Emmys 2013: Andrew Lincoln ‘was terrified’ to join ‘Walking Dead’

Judging from his character Rick Grimes’ understated cowboy-like swagger on “The Walking Dead,” it’s hard to imagine British actor Andrew Lincoln being nervous.

But when asked about making the initial leap to American television, Lincoln admitted: “I was terrified. The pilot episode in [‘The Walking Dead’], I’m isolated for a lot of the first part of the story. … I was sort of drip-fed into the character that way. Initially it felt very different, but then after a while you realize it’s an ordinary film set.”
WATCH: The Envelope Emmy Roundtable | Drama

That was one of a few revelations Lincoln shared during a recent Envelope Emmy Roundtable featuring four other top dramatic television actors: Elisabeth Moss of “Mad Men,” Connie Britton of “Nashville,” Bryan Cranston of “Breaking Bad” and Kevin Bacon of “The Following.”

Lincoln’s first order of business in joining “The Walking Dead” was mastering an American accent. “If you’re going to have the honor of leading or being involved in playing quite an iconic sort of American role, I wanted to get that bit out of the way before the zombies — so I could focus on killing them,” he said.

He also explained what initially drew him to the show: “When I read the pilot episode, I realized what they wanted to do with it. I thought, ‘This is the most extraordinary way to sort of distill humanity.’ … All it is is just about what it is to be human.”

For more from Lincoln, including his explanation of how television acting is like recording a Nirvana album, watch the video.

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