Josh McDermitt Shines As Eugene On The Walking Dead

Our favorite mullet wearing doctor on The Walking Dead has already given us some great moments on the show.  From hitting on Tara to his attempt to shoot walkers, his awkwardness and geeky charm has made Dr. Eugene Porter one of the most charismatic characters on the show.

McDermitt knows his stuff when it comes to The Walking Dead.  Here’s what he said in an interview with ET Online:

"“It was definitely my favorite show; we would watch it every week and have friends over and sometimes we’d have a little Walking Dead party for the premieres or the finales and that sort of thing. I never really thought I would get an audition, let alone be on it, so to have it all, it’s very surreal. It’s a dream, and I’m just stoked.”"

And this love for the show comes through in his performance.  You can tell that he’s trying hard to be a part of the show’s universe, yet make enough of an impact with his character that he can be a memorable part of it.

As a fan of comedy, I remember him from his time on Last Comic Standing.  Here is a clip of some of his comedy chops:

Sadly, there isn’t much to laugh about in the zombie apocalypse.  Josh McDermitt’s decision to try to be a serious actor was a short, yet interesting journey.

"“I talked to my manager and my agent and said, ‘Hey, I can do drama, let’s put the feelers out for it,’ but without drama credits it’s hard. … For the first drama for me to land is The Walking Dead, I mean, that’s a huge thing and I’m still pinching myself.”"

And how did he land such a high profile job as his first serious acting gig?  By having a kick butt audition.

"“I had to actually kill a zombie. I had to build a fire and kill a rabbit with a crossbow,” he jokes. “No, it’s just a standard audition. The only thing that was different with this was just that they don’t really tell you who the character is. They give you all the information about the character and who they want you to portray, but they’re very secretive. It’s not until you book it, that’s when you find out who you’re portraying. So, I didn’t know that my guy was going to have a mullet until after I got the job. I was like, ‘Man, this is getting better and better.’ … And next thing you know, you’re killin’ zombies.”"

Lucky for us Walking Dead fans, McDermitt wears the mullet proudly as Dr. Eugene Porter.  But when he is off the camera, the mullet isn’t as cute or fun when he’s walking around Atlanta, Georgia.

"“A lot of it is my hair, but then they clip in extensions just to give it that fuller look. I was so embarrassed. I just asked, ‘Can you guys take me to the store so I can buy a hat, since I’m walking around in my off-time with a mullet?’ And so they roll me into Walmart, and there were like five people with the same haircut… So, I think if I’m going to have a mullet, this is the place to do it.”"

You can see Josh McDermitt as Eugene on The Walking Dead on the season 5 DVD set available August 26th or you could always wait for the beginning of season 5 in October.