David Morrissey plays The Walking Dead season three’s big bad “The Governor,” and though we haven’t gotten a decent look at the despotic Woodbury leader yet, the actor promises that fans of the comic book will not be disappointed.
The British actor sat down with MSN to talk about his villainous character, the depth and gravitas he brings to the show, and teases more about what we can expect from “The Governor.”
On the character:
“He’s a man who does everything he can to secure his town and his people to make sure that they’re safe and that calls for some very tough decisions.”
On the rivalry between “The Governor” and Rick:
“Anybody outside of Woodbury is viewed with suspicion and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) is outside of Woodbury. But there’s also Andrea (Laurie Holden), Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Merle (Michael Rooker). There are a lot of people he has to iron out relationships with but undoubtedly, Rick is the leader of another group, which is not far from him. So there are things that they need to sort out. But I wouldn’t say he is his rival.”
On his agenda:
“It’s about survival but it’s also about beginning. He’s looking at how we can begin again as a human race. How we can begin again in this world and function in this world. The town he’s created has a medical center and a school. It’s about that. It’s about starting again and it’s not just about hand-to-mouth survival. It’s about how to cultivate the human race and move it into the future. That’s his plan.”
On switching to a Southern accent:
“It’s easier because I’m filming there, because we’re in the heart of Atlanta. I have a dialect coach called Jessica Drake. And I just listen to the crew when we hang out and they’re just great men and women and Andrew and I stay in accent on the set. The only time my accent broke was during the Ryder Cup when Europe beat the United States and I was giving the crew some stick.”
You can check out the full interview over at the TV Buzz Blog . Season 3 of The Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC. Here’s a sneak peek at this week’s episode:
