Exclusive: Keith Allan on Baby Zombies, Eating Brains, and More

Keith AllanTonight Syfy airs an all new episode of Z Nation, which was recently renewed for a third season. Keith Allan, who stars as Murphy, the only known survivor of a zombie bite, recently talked to Jamie Ruby of SciFi Vision in an exclusive interview about the series.

The actor only found out recently about the series renewal. "You never know until you know, actually, because things can look all great on paper, and it may seem like the show is going well, and then for reasons that you may not be privy to, within the network or within the production, they just can't continue. So you never know until they give you the actual news.

Keith Allan"I had a good idea that we would be, because, you know, we're doing pretty good as far as our ratings and our numbers, within demographic, and stuff like that.

"I was actually over at The Asylum; I was visiting over there. I have many friends that work over there, and that's how I found out. They were eating lunch, and David Latt, who's one of the producers of the show, he told me. So I just found out a couple days ago, just like everybody else."

This season so far has seen a shift in tone in many episodes, tilting further into the comedic side. The balance may shift back again, however, according to Allan. "I think it's going to shift back to a little more serious. I know we've got some episodes that have got a heavier tone to them.

"Also, sometimes it will depend upon the writer of the episode, because we have several different writers that write the episodes. And it also will have to do with the director and how they cut it. Sometimes the director tends to lean towards some of the comedy stuff more. But I think it will shift back towards a more serious tone; that's my sense anyway."

The actor prefers the more dramatic scenes with a hint of comedy. "For my money, I prefer it to be a little heavier drama with bits of comedy, than to go the other way. Just because I think the show itself and the situation of itself, when you're grounded in a reality, that keeps it intense and life threatening, that's, I think, when the show is at its strongest, when you're throwing in just bits of comedy here and there, when you're throwing in a little ridiculousness here, or a one liner there. I think that's the sort of sprinkle of relief that you get. So I prefer it when it leans towards the heavy emotional stuff."

Keith AllanThings have also changed this season now that Vasquez (Matt Cedeño) has entered the picture. "Well, you know, he's got this hidden agenda going on. We're not really sure what his deal is, and I think it has changed the dynamic of the group, in one, that it's made it more sort of militant with him being there, but also, I think it cranks up the level of distrust amongst the group. Because I think the rest of us, we know each other, and here comes this guy sort of out of the blue, and all of sudden he's traveling with us and barking orders. And he's great at killing zombies; he's a great security force, but at the same time, we all suspect something's up with this guy; he's got an agenda of his own. So there's a higher level of distrust amongst the group."

It isn't only Vasquez. "Then also with the episode where they try to take Lucy away from me, when they try to take my baby away from me, I think that ups the sort of level of conflict within the group also. Because I think when you try and take someone's child away, for whatever reason that may be, you're really playing with something that is sacred. So, you know, we're not as friendly with each other as we were. You see that Doc (Russell Hodgkinson) and Murphy aren't hanging out as much and just budding up. We're certainly sort of in our own corners at this point."

Allan speculated about the possibility of the baby, Lucy, showing up again. "I don't know, but my guess is, they planted that seed so they can go back to her, and my guess is that that baby's going to age really quickly (laughs). I'll bet you next time we see it, it's a twelve year old baby. I don't know for sure, but that would be my guess. I mean, she is of Murphy's blood. She's a new strain also. So yeah, I'm guessing we're going to see Lucy again."

Until then, Murphy continues his journey to the CDC with the group, and although it's often on his own terms, he may be stalling. "I don't think Murphy thinks there's a happy ending at the end of this trail. I think he realizes that he doesn't trust really anyone at this point, the government especially. After seeing what went down in Colorado, and how he ran into Dr. Kurian (Donald Corren), who is a crazy insane doctor, he realizes that he's dealing with a bunch of madmen who probably created the virus in the first place.

Keith Allan"So I think he's biding his time. I don't think he thinks that this is going to go well and that he's going to be safe in the end. I think the reality is that it's kind of the best option that he has at this point. I think he's holding his cards close to his chest."

