This interview was held by Rick123Axel.
Darian Fisher portrayed walkers in Season 6 before portraying Alexandria Safe-Zone resident and guard, Richards.
What role/roles have you had within The Walking Dead?
Season 6 was my first season working on The Walking Dead. I was blessed to be able to work 15 days on set this past season, mostly as a walker. I was a mixture of both hero and mid+ during most of the days. I also was able to portray Richards, the Alexandrian Guard in episode 2 of Season 6.
Outside of The Walking Dead, what would fans know you best for?
I am a local Atlanta actor and have also had the privilege of having featured roles in TV shows such as The Red Road and The Game. You can also see me in Taken 3 during the car chase scene as I played one of the detectives. I also do a lot of local Atlanta short films and indie projects.
How did you get your role as Richards?
Extras Casting Atlanta asked me if I was comfortable with heights and if I wanted to portray a human on The Walking Dead and of course I couldn't say no that that great opportunity.
Could you talk us through the process of the day(s) you had shooting and what they entailed?
Well, when I portrayed the role of Richards, I was on 2nd unit and the scene included myself with Maggie and Deanna. I basically was on set for most of the day going through a lot of safety meetings since the scene included a very extravagant fire and death scene. The day on set lasted about 8 hours total and it was a great experience being able to see all the stunt work as well.
How was the filming of the Molotov being thrown at Richards shot safely?
I was standing on top of one of the towers attached to the wall and the stunt coordinator made sure everything was always safe at all times. They made sure while they threw the molotov cocktails that they never reached closer then 10 feet from me and I never was in any harm during the filming of that sequence. They had fire and rescue also on scene in case any of the fire did get out of control, which it never did.
Did you also portray Richards’ in his reanimated form when Maggie puts the charred walker down? If so how long did the make-up take to apply and what was it like?
They had another person portray the burned body of Richards. It would have been impossible for me to portray both characters the same day since the makeup would have taken hours to apply, and to save time, they had someone else getting prepped in Special Effects while I shot the human part of Richards.
What factor of the show helped you most when getting into character?
Well I studied some of the past episodes featuring the other Alexandrian characters and tried to emulate how their characters were. The wolves were also on set as well and their presence also kept me in character knowing I was being attacked.
What was it like working with Jessica Lynch (Director of “JSS”)?
I didn't have much contact with the director of the episode. Most of my direction came from the AD and 2nd AD along with the stunt coordinator.
Did Richards have a backstory which was not shown/cut? If not, did you create one for yourself?
There really wasn't much backstory about Richards since he had not been mentioned or portrayed in any of the former episodes. When the episode aired, they cut most of the scene where I am standing on the wall listening to the wolves attacking Alexandria and having the molotov cocktails thrown at me. The only part shown was my stunt double, who actually was set on fire and fell off the wall. The scene leading up to my burning was not shown nor were the 3 wolves shown which had scaled up the wall after I had fallen to my death.
What is the atmosphere like on the set of such a serious, dramatic show?
The atmosphere on set was very serious for this scene since it dealt with a very intricate stunt scene. Not only was someone going to be set on fire, but that same stunt person also had to fall about 20 feet off the wall while on fire. Everyone took extreme safety precautions while filming that scene and professionalism was shown in all aspects.
Do you have any interesting or funny stories from your time on the set?
Can't think of anything really funny or interesting to report the day of filming that scene. Everyone was just very professional and kind and treated me as one of the cast for the day which was great.
What was the best thing about working of The Walking Dead?
The best thing about working this production is how everyone is so great on set, from both the cast to the crew. They are like a family and get a long so well. It is by far my favorite set to work on.
Were there any negatives when working on the show?
There were no negatives other than the heat and the sun, but of course that can't be controlled. But they made the weather conditions as comfortable as possible by providing plenty of water and shade.
If you had to describe your The Walking Dead experience in one word, what would it be?
Amazing!
What advice would you give to readers trying to break into the entertainment industry?
Being an actor takes a lot of perseverance and thick skin. You have to be prepared for a lot of rejection and waiting. To be an actor, it takes many many years to get established in this industry. As my agent always says, it's not a sprint but a marathon. You have to hustle a lot and work hard at the craft by taking classes and fine tuning your skills. Atlanta is the place to be though and there are plenty of opportunities for the aspiring actor.
Are you currently working on anything interesting that you can reveal?
I am currently working on a few indie films and a web project which are still in pre production. But you can check out my past productions on my official acting web page: www.facebook.com/Darianafisher or look me up on IMDb.
Thank you again on behalf of the entire wiki! We appreciate it very much!
Thank you so much and keep up the good work.