Actors on The Walking Dead Are Given Secret Code Names

If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead, you probably know how secretive the show’s writers and producers are about what will happen on the show.  We’ve seen fans pestering actors on Twitter, interviews where show runners and creators are asked what will happen, and numerous web pages out there that are hungry for spoilers or any piece of information out there.

Rick Grimes posing with the Bicycle Walker from season 1 and the webisodes

One really interesting thing about this show’s making is that all the actors are given code names.  These names appear on the script, on their trailers, and on some internal documents.  They don’t seem to change the code names after each season very much, so it can be easy to know the code names of some of the major stars that have been around for a long time.

Here are some examples of code names from season 1 of The Walking Dead:

• “Otis” – Rick Grimes: This is the main character from The Walking Dead.  Confusingly enough, a character later on in the show was named Otis from Hershel’s farm.  That character’s nickname is unknown, but would be funny if it was “Rick”.
• “Vinnie” – Carl Grimes: This is Ricks son.  It reminds me of the movie My Cousin Vinnie, but most likely isn’t named after that since he isn’t anyone important’s cousin on the show.
• “Blue” – Lori Grimes: This name is somewhat fitting, because Lori’s ability as a mother “blew”.  She never seemed to know where Carl was and was lying to and manipulating many people.
• “Feather” – Carol Peletier: She is one of the survivors from the camp where Carl and his mother were.  Carol has been nothing like a feather in this gripping TV show, having to do a lot of the dirty work for the group while trying to appear like the mother figure.

What do you think of these code names?  Do you have any fun code names that you’d make for any of the current or former cast members of The Walking Dead?  Let me know in the comments.