The Walking Dead Stars Revisit Their First Days On Set

The Walking Dead First Day Memories

With episode 100 of The Walking Dead airing Oct. 22, we asked the cast to share memories from their first day ever on set. Some are funny, some are profound, and all paint a picture of why The Walking Dead is such a welcoming — if also hot as hell — set to work on.

Andrew Lincoln (Rick)

“My first day on The Walking Dead feels like an eternity ago. It was the shootout. It was on the roadside. It was throwing down the roadblock and Jon Bernthal was terrified because I was driving and he knew that I had only spent three weeks in the country and I was still driving on the left side of the road. And I had to break 60 to 70 miles per hour and then put the brakes on. And Jon Bernthal is not a man that gets scared often. And after about the third take he just went, ‘Andy, Andy, please slow down.' And then I remember just dripping in sweat and everybody seeing the rushes apparently and it just looked like we were in a shower. So the execs from AMC came down and said, ‘Where’s the makeup?’ And they all came in suits. And within about three minutes they just went, ‘Okay, there’s no makeup on this show. It’s too hot.'"

Lennie James (Morgan)

“The heat. My first memory of that was the heat and how unprepared we were for how hot it was. There is a scene in the first episode where we come out of a house, and we meet a walker on the path, and Rick takes him out with a shovel. And the guy who played that particular walker had a prosthetic in his mouth, which made it look like the whole bottom bit of his bottom lip had just been ripped off. So he’s full prosthetics, and we have to spray water in his mouth because he couldn’t drink. Also, he couldn’t drink from a cup because of the prosthetics that he was wearing, and it was quite a long scene outside the house."

“I’m not even sure a lot of it made the cut, but eventually, we replaced it with a dummy rather than have a real person lie down in the heat, because it wasn’t the right thing to be doing to people. It was a lesson learned very, very quickly that along with everything else, we are also working both in and against a quite brutal environment at times.”

Melissa McBride (Carol)

“I barely remember my first day on The Walking Dead. It was so long ago. I felt like a stranger in a strange land. I had a lot of anxiety that I was trying really hard to just sort of temper because there were people who had already been there and that tightness, that camaraderie developed very quickly. And I didn’t have much of anything to say on the first day. I was just really observant and apprehensive. Just a little anxiety because I felt I was being thrust into somebody else’s world and I wasn’t quite sure what it was. I enjoyed the day thoroughly, I do remember that very well. And I was excited to see the actors that were going to be working on the show — just observing a whole lot and not knowing anything about where this character was going. Didn’t know the backstory too much. I didn’t know much of anything.”

Chandler Riggs (Carl)

“I just remember it being really, really hot. It was scorching, and they had me and Sarah Wayne Callies washing this pot and then I had, like, one line. But I think the coolest part about the first few episodes of filming for me was in episode 4 when the walkers invade the camp. That was, like, the coolest sight of my life for me because I got to see all the zombies and I really get to do a lot of stuff that night. I just had so much fun because I loved zombie games and all that stuff, so getting to see zombies in real life — that was the first really fun experience that I had on the set.”

Norman Reedus (Daryl)

“I remember my very first day on The Walking Dead. The first person I spoke to was Greg [Nicotero], but he was in zombie makeup and I kind of didn’t know everybody. And the cast had already been doing press junkets together and I was super nervous and everybody was all buddy-buddy and stuff. And Greg comes up and goes, ‘Hey, man. How’s it going? How’s your first day?’ I’m like, Who the f—k is that? ‘Cause he was a zombie and I’m like [confused expression], ‘Hey, hi. How are you?’ And then he’s like, ‘Hey, it’s Greg!’ And I’m like, ‘Oh!’ I didn’t recognize him at all and then I had to come out and throw the squirrels the first day, so there’s this string of squirrels and I was like, ‘Do you guys want like an underhanded throw? Or should I kind of throw the squirrels like this?' But what I remember most about the first day was trying to figure out who Daryl was and meeting all these people and trying to figure out where he fits in. I was super insecure and super nervous. And everyone was like, ‘Oh, who’s this new kid?’ I remember the scene where I come up and I yell at Merle, I’m like, ‘Merle, we got squirrels, let’s do ‘em up!’ And they say, ‘We locked your brother on the roof.’ And I remember turning around and seeing all these faces looking at me as the new kid in school. It made me so insecure that I kind of threw everything that way and didn’t look up much and didn’t really look everybody in the eyes. I was kind of like, ‘Don’t look at me.’ And I was like, oh, that’s who Daryl is. He’s got such a chip on his shoulder. He doesn’t think anybody likes him so he plays everything like he doesn’t look at you — unless he’s screaming at you! So that’s kind of how I found that character day 1. And then I just ran with it.”

Lauren Cohan (Maggie)

“What I remember about my first day on the show was probably being on horseback and going through the woods with a bat and knocking out the walker that was about to take Lori. I don’t know if that’s my very first day, but that’s the one I remember the most. When I first started, it was the scene where Carl has been shot and he comes into the house and we’re all kind of shell-shocked and reacting to the group. And I remember myself and Emily and Scott were new to the show and we knew it was great. I can literally remember standing in that living room of that house we shot in, and it was a real house. I remember the feeling of tension and not knowing what was coming and it was like a train was on its way and you weren’t going to stop it.”

Danai Gurira (Michonne)

“I remember my first day on The Walking Dead very vividly. It was definitely a huge adjustment. I was wearing a beautiful — but new to me — dreadlocked wig and I had very short hair for a very long time so I was like, ‘What is this?’ I remember I was working on my moves. I’m a rehearser, so I’m going over them over and over again so I just totally kind of overheated. I went and laid down to just catch my breath and it was like six people were on me like, ‘Oh my God, she’s overheating.’ And they’re taking so much care of me and I’m thinking, I’m fine, but let them do their thing, because they just know how to handle everything. They were nervous for me. They tried to ease me into this whole thing. But the funny thing was, there were some guys out somewhere with very long lenses apparently, so there was a concern that the Michonne look would come out before they had planned for it to come out. I was being walked around with umbrellas and everything and it was so funny. I had just come from New York theater land to cover-her-up-as-she-walks-down-the-path. So it was a very interesting first day, but I instantly felt like I was with people who were pursuing excellence and were also really awesome people and a good family.”

Alanna Masterson (Tara)

“I joined with a bunch of people that weren’t the originals or even people that were there for a long time, so I was definitely nervous but also kind of thankful now looking back at it that I was with a bunch of people that weren’t staples in the show because I probably would’ve been more nervous if I had come in and done a scene with Andrew or something. So when I first got there, Steven came and was like, ‘Hey, I’m Steven. If you need anything, here’s my number,’ and he just took me under his wing. It’s just been a really wonderful experience and such a joy to be on this show from the moment I got here and such an integral part of my life. I’m just so grateful I got the experience.”

Josh McDermitt (Eugene)

“I remember sitting on the plane flying out to Georgia next to Michael Cudlitz, who’s going to play Abraham, who I’m a fan of from Band of Brothers, and I didn’t want to bother the guy. I knew we were going to be working together, and he’s not looking at me or anything, and I’m just like, Okay, well, maybe he’s a jerk. I don’t know. And then halfway through the flight, I was reading a book, and I look up over at him and he’s staring at me. He just holds his fist out for me to bump his fist, and I was like, Okay, this guy’s cool. And I remember just as nervous as I was, he was the one that first set me at ease. So we get into a van at the airport and then we get to set and it’s hot as hell. I’ve never experienced anything as hot as that. It was just miserable. It was wet. I’m wearing jeans and I’m thinking, this was a mistake. I was told to wear jeans because they were shooting in a field, and there’s bugs everywhere, and I’m just like, what have I gotten myself into?”

Christian Serratos (Rosita)

“This is the top, No. 1 thing: We meet Josh and Michael, got driven to set, and we were all in character. The three of us got out of the van and started walking up this hill. We didn’t see anybody until we got up to the top of the hill, and then we saw the entire set and the crew and everyone. And I remember them saying on the radio that they had Abraham’s Army walking, and everyone was just staring at us walking towards set being like, ‘Damn they’re here.’ And I remember thinking, f—k. It’s weird being characters from the comic book and it made me so nervous because everyone was waiting to see what we were going to look like in costumes together. Then that’s how I felt when Negan came, and I remember thinking, Wow, this is what they were thinking then when Abraham’s Army came. I’d never played a comic character before and so there’s these expectations and it made me really nervous, but it made me also really excited. God, was I scared s—tless. I was scared!”

