Frank Dillane talks The Walking Dead, Nick’s Addiction, Accents
By Nir Regev
Frank Dillane who plays Nick Clark on Fear the Walking Dead was recently interviewed by Michael Potts on WhatCulture.com. Dillane’s responses were fascinating, particularly that he’s never watched the original Walking Dead series and wishes Nick would lay off the heroin next season. He discussed the work that goes into crafting an American accent and the thrill of surprising people. Dillane mentioned he doesn’t see himself as a classic leading man quite yet. At least not in the traditional sense.
Frank Dillane on Nick Clark’s Heroin Addiction:
Frank Dillane: I really hope Nick ditches the heroin. There’s very little you can do with heroin. There’s stuff you can do with addiction, but with the heroin, that level of total numbness, there’s not a lot further you can go with that, having somebody out of their mind the whole time. I’m hoping he kicks it so that there’s other things he can explore other than just going cold turkey and always feeling terrible.
Discussion Point – Will art be influenced by actor viewpoint? In this case, the heroin habit being kicked? It’s actually done an excellent job in establishing the Nick character as being willing to do anything. A singular goal leading the character’s path, to get high. Inhabiting every area of his life, from constantly lying about the habit’s existence to physically breaking in. Obviously the character could run the tightrope of being a typecast but it’s still relatively early. There’s room for progression similarly to Jack Bauer’s undercover habit in Season 3 of 24.
Although Nick finally believing he overcame the habit and then regressing would be captivating on-screen.
Frank Dillane on American Accents:
Frank Dillane: I think the Americans are a lot more interested in accents. Accents are all just technical, technical things. I worked really, really hard at it actually though because you can always tell when somebody’s putting on an accent, well at least I think so. If one word slips up then I’m just sitting there wondering whereabouts they’re from. It’s my favorite thing when people say: “Oh hey, you’re English.” It’s a thrill to know that people don’t know I’m English.
Discussion Point – The American accent, in particular the Southern accent has been a huge building block of the Walking Dead. We’ve all had that first moment when we heard Andrew Lincoln speak on the interview and realize… Woah he’s British. The same for David Morrissey. Their accent work is so remarkable we forget and become fully invested in the portrayal.
Frank Dillane on The Walking Dead series
Frank Dillane: It’s called Fear The Walking Dead, so we’re really just one word away from actually being The Walking Dead. One of the very first things I had to come to terms with was that this was a companion series and it would therefore share some similarities. It’s a lot to live up to in one sense. It all sort of comes under the one genre. Also, in this day and age, in TV and film, it’s about recycling and using something that is definitely good rather than just remaking anything. It’s not too different from the prequels or sequels to Star Wars, I suppose. I don’t dwell on it too much, after all it’s just my job.
Discussion Point – The series certainly has come under heavy scrutiny for contained those two words, “Walking Dead.” It’s a heavy responsibility to continue a show’s legacy, especially while it’s still on the air. While there’s been constant discussion that the two shows are separate entities, viewers simply don’t operate like this. People have expectations, similar to comedians suddenly transitioning to serious films. Backlash is expected. Viewers want exactly what they were expecting. remember what Fry once said on Futurama, “TV audiences don’t want anything original. They wanna see the same thing they’ve seen a thousand times before.”
They really had something going in the episode where Nick is taken away, a scene akin to the original series. Definitely reminiscent of Playstation game, The Last of Us. Nick is the undeniably the key to keeping the show fresh. Every time they stray away from Nick’s story they hurt the show’s opportunity to break out of the Walking Dead’s immense shadow.
Frank Dillane on Nick Clark as the leading man of Fear the Walking Dead:
Frank Dillane: I suppose he’s [Nick] a bit of an anti-hero at the moment. I’ve just never really thought about him as a leading man. And I try not to think about it to be honest.
Discussion Point – Nick might be unconventional. An anti-hero, that’s what makes the character cool. He should be the focal point of the entire series. Unless they plan on having Travis never succumb to vanquishing a single zombie, he’s the classic superhero-like archetype for a leading character. Comfortable, but expected. Customary and Traditional.
He has a rigid set of guidelines to follow. Right now what sets Travis apart is his reluctance to engage with the walkers. The moment he does, the big payoff will be gone. Interest will then potentially simmer down. Nick has an edge that his character can do practically anything. The character’s selfishness defines him as unpredictable. Even to himself.
Frank Dillane on not watching the original series and Rick Grimes comparisons:
Frank Dillane: Is Nick the new Rick? I’ll be absolutely honest with you here, I haven’t actually watched The Walking Dead so I don’t know. I’ve never even heard of the show… Maybe I will get onto it, but I’ll admit I haven’t actually got through watching this one either. It’s all very good though isn’t it? It’s all good.
Discussion Point – It’s truly amazing to think about. A portion of Walking Dead fans can barely contain themselves from reading spoilers and Dillane hasn’t even caught the original series. While acting in its companion show! It might have weighed on his casting, a fresh pure look at the show’s scripts. No prior bias. Still just think about the temptation to watch and read every nook and cranny of the series. It’s gotta be enormous, considering the major part acting in the show plays in your life.
Read the full Frank Dillane interview by Michael Potts at WhatCulture.com!
Follow me on Twitter: @nirregev
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