had no true connection to horror or even zombies, how did you get your mind into a dead guy that is truly somewhat freethinking?
Howard: Well, it's mostly a physical thing, and it just had to do with figuring out, well an actor has to know how to prepare to play a lot of different characters, it really was just a matter of using your imagination and trying to be very specific with how different things feel and what kind of behavior that would generate. When I was about twenty-three years old I was working at the first theater I told you about in San Francisco, and I had to play, (Chuckles) I had to play an extremely drunk character. So I spent a couple of months leading up to the performance going up to a section of town where there was a bunch of, well, there was a bunch of winos. I mean, you could just go into a bar and before long see a smashed drunken guy walking down the street. I followed these guys, I did, I would walk about thirty paces behind them and they wouldn't even know I was there (Laughs). But I really learned the subtleties of believably doing that walk, the most important word is believably.In the case of playing a zombie, if my hands work, and if I can grip something, it's just that it doesn't work very well. I mean, we all have hand-eye coordination, being able to do something as simple as look at a cup of coffee and reach for the handle, we do all of this second nature. We have been doing it for so long, but if you look at a very small child, young kids who are just getting their basic skills together, well I did that. That is really what I did. I had a friend who had an infant that was born, I don't know, maybe a month or two before filming the movie, and I discovered that his fingers were still not a part of himself, his kid was uncoordinated, and when I played "Bub", I performed it in a clumsy way. I played him as if the hand-eye coordination to be able to do anything with any finesse. There were really just a zillion little details, and it was just a matter of incorporating my imagination as believably as possible with every piece of the character that I had.
Rob: That really is incredible, you really just built this zombie from the ground up, fantastic. And just like actors who turned to zombies like Michael Rooker or Scott Wilson you have had a massive body of work behind you, and just like them fans connected with your work in the zombie genre. Were you actually surprised that "Bub" resonated so much with fans so many years later, especially with the success of shows such as "The Walking Dead"?
Howard: (Laughs) Well, I think yes and no. I mean, at the time of course it didn't. The movie didn't do very well, and at the time it came and went pretty fast. I was pretty disappointed, and I could see that I put in good work when I watch it. But, I was totally surprised that twenty years or so later that I have become...an icon (Laughs again). I was just like, "Ookay.", I mean, I think it's the combination of the fact I did my job but it was also the fact that unlike most zombies, I had something to do rather than lumber down the street and eat people.So, yeah you know, it's great and very strange to me (Laughs)
Rob: We definitely love you in the horror genre, that's for damn sure. So in Season Four of "The Walking Dead" they did a portrayal of "Bub" on one of the episodes. (Note: Nicotero dressed an actor as "Bub" in the episode titled "Us") Were you aware of this at all, and if you saw it how did you react?
Howard: (Looks surprised) What? I didn't know that. I heard that something like that happened, but maybe I should talk to Greg (Note: who was nearby during the interview) and try to get myself on the show and do my own damn homage! (Laughs hard)
Rob: Whoa! That would be something! That would be absolutely awesome, you should do that. So I have to ask you with zombies as big as they are and the changes there have been in how they are portrayed, would you ever consider returning to the world of the undead?
Howard: Oh well sure! If the part, well if all things looked attractive I would consider it. I wouldn't throw the idea away.
Rob: So basically if the pay's good, right? (Laughs hard)
Howard: (Laughs just as hard) That's a great, a great way of putting it sure. Yeah, that works.
Rob: Howard, once again, thank you for making a dream come true for doing this with me.
Howard: Anytime, I really enjoyed this.