The Walking Dead’s Sarah Wayne Callies reveals her fear of horror movies, political connections and trapeze-flying past! As well as battling with the living dead, Lori, your character in The Walking Dead (Fridays, FX), is also dealing with a personal drama, isn’t she? “Until episode three my character Lori, who is married to sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), thought Rick was dead. So when he comes back, they have a lot to deal with.” Is it true that you’d never seen a horror film before doing this? “I’ve still never seen a one! I rented Zombieland thinking that if there was a way into the zombie genre, it would be through a comedy. I made it to 17 minutes. I was shaking from head to toe. I really don’t like being scared.” Did you struggle with filming some of the scenes in The Walking Dead then? “I still get nightmares about once a week and we finished shooting back in August. It’s ruined me. I may be on medication if there’s a second series.” You previously starred as Sara Tancredi in Prison Break. Have you had much attention from fans? “Oh, yes. A little boy from Italy once wrote me a letter asking me to adopt him. I didn’t know what to do! I was utterly undone by it. I think I sent him a signed toy hedgehog.” Who’s the better kisser: Andrew Lincoln or Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller? “Oh, God! That’s a question I’ll never answer. Never!” You have a strong connection to the UK, don’t you? “Half my family’s English. In fact, my uncle was in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet for a while. His name was John Moore; I think he was the Treasury Secretary. I also did my pre-school at the Barbican Centre in London and lived in Wales for a year when I was eight.” Are you a fan of British TV? “Yes, Prime Minister was fantastic, but The Choir is my current obsession. I want Gareth Malone to get the world singing!” Do you have any quirky hobbies? “Low-flying trapeze. They have these travelling rings on the beach in Santa Monica. You discover weird muscles that you haven’t used before.” What else are you working on? “I’ve just sold my first screenplay. It’s called Elena’s Serenade and it involves a talking donkey and a big glass bird. We need more money and a director, so it may never see the light of day. But I’ll be working very hard on it for the next few months.”