Seth Gilliam (Father Gabriel)

“I had just power-watched the first four seasons on the Saturday and the Sunday before I went down to Atlanta, and on Monday I was on set, and on top of the rocks, screaming my lungs out. And I remember at one point looking down and being like, Look, there’s Daryl! Look, there’s Rick! Look there’s Carol! Then it was like, No, no, that’s Norman, that’s Andy, that’s Melissa, and you need to get your lines down. I remember having that kind of surreal moment where I was just watching these guys, and just invested in their journey less than 14 hours ago, and now I’m a part of it. I’ve got to remember that I’ve got a job to do here, I can’t be spectating because now my TV has come to life in front of me. And I also remember that I had to do this big emotional breakdown later in the day where Gabriel confessed in the church. And I remember crying really heavily, and I remember the snot coming out of my nose, and feeling like, well, he’s messy, you know, don’t be vain. And then Andrew, saying afterwards, ‘Full snot on the first take. Wow.’ And I remember feeling very proud of myself.”

Ross Marquand (Aaron)

“I was freaking out because it's one of my favorite shows, and I was sweating like crazy. I remember I changed my shirt like three times because I was so nervous showing up there. And it was hot as hell. I remember that too. It's a climate that I'm not used to and certainly wasn’t at that time three years ago. The first person I met on set was Andy, and he walked up and gave me a giant hug within two seconds of meeting him. He’s just really the best No. 1 I could possibly hope to work under, and I think everyone else feels the same way. And then after meeting Andy, I met Josh and Michael. They came over and were like, ‘Hey, I heard you’re the new guy on set. Let us know if you need anything, and if you do, you can just go talk to Andy.’ I was like, cool, good to know these are going to be the smartasses of the group, and they eventually, of course, became two of my best friends in the show.”

Katelyn Nacon (Enid)

“Honestly, I was so nervous. It was really, really nerve-racking. I mean, it’s like the first day of school and you don’t know anyone, like you’re the new kid, that kind of thing, and you’re just like, Oh, I just want to get through it, I just want to show people what I can do. And I remember also a scene that had pretty much the whole cast in it as well. It’s when I showed up to Alexandria and I was in the house and saw them walking into Alexandria. That was my first scene on my first day, and I remember Andrew was so kind, and he walked all the way over into that house and just introduced himself to me and that kind of made me feel more at home.”

Austin Amelio (Dwight)

“Dude, I was an absolute nervous wreck. Oh my god! I had a week to prepare and my first scenes were with Norman, so it was this initiation thing where it felt like I've got to prove myself off the bat. But a funny thing is, I did take it a little too far. I had a gun up to Daryl’s head when he was against the tree, and in one take, I had pressed it too hard against his head because I was just in it. And then after that, he came up to me and he was like, ‘Hey, you know that was great, but if you could maybe not like press the gun so hard against my head.’ And I was like ‘Oh my god, dude! I'm so sorry!’ I was like, Oh my god, I just pissed off Norman, I'm getting f--king fired. It was great though. In the midst of everything, he was awesome and it was a really welcoming set, but I was also a f--king nervous wreck the whole time. But that moment stands out because I was like, Okay, I'm in it, I'm doing my job, everything is going well — just don’t press the gun against Norman’s head again.”

Tom Payne (Jesus)

“I remember my first walk onto the set happened really quickly. I got off the plane and went straight to set and I arrived at set in the nighttime of episode 9 and Steven Yeun’s running around covered in blood and shooting a machine gun. I went and sat on a porch and Andy came and sat down next to me and we had a chat, covered in blood and everything. And then as far as my job went, the first scene where I said lines is where I meet Andy and Norman for the first time, and my voice was definitely a little bit more high-pitched and breathy because I hadn’t acted in a while at that point — partially on purpose and partially because I was waiting for the right role and so I hadn’t been on camera for about a year. And then we shot that first scene where I jump out in front of Andy and Norman and the director had to come over and be like, ‘Okay, Tom, calm down a little bit.’ I was like, Oh, my god, I know how to do this. I’ve been doing this job for years! But the extremity of the situation took over a little bit and I was a little excited I think.”

Xander Berkeley (Gregory)

“When you have to come on and be the guy that owns the place, says ‘I'm the boss’ and gets up in the grill of the lead actor, it's always a challenge. You never know how you're going to be greeted or welcomed, and I decided on the very first rehearsal to just go for it. It was my choice to get right up in Andy’s face and say, ‘It's hard to keep this place clean.' I’ll just tell you, there's a lot of No. 1s on the call sheet that make a beeline for the director and say, ‘He’s not going to do that, is he? Because my character would never let anybody get that close to him.’ But I decided just to test the space and go for it. And I went back in for take two and closed the door and the next thing I knew, the door is flying open and Andy jumps into my arms and hugs me and lifts me up saying ‘I'm so glad you're doing this!’ And I watched the way Andy did that with a guy that just had one line and that was the only episode he was in. And I watched him go over and throw an arm around him and make him feel included and a part of the process. I just can’t even begin to tell you how rare that is. He sets the tone from the top and it just filters all the way down. Andy is like our little hero.”

Steven Ogg (Simon)

“I remember going into the trailer and No. 1 was there. Andrew was sitting in the makeup trailer and we just sat down and we chatted, and it was so wonderful. He called my son. That was my first experience actually on set, was just sitting there in the trailer and chatting with Andrew, so it was quite a wonderful introduction. And then actually being on set once we started filming was just a lot of fun. It’s the times in between when you’re waiting around and you’re having lunch and all of a sudden you’re having a heart to heart. Sonequa, I had a wonderful chat with her. I was like, oh my god, she’s an amazing woman! And then two hours later, four in the morning, you’re chatting with Josh. You’re like, oh my god. He’s such a great guy! It just felt really great. I never went to a summer camp, but it was that type of feeling like, wow, you’re in this amazing group of people. Oh, and you get to act? Cool!”

Khary Payton (Ezekiel)

“It was Michael Cudlitz who grabbed my hand and he said, ‘Your life is going to change.’ And he wouldn’t let my hand go. He said, ‘You got to look at me, man,’ and he said it again — ‘Your life is about to change.’ And it was a little eerie. He said, ‘You remember before you had a kid when people told you that your life changes when you have a kid, and then you have a kid? You remember that feeling? Like, no matter how much people told you what it was like, you just couldn’t prepare for it?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ He was like, ‘It’s like that.’ I walked out of the makeup and hair trailer thinking, Holy s--t, I really don’t know what’s about to happen to me. But there’s one moment that I’ll never forget and it’s right before literally the first shot that we took. I was standing next to Lennie James, we were corralling those pigs in that dilapidated old gas station, and my wife said to take a moment, look around, and remember what’s happening and take a moment to enjoy it. There was this quiet right before they released all the pigs, and it was just me and Lennie. And I stopped for a second and I’m standing there just quietly. He’s looking off. I’m looking off. I look at him and I said, ‘Lennie, it’s my first shot.’ And he says, ‘Welcome to the family, man.’ And the next moment the pigs come rushing towards us and we go running off, and it’s one of the best feelings ever.”

Pollyanna McIntosh (Jadis)

“Seeing that huge junkyard set. I was blown away by the creativity and I think it was a really good symbol of the whole show for me. What I was recognizing in it was how a large group of people had come together in a very short time and created something beautiful and complex and full of clues, and full of mystery all at the same time. The behemoth that the show is, but also the intricacy and the personality of it, and the incredibly hard work that goes into it, too. Meeting my Heapster crew was really exciting, not only seeing them as amazing actors with all that beautiful grease in the hair, which I decided is from the car axles. And also the amazing costumes and the intricacy again in there and the props, their amazing weapons made of street signs and railway spikes and all sorts of cool stuff. Also meeting Sabrina and Tom, who play Samuel and Brie, my right and left-hand woman and man, respectively. They were really cool and really fun, and as excited as I was, I didn’t dare hope that I’d go beyond even a couple of episodes because you just want to live in the now. You just want to enjoy it for what it is there and not look to the future, but so many people on the set were saying, ‘Oh, you're life’s going to be very different now. You’re on The Walking Dead now,’ and I was trying to just stay in the moment and stay in the day.”