I have been a Walking Dead fan for years (hey, I probably could even be called a Walking Dead “snob”), but I have to admit that I have come to love Syfy’s Z Nation just as much, which, honestly, I did not even know were possible. And when I started to think about it, I came to realize that one of the main reasons this show fascinates and intrigues me is the lead character Murphy, played by the immensely talented Keith Allan. Murphy began as simply a man who survived being bitten by a zombie, thus making him extremely important in creating a vaccine. This in itself is not really anything new and it’s been done many times in other horror movies. Now with season 1 under our belts and well into season 2, we are now realizing that Murphy is so much more than that. He’s not so much immune to the zombie virus, but is undergoing a slow transformation into some weird human and zombie mix. What’s more, he has developed some very unique abilities — like being able to control the Z’s, and as we saw in last week’s episode “Batch 47,” feel the pain of the phytozombies — which make him even more valuable. While Z Nation has other things going for it like its dark sense of humor, this is actually what makes the show unique. This is what makes the show so compelling. And this is becoming one of the main reasons more people are tuning in each week.

I was fortunate enough to chat exclusively with Keith earlier this week to get the deets on what’s to come for the remainder of the season, the upcoming Pie-Girl story line, and just how crazy things are about to get. Check out what he had to say.

TV GEEK TALK: That was one heck of an episode Friday! Phytozombies — now that’s interesting! With these Z’s, we see Murphy — to his surprise — being able to feel their pain. What’s up with that? Is that yet a new ability of Murphy’s that will apply to all zombies?

Keith Allan: “Yeah, that was something that was new to me also. It’s an inconsistent thing, and it does seem to happen with some of the more mutated zombies as opposed to the regular zombies. One of the things they were going for in that episode is the phytos are all interconnected because the plants are growing through them. So, they were like one large organism, and Murphy being part of that and in the middle of it, it affected him more than he had felt before. So, that was a new surprise for him.”

TV GEEK TALK: Speaking of transformations, Murphy has gone through a great deal of changes, especially in the latter half of season 1. Thankfully since then, nothing else has fallen off. Is this type of transformation something we’ll continue to see in season 2? Any hints or teasers about that?

Keith Allan: “From what I’ve been told — and of course, this could change — Murphy is constantly in transition. He doesn’t really know where he’s going to be or if he’s going to turn. I mean, he’s doing pretty good at the moment, but at the same time, these things are starting to affect him. He’s noticing when he tries to control a larger number of zombies, it actually drains him. It takes quite a toll on him physically. So, they don’t want to settle on Murphy being 1 thing yet because he’s still evolving, actually on a show-by-show basis. It’s unknown to me so far where he eventually will land. So, yeah, he’s still evolving from episode to episode, and I only find out when I read the script. I’m like ‘Alright. Okay. Sounds good.’ [Laughs]”

TV GEEK TALK: Also, what’s up with Murphy and Cassandra? I know Cassie is drawn to Murphy because of her condition, but what about the Murph himself? At times, there seems to be this semi-sexual vibe between them but I’m not sure.

Keith Allan: “Well, he feels inherently responsible for her now. He has created her. And, I think he sees himself in her, and also how strong she is. I think he’s proud of his creation. He’s like, ‘Alright. This girl was going to die, and now, look at her. She’s a bad ass.’ And, a total bad ass. [Laughs] I think, in a sense, she’s his muse right now. He’s made this beautiful piece of art. There is some sort of attraction for him there because he looks at her and thinks, ‘Well done.'”

TV GEEK TALK: And, he likes to dress her up really nice too.

Keith Allan: “Well, absolutely. I mean, she’s a good-looking lady. Come on. [Laughs] If you got it, flaunt it!”

TV GEEK TALK:   Your make-up is quite extensive, much more than last season. Can you talk about your make-up process? How long does it take?

Keith Allan: “Because they’re going with this new shade on me, this blue color, it takes 2 hours every day with 2 people working on me for just my hands and my face. That’s every day. So, every time I’m on camera, that’s 2 hours of make-up every day and then, about another 1/2 hour to get out of it. And, if we’re doing the full body scars, that’s 5 hours. That means I’m usually there first thing in the morning. Me and Corinne Foster, who designed my make-up, we’re there first thing in the morning, and like half-asleep. [Laughs] But, yeah, that make-up I think we counted 11 different colors. So, it’s not just slapping on a shade of blue, there’s a lot of work that goes into that. I think they did a beautiful job because you’ll see as the season progresses a subtle variation in the make-up. As I start to get a little more drained like I talked about. It’s not a huge shift but it’s a subtle shift, and I think fans who are really paying attention will notice and go ‘He doesn’t look as good as he did in the 1st episode.’ [Laughs]”

“So, yeah, it’s a long, arduous process every day, and then, on top of that, they coat it with a sealer so that the make-up doesn’t come off. There’s basically someone touching me up all the time especially my hands because it comes off my hands very easily.”

TV GEEK TALK: And I suspect it’s made worse by the heat. I don’t know how hot it gets up there, but it has to be treacherous.

Keith Allan: “Yeah, you’ve got so much make-up on, then they seal it, and so, you don’t really sweat, through your face anyway. And, especially when I have full-body make-up on, it can brutal. Brutal. But, when I’m wearing the scars and everything, they know they have to get those shots first because it will just come off. It’s just so much work to do, and the detail they put in that make-up, it’s quite expensive. So, we have to get those shots done first, the ones showing the scars, before we do anything else.”

TV GEEK TALK: What about your wardrobe? The Murph has a very unique style. Now, I know you, Keith Allan, have made a fashion statement from time to time. So, how is Murphy’s wardrobe selected — do you have a say in it?

Keith Allan: “[Laughs] Ashley Russell is our new costume designer this season, and she’s done a phenomenal job with the look of the show and the look of the wardrobe. But, what she’s great about is letting me have input. So, when they decide on the general direction they want to go, we’ll talk about that, and then, she’ll bring in probably 15 different versions of what that might be. Then, we’ll just have like a fitting, and we’ll see what works, what doesn’t, what works best. Luckily, she and I usually have the same sensibility and are like, ‘This is it! This is it!’ It’s been a lot of fun because since last season, I wore dirty pants and a torn-up sweater all season long. [Laughs] So, I really didn’t get to have any fun with my wardrobe. There’s a couple of episodes coming up where there’s some amazing outfits that Murphy gets to wear.”

TV GEEK TALK: So, does he hit another thrift store or something a little more classy?

Keith Allan: “[Laughs] Actually, I will tell you that one of my new wardrobe is a gift from an admirer.”

TV GEEK TALK: One of the things they haven’t touched on — and I really thought they would — is Murphy’s backstory. For example, how Murphy ended up in prison. Is that something we might see this season?

Keith Allan: “We see a little more, but not a lot. But, I’d actually love to see that because I think it’s very interesting to learn where people come from. We do see a little bit of his life before the apocalypse, and that’s coming up later in the season.”

TV GEEK TALK: If you could do anything with your character — anything you wanted — what would you do?

Keith Allan: “Fly. I mean, how awesome would that be if Murphy could fly. [Laughs] No, if I could do anything with Murphy, I would like to get into his fantasy life. We’ve talked about this several times jokingly, but I would love for it to happen. I would love to do a musical episode where Doc and Murphy wind up eating the mushrooms or smoking Z-weed or something and they have this sort of dream sequence where they’re actually in a musical and with the zombie backup dancers. [Laughs] I would love for that to happen. Russell and I we’re like ‘Come on! Musical number, right here.’ ”

TV GEEK TALK: One of the other things I liked about Friday’s episode was the re-introduction of Pie-Girl, which I’ve really been looking forward to. Murphy? Not so much. What’s up with that? I mean, she’s a cute, blonde girl, and hey, it’s the apocalypse. It’s not like you have many choices.

Keith Allan: “Let me tell you, this girl’s a little whacky. She’s not quite right. [Laughs] I don’t know if you remember that scene in the tent, but I’m not quite sure if she’s marrying material, this one. And, she’s a bit stalkerish. I mean, my God, all the way across the country just to track me down, right? That’s a little stalkerish to me. [Laughs] Sara Coates plays that role, and she’s fun, we have a lot of fun. This next episode that’s coming up is really great, and we get to do some really fun stuff. Without giving too much away, our relationship, we take it to a new level. ”

TV GEEK TALK: That was my next question. Any teasers about this storyline? I know Karl Schaefer said Pie-Girl was going to have a multiple-episode arc, and then, of course, the zombie baby.

Keith Allan: “The leading up to the birth is pretty whacky and along the lines of the style of our show, it’s not your conventional birth. It gets crazy, and all of a sudden Murphy is thrown into sort of being a birthing coach. So, it was a lot of fun, and it’s going to be a great episode.”

That question is a great lead-in for this week’s episode as it looks like the zombie baby birth is about to happen. Check out the below preview photos and sneak peek. Of course, be sure to tune in Friday because this definitely looks like an episode you won’t want to miss.

Episode 2.05 of Z Nation is titled “Zombaby!” and airs Friday at 10/9c on Syfy.

And, if you’re interested in checking out more projects Keith is involved in, you’re in luck. Now that filming for season 2 has officially concluded, Keith is back at home in L.A. and have several gigs planned during his down-time. Actually, he’s going to first take a little time to chill and is planning a trip to Mexico with his family. But, after that, he will be continuing to work on a film that he currently is trying to get produced called “Hearts Like Fists.” If you go to Keith’s website http://keithallanactor.com and click on ‘Upcoming Projects,’ you can view a teaser that he made for the film to show to potential producers.

Besides that, Keith will also be hitting the convention circuit and attending several Comic-Cons and zombie conventions. In particular, he’ll be a guest at the big Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta at the end of this month. For more information on this con and how to get tickets, visit http://walkerstalkercon.com/atlanta/.

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