It's not just the government and doctors that are after Murphy. Recently, in the episode, "The Collector," Murphy was captured by a crazy man (Tom Beyer), who forced him to eat a brain. Allan revealed what brains taste like. "They are disgusting (laughs). They were these chunks of like pink gelatin that they had made they were like cubes of gelatin that they cut up. So it was like eating rubber; it was like eating the soul of a shoe, quite frankly. It wasn't great."

Eating the brains obviously had an effect on Murphy, and he believes we will see more of that in the future. "I think they're certainly hinting that the brains did something. They certainly affected him in a way that he didn't expect. It sort of triggered something in Murphy that he certainly wasn't expecting.

"So I imagine we'll see some more of that coming down the road, that Murphy and his brain eating ability will probably come into play, because, you know, the way we played it, was that when Murphy takes that first bite, it triggers an animal instinct in him. So I think we'll certainly see where that goes."

The episode also featured a undead cameo by George R.R. Martin. The actor joked about the celebrity zombie he would like to see. "Just for my own ridiculous reasons, I'd love to have a Kardashian on there; I don't care which one (laughs). You know, I'm like, 'Bring 'em on; I'll put a glass of champagne on her ass.' "

The episode also showcased a few of the types of Zs viewers have seen this season, which fans have been loving. Allan has thought about what kind he would like to see in the future. "They're really doing a great job of tweaking these zombies and making up these new breeds of zombies. I know we will see more coming up, because the audience is really digging that aspect of the show. They're like, 'What kind of zombie are we going to get this week?'

"So I think it could be cool, if I had a choice, I would love to see some that are sort of like part monkey (laughs), so that they have the ability to climb and swing and all that stuff. That would I think raise the real threat level - good climbers. You know, that's a zombie that you don't really want to get around, because then you're screwed (laughs)."

Keith AllanTonight's episode, "We Were Nowhere Near the Grand Canyon," is about an Indian tribe and a "zunami." "One thing I think that's interesting, is we come across an Indian tribe. They were on a reservation, and they basically have regrouped as a people and really are trying to survive as a community, which I thought was something that was interesting. We sort of see this, you know, group of people who are already sort of in - I want to say disassociated, but they're sort of in their own world on the reservation.

"And one of the things that part of the tribe does, which I thought was interesting also, was they're kind of going back more to their roots, as a sort of spiritual and warrior people. And they're looking at this apocalypse as another disease that is brought on by the white man, just like many of the diseases that Native Americans encounter. So I thought that was an interesting take on this whole episode and the perspective on it."

The only thing the actor, however, could say about the actual zunami, was that they have a large horde coming towards them.

Next week's episode has Murphy's group meet a new group of people in a hotel, and it turns into a sort of murder mystery like Clue. "That episode we actually were encountering another group of people that are holed up in a hotel, and so they are sort of shutting off themselves from the rest of the world and have been surviving within their own little group.

"And then we come in, and there's a murder and no one knows who did it, so it is a little bit of a whodunnit while we are trying to survive the zombies. You know, everyone's finger pointing."

Anthony Michael Hall guest stars in the episode. "Anthony Michael Hall is a corporate strategy motivator. So he's like a Tony Robbins sort of character - one of those guys who it's all about working together as a team. And so there's a lot of that sort of corporate speak."

Keith Allan"So he's got this group of people that he's been working with for some time, and, you know, they all listen to him; he's become sort of like their guru."

The actor also talked about another guest star coming up, Gina Gershon. "I don't know how much I can say about that, but she's part of the Zeros, I can tell you that. She's one of the Zeros, and we see her actually in a couple of the episodes. She's great. She plays a kind of, I wouldn't say she's insane, but she's a powerful woman, who's kind of, I would say, a little crazy with power."

In SciFi Vision's previous interview with Allan, he had talked about pre-apocalyptic scenes, and was now able to tell a bit more. "We're still a few episodes away from it...but really what the episode is, is it just shows what our lives were like before the zombie apocalypse, so it sort of shows us in our daily routine, as to what life was like before we had to become like survivors and badass killers and all that stuff. So, you know, it's sort of like watching everyone's slice of life and then what happens when its over run by zombies."

Be sure to tune-in to Syfy tonight for an all-new episode of Z Nation.

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