IronE Singleton (The Walking Dead)

IronE Singleton was born and raised in Atlanta, GA and he graduated from the University of Georgia. He has appeared alongside Sandra Bullock (The Blindside) and Nicolas Cage (Seeking Justice). Currently, he stars as T-Dog on the popular show "The Walking Dead." The second half of the show's second season starts on Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 9pm on AMC. Shakefire had a chance to talk to IronE about "The Walking Dead.

SHAKEFIRE: Good morning IronE! I'm a huge fan of the show and am happy I get to talk to you today.
IRONE SINGLETON: Good good morning brother Paul! Thank you for the kind words and I'm happy to talk to you too!

SF: Thanks a lot man! My first question for you is what was it about "The Walking Dead" that interested you to get involved?
IS: Well, the producers of the show talked to my agent and my agent presented the opportunity to me. I thought this was something new and different from the acting roles I've had before. So I decided to give it a try.

SF: What things did you do to prepare for the show?
IS: Just like all acting roles I do, I look back at my life and I bring the character I'm supposed to play to my current stage in life. This makes things easier for me to put my personal touch to the character. Also, coming from Atlanta and having a difficult life, I had an easy time feeling at home during a zombie apocalypse.

SF: Are there any similarities and differences between you and T-Dog? I mean besides the both of you having cool and unique names.
IS: Haha! You're not a fan of my name?

SF: Oh no! Don't get me wrong. IronE is a cool name, but I'm more impartial to T-Dog because my email address and nickname in high school was P-Dogg.
IS: Really?! That's cool man!  As for me and T-Dog, there aren't too many things that we have in common. There isn't anything that really anything that jumps out. Well one thing is that T-Dog and I are like every man. We both can be anything and always play it straight.

SF: How hectic is the shooting schedule for the show?
IS: The 1st season was very hectic because they would give us a script a few days before taping. However, this season was slower and a lot more evenly spaced out.

SF: If there really were a zombie apocalypse right now, what are 3 items you would always want to have with you?
IS: Let's see, You know I would always need a gun. My weapon of choice would be a glock, not a shotgun, because it would be easier to carry and wouldn't make as much noise. Then again, the "Dirty Harry" gun Rick Grimes carries would be cool to have too. Also, I would need my quiet weapon, such as a machete and a hammer, for when I have to get rid of one or two zombies.

SF: You've worked with Sandra Bullock, Nicolas Cage, and Ice Cube in your career so far. Which actor or actress has been your favorite to work with and why?
IS: Out of everybody, I would really have to say Sandra Bullock. A-listers usually get a bad rap for unknown reason, but Sandra truly is a warm spirit and has a great soul. I remember after "The Blind Side" was done shooting, she came up to me, gave me a huge hug and said she was impressed with my work and that she wanted to work with me again. I thought she was such a great person.

SF: Wow! So she really is as nice and humble in person?
IS: Yeah man! It was a pleasure to work with her.

SF: Who would you want to guest star as a zombie on the show?
IS: I would probably say one of my relatives. I have a bunch of characters in my family that would make interesting zombies.

SF: Every family has a bunch of characters in it. (Laughing)
IS: Haha! Tell me about it. Some more than others though.

SF: Are you more Team Shane or Team Rick?
IS: Team Rick for sure! I know good triumphs over evil all the time. However, I empathize with Shane and I totally get his mindset for survival. I just disapprove of his methods and actions and he needs to learn to be more diplomatic.

SF: What details can you tell us about the rest of season 2?
IS: Well, you know how you asked me if I were a part of Team Rick or Shane?

SF: Yeah.......
IS: Well, at the end of season 2, you might not be able to make that comparison.

SF: Oh no! You got to be kidding me!
IS: Not at all! Rick is going to be going through some things the rest of this season that might make him turn to the dark side. He might join Team Shane and learns there are a lot of hard choices he has to make to ensure everyone's survival.

SF: Aww man!
IS: Yeah....

SF: Do you have any projects coming up, besides The Walking Dead, that we should look out for?
IS: I heard the site you represent is based out of my hometown in ATL, but you are located in Canada.

SF: Yup! I'm in Ottawa, which is 4 hours away from Toronto.
IS: Okay! I'm actually in Toronto working on a movie with Neve Campbell called "Sworn to Silence," which was based on a book by Linda Castillo. I play an officer trying to catch a serial killer.

SF: Wow! I can't wait to check out the new movie and the rest of the second season of "The Walking Dead." Thank you so much IronE for your time and good luck!
IS: Thank you Paul and God bless man! You take care.