Rose McIver Interview – ‘iZombie,’ Eating Brains, and Her Zombie Makeup

Rose McIver Interview - iZombie and Eating Brains
Rose McIver stars in ‘iZombie’ (Photo © 2015 The CW)

Rose McIver tackles the lead role of Liv Moore, a zombie whose work in a coroner’s office allows her access to brains, in The CW’s new hit series iZombie airing on Tuesday nights at 9pm ET/PT. At the 2015 WonderCon in Anaheim to chat about the series, McIver promised there are plenty of surprises packed in season one, most of which she had no idea were coming until she read the scripts. She’s nosy and wanted to know everything about the upcoming episodes, but like the audience, McIver was kept in the dark, which she admitted was probably for the best.

When I asked McIver what she thinks of Liv’s physical appearance, she said she really likes it. “Do you know I’m alarmed…at the start, I was like, ‘This is cool. I get to play like a gritty character. It’s not glamorous.’ So many people have come back to me on Twitter like, ‘You look way better as a zombie.’ Like, ‘Wow, that’s a real life-questioner.’ But I think it’s fun. It’s really different. I think it’s striking. It’s nice for a young female audience to see that not every girl on television has to look a certain way. You kind of take whatever it is that you are and have and work with that, and make that the most beautiful version of you.”

As for those brains Liv survives on and that help her solve murders along with Detective Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin), they’re made out of gelatin and definitely not that delicious. “They’re like coconut agar. It’s pretty disgusting,” said McIver. “It isn’t real brains but it’s not something I would ever choose to eat. I’m never having jelly ever again outside of work. We also have a spit bucket that I keep very close at hand.”

McIver believes it’s very liberating to play this sort of zombie that’s unlike anything we’ve seen on television before. “There’s not really perimenters to work within. We sort of just did our own thing. I think it’s really helpful that Diane and Rob did have a really strong voice and a strong sense of the tone that they wanted for the show. I felt very guided. I think I didn’t know how much freedom and creativity I had, which is probably lucky. It just sort of unfolded the way it did. We had fun with making sure that she was still accessible and very human. That was my focus was, ‘Yeah, she happens to be a zombie but she’s also still trying to interact with people and her loved ones and go about her job, and learn about zombies through pop culture. You know, she’s watching movies to try to research. I think keeping her a very accessible human was my most strong focus.”

– More iZombie interviews: Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright / Robert Buckley / Malcolm Goodwin / David Anders

Watch the full interview with Rose McIver for more about season one, her co-stars, and the source material: