Q & A: Pasadena’s zombie queen
Whether you are searching for a smash-hit television series or a smashing pairing of wine and gourmet food, Pasadena’s Gale Anne Hurd is the city’s resident expert. Before opening Vertical Wine Bistro in Old Pasadena, Hurd performed double duty as a writer and producer on “The Terminator.” She went on to lead production of several other Hollywood blockbusters, including “Aliens,” “Terminator 2,” and “Armageddon.” She is currently executive producer of the AMC television series, “The Walking Dead,” a thriller about a world overrun by zombies. A new episode airs Sunday. Hurd answered questions from the Pasadena Sun by email.
Sun: Where in Pasadena would be the best place to make a stand during a zombie apocalypse?
Hurd: I’d make a stand at City Hall. It’s a beautiful period building, with good sight lines from the tower for picking off zombies. And it’s essentially next door to the police department.
Q: Kids have organized zombie clubs at schools, the California Institute of Technology is hosting a Zombie 5k Saturday as a charitable fundraiser and there is even a zombie parody of “Pride and Prejudice.” What’s vogue about the undead?
A: Zombies are the ultimate equalizer. You don’t need special skills or superpowers to be a zombie. I’m not surprised that Caltech is having a Zombie 5K. After all, zombies are pursuing ‘braiiinnsss’ — and so is Caltech.
Q: You’ve been involved in several projects dealing with the possible collapse of society. Are you trying to tell us something?
A: I love apocalyptic stories about everyday people caught up in the midst of extraordinary events. And I’m a geek from way back, so the sci-fi settings are a plus. Given that the Doomsday or Armageddon Clock is currently set at five minutes to midnight, I’m not alone.
Q: Is there really a fifth “Terminator” film in the works? Maybe set in Sacramento this time?
A: Unfortunately, Jim Cameron and I no longer control the rights to the “Terminator” franchise. It would be nice if we could terminate the state’s budget deficit, wouldn’t it?
Q: Is producing a movie anything like running a restaurant?
A: Producing a film is a sprint, and by the time you hit your stride, it’s all over. I think running a restaurant has more in common with producing a television series, which, after the sprint to get it up and running, is more akin to a marathon. A very exhausting marathon at that, run in the summer with temperatures over 100 degrees. Full credit to the crew on “The Walking Dead,” who survive shooting in Atlanta all summer, and our Vertical Wine Bistro kitchen crew, where the stoves are even hotter.
Q: Why would a Hollywood executive choose to call Pasadena home?
A: Pasadena is a great place to raise a family, and feels a world away from Hollywood, although it’s only 20 minutes from the studios by car (which can expand to almost three hours in rush hour traffic). There is more culture (from the Norton Simon Museum to the Huntington Library, the Pacific Asia Museum, all the art house cinemas) and fantastic restaurants per capita than almost anyplace else. And I’ve attended some incredible soccer matches at the Rose Bowl, from the World Cup to watching Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan … with 93,000 equally soccer-mad fans. I am hoping that one day my favorite team, Arsenal, will play a match there.
Q: What are some of your favorite places in the area?
A: See above. I also love the Arclight and Laemmle Theaters, EuroPane Bakery, Vroman’s Bookstore (Southern California’s oldest and largest independent bookstore), Caltech, KPCC, Pasadena City College, Art Center College of Design, the Huntington Hotel, Pasadena Playhouse (which is the state theater of California), Furious Theatre Company and of course, my restaurant, Vertical Wine Bistro.