you ever have dreams about walkers or dreams that you’re in character?

A: Yeah, I do. And I hate zombies. Call me a silly method actor, but you spend all day hunting them and killing them and running from them, and there you go. I love the people that create them and the people that play them, but the zombies themselves I hate. When I go to a publicity event and there’s some guy paid to be a zombie for the night and they walk up to me, my first instinct is to take their heads off.

Q: Shane always gets to tote the big guns. Do you enjoy acting with a gun on set? Are you gun person?

A: You know, I do love Shane’s shotgun. In real life I kind of have a shotgun similar to it, but I’m not a huge gun guy. Only thing about Shane’s gun is it’s super loud and attracts other zombies. We shoot blanks on set, and there’s still a good kickback.

Q: Shane and Rick have a love-hate relationship. Do you have a lifelong friend like that?

A: Man, I think a lot of people have that relationship with me!

Q&A with Jon Bernthal - The Walking Dead Season 2

Q: Have you enjoyed playing a character with a dark side this season?

A: I think that Shane really has figured out that in this world it’s all about making hard decisions. If you have a group of people and you’re trying to survive, what do you do if one person is holding you back? Do you get rid of that person? Or do you do the “right thing” and keep that person alive? I think Shane has discovered this new world order; he discovered it in Season 1 when he beat Ed up down by the water or when he trained the gun on Rick. Things like guilt and shame — are those valuable emotions in this world, or do they actually have no place in them? I love those themes of the show.

Q: Shane is the only character with a sex scene thus far. Do you give Andrew Lincoln a hard time because of it?

A: I never have, but now that you said that, I’ll be sure to do it today.

Q: You used to play high school football — and we hear you get to be back on a football field this year for an upcoming episode. What was it like?

A: It’s great; that was down at Newton High, and they have a really good team. I grew up in Washington, DC, and while high school football is important there, down here it’s huge. It’s like religion; the teams are serious! One of the things I really wanted to do this season was go to a game.

Q: What’s the biggest prank you ever pulled in high school?

A: Man, ours were pretty vulgar, I don’t know if I want to talk about our pranks. The first thing I thought of I definitely can’t say.

Q: Shane has a very distinctive walk. He also rubs his head a lot. Are those Shane or Jon gestures?

A: No man, I hope that what I’m doing is Shane. I’ve tried to find mannerisms for him, especially this season. He has things he does when he gets nervous or agitated. Shane is constantly boiling and constantly at war with himself, and I think that these gestures and movements come out of what’s going on inside of him.

Q: If you had to be stuck with only one of the characters from the show in a zombie apocalypse, who would it be and why?

A: Daryl Dixon. I think Shane kind of figures that out this season as well. I think he’s an enormously valuable member of the group. He can do things, and he’s down to do things that a lot of the other members aren’t.

Q: Do you personally feel like you’re better prepared for a zombie attack now?

A: Yeah, I do because I think there’s definitely some things I know now that I didn’t know then. But I gotta tell you; when you really let your mind go there and you think about the ins and outs of what would go down, I think we’d really all be screwed.

Below is the sneak peek from “Bloodletting”, written by Glen Mazzara and directed by Ernest Dickerson. Watch as T-Dog (IronE Singleton) tries to convince Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) that they are in danger of abandonment.

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.