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Interview: Adrian Kali Turner, Duane from Walking Dead

Let's begin Walking Dead week by hearing from one of the actors in the AMC series.

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Everyone here at the Comic Vine office is extremely excited for the premiere of The Walking Dead on AMC this Halloween night. It turns out one of the actors of the show, Adrian Kali Turner, is also a fan of our site. If you've read the series, you might remember Duane Jones and his father, Morgan Jones. They both meet the main character, Rick Grimes early on in the series. Also, you might know that Duane's character has an interesting twist later on (I strongly encourage that you do not visit his character page if you haven't already read what happens).  
 
We had the chance to talk to actor Adrian Kali Turner to get some insight into what it was like to be on the set of The Walking Dead and also to find out what other comics he's interested in. 
 
Comic Vine: Did you read The Walking Dead before landing the role of Duane? 
Adrian Kali Turner:
Yes I did. When I heard about the audition, I immediately ran to the bookstore and bought two issues of The Walking Dead comic and read them cover-to-cover. After reading the comic, I was even more interested in the role and was determined to get it. 
 
CV: Can we assume you had scenes with zombies? 
AKT:
Yes, you can assume that. I will leave it at that. I don't want to give away too much. 
 == TEASER == 
    Adrian and Lennie James as Morgan and Duane Jones
 Adrian and Lennie James as Morgan and Duane Jones
CV: What was it like being on set with everyone in zombie make-up and then seeing the finished product? Is it weird seeing the finished episode? 
AKT: I would not say that it was "weird," but it was pretty cool seeing the people before and after they were "zombified." I kinda liked it. And, I haven't actually seen the finished episode yet. So, I'll be pretty excited to see it when it comes on. 
 
CV: On Halloween Night, will you have a premiere party with friends and family or will you have a more low-key viewing? 
AKT:
It is going to be pretty low-key with me, my mom and dad. We may invite one or two friends over to watch the show with us. 
 
CV: How long have you been into comics or comic characters? 
AKT:
Oh, I have been in love with comics and comic books for a long time. When I was a little boy, I would read comic books like X-Men and Spider-Man. As I became older, I started getting the Showcase Essentials and books like Martian Manhunter, The Atom, Justice League, Batman and The Outsiders
 
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CV: Who are some of your favorites? 
AKT: My favorite super hero is Martian Manhunter. I've read all of his books and know everything about him. I like the Atom, Justice League, Batman and the Outsiders. But, out of all, Martian Manhunter is my favorite super hero. Why? Because...I have to say that he is definitely unique. And not a lot of people know about him like they know about Superman or some of the other super heroes. I kinda like those non-mainstream super heroes that not everyone knows about. 
 
CV: If you could play any comic book character, who would it be? 
AKT:
I would love to play the young Martian Manhunter in a movie someday because, as I said, he is one of my favorite super heroes. He is stronger than some of the other characters. He's faster. He has unique Martian vision that only people from the planet Mars have. Also, he is from someplace else. How cool would that be to be from another planet? 
 
CV: When did you first discover Comic Vine? 
AKT:
Well, I was on the internet one day, and I was reading some comic books, and I was like, I'd really like to know more about these comic book characters. So I did a search for comic book characters database and Comic Vine was one of the items that popped up. 
 
CV: Do you feel you're ready if a zombie outbreak were to occur in real life? 
AKT:
Yea - I definitely feel like I would be ready. I think that I would be one of the top survivors around the world. 
 
CV: What would be your weapon of choice against a zombie? 
AKT:
A motorcycle with a stick taped to the handlebar with two chainsaws on each end. I could just ride through a crowd of zombies and slice them all up and I'll be good. 
 
CV: Thanks for your time Adrian. We are all looking forward to seeing you on the show!