The CW’s iZombie season two will be mixing things up with the final two episodes of the season, upping the action bar and taking a break from procedurals. Of course that’s not the only big twists that have been and will continue to be playing out as we head toward the end of the second season. Blaine is experiencing big-time side effects from the cure which has made playing him feel like a whole new character for David Anders to tackle. And in our interview at the 2016 WonderCon, Anders talked about finding out about Blaine’s transformation and what fans can expect from the big finale.
David Anders Interview:
When you first got that script that Blaine was dying, again, how did you react? Was it a welcome thing that you could play a zombie facing mortality?
David Anders: “I didn’t think I’d last two seasons on this show so, yeah, when you first read that you’re like, ‘Dude, is this it?’ because that’s how I read all the scripts. ‘Bullshit, bullshit, dog-ear. Bullshit, bullshit, dog-ear.’ I didn’t wait for it to find out in the script, I flipped ahead to see, ‘Oh, he comes back!’ But it was a real treat to play with. I had read the script right before the holidays. It was the first episode right after the holidays so I didn’t really like the idea of going away on Christmas break for two weeks and then being naked for an entire episode in the wilds of Vancouver after Christmas break. It’s like, ‘Go have yourself a carb-less Christmas.’ So, I got my dad to the gym as much as possible. I did my best. Whatever. It’s out there. [Laughing] America didn’t want it and we gave it to them anyway.”
Blaine got to interact with a lot more of the central characters this season. Is there any particular actor you really enjoyed doing a scene with?
David Anders: “I’m glad to know that the Peyton/Blaine/Robbie triangle is kind of here to stay for now because I absolutely adore working with Aly [Michalka] and working with Rahul [Kohli]. Even after Blaine gets the girl and he breaks Ravi’s heart, I’d still like for them to get together for coffee every now and then.”
Do we learn anything new about Blaine as a result of some of these side effects?
David Anders: “Yeah, man, it’s a brand new Blaine that’s coming at you these next episodes. Brace yourself. And it was fun to play – it was like playing a new guy. I wish I could tell you about it.”
What was so much fun to play about the ‘new’ Blaine?
David Anders: “This cure has affected who he is as a person, his entire being. So, kind of a brand new dude and it was absolutely fun to play. I don’t want to say too much…”
What went through your mind when you read the script for the finale?
David Anders: “I thought it was great. We kind of set a cool action-y bar last year with our finale. This falls in line with that. There’s a lot of killing, a lot of people meet their maker. A lot of people get theirs. A lot of guns, a lot of death, a lot of fun.”
Have they given you any hints at all about what’s coming up in the next season?
David Anders: “I don’t know a lot. We’ve heard little nuggets here and there. For the most part I’m in the dark. I find it exciting not knowing what’s coming ahead and being surprised when I read a script, like, ‘Oh, shit! Didn’t see that coming.'”
Do you have a good behind the scenes story with the action bar being raised? Did you get to do something especially challenging?
David Anders: “Yeah, Blaine’s being a badass in the finale. Bit of a badass so that was fun. It reminded me of most of my career to this point. I haven’t…I’ve done some killing but not a lot of cool gun play. It reminded me of my Alias days.”
Do you do your own stunts?
David Anders: “You know what? I like to give it my best effort, the old college try. I feel like I do a good job. Sometimes it’s like the stunt dude gets in there and it’s like, ‘Oh, his was so much better.’ ‘That’s what you wanted me to do? Why didn’t you tell me?’ But they like to keep us safe.”
Do you keep the platinum hair between seasons?
David Anders: “I want to shave it. I floated right into another show right after last season so we had to dye it back to my normal hair, but that came out red and I didn’t like it. So I’ll just deal with this or shave it. It’s either going to just grow out and it’ll be a surf hippie or I’m going to shave my head and hope it grows back by next season. Or deal with it, man. If he’s human again, why can’t he have a shaved head with his regular hair? It’s the third season, we can do anything.”
Watch the David Anders interview on iZombie season 2:
