Interview with the Zombie: Matthew Blazi

In George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead, our very own Matthew Blazi (aka Monrozombie) shuffled and groaned his way to stardom. Now, in Romero’s latest film, Survival of the Dead, Matt has returned once again to chew the gray matter of fine, upstanding citizens so that the zombie apocalypse may proceed as scheduled.

Matt was kind enough to sit down with us for a chat. We lost a few fingers and an intern, but it was worth it.

Hi. You’re our first celebrity interview. Are you honored to meet us?

MB: Well thank you, it really is a privilege and an honor to be asked to come and chat with you guys. I am very honored to meet you all. But I hear you have someone who posts videos on your website from time to time, I don’t have to watch them do I?

Of course not. So, how did you first come to work with horror auteur George A. Romero?

MB: I have been blessed to have become good friends with those who have worked with George, as well as currently work with him. I owe a lot to Ken Foree who was the first person to really let me into that circle and give me access to many of the people George has worked with. This led me to meeting and befriending Greg Nicotero of KNB EFX Group. Greg wanted to get as many of his friends up to Toronto for Land of the Dead, but was limited due to Canadian extras acting laws. But he contacted a friend of mine and said for us to come up and spend the night on set. We weren’t sure at first whether or not we’d get on set as zombies, but just being there was enough. This latest time around, two very close friends of mine who live in Canada and talk to George semi-regularly were going to visit George on set and asked if I could come along. It wasn’t until the night before leaving for Toronto that we found out we’d be getting makeup on.

You had a brief role in Land of the Dead (Romero’s fourth film in his zombie saga). Was donning the gruesome makeup for the first time a dream come true?

MB: Almost five years later I still can’t find the words to describe that experience.

How long does the makeup process usually take?

MB: For Land of the Dead it took about 90 minutes to apply the appliances and do make up and hair. For Survival of the Dead, due to the lower budget and smaller overall production, all three nights totaled about 90 minutes give or take. The process is very intensive and the people that do these make up jobs are top notch and deserve more credit then they get.

Do you get to wear it home, scare the neighbors?

MB: For Land of the Dead I had to get it taken off, as I was wearing appliances and for me to take it off would have been a longer and more painful process. For Survival of the Dead, I wore my makeup back to my hotel every morning. There’s nothing like trying to get into your hotel at 6:30am and not being allowed entry because you look like a car accident victim. I had to show the attendants, all three nights, my room key so they would let me in the building.

Are you more or less, um, disgusting this time around in Survival of the Dead?

MB: I had quite a bloody makeup job for the second night of filming. After viewing the film, you do see this makeup more except for my climatic demise.

We hope it was a peaceful demise. You’ve got some major coverage in Survival of the Dead—you even ended up on the film’s theatrical poster. Are you planning to make this a career in the flesh-eating industry?

MB: I really would like to, but I’m not going to quit my day job as of yet. Being that I’m 28, I first saw Dawn of the Dead around age 3 (yes, age 3) and for 20 years that was all I wanted to do. I got that opportunity in 2004 and up to last year it was something I thought about everyday. Now, almost a year later, I still can’t stop thinking about it and would love to do it every day if I could.

He’s the one on the far right . . . the dead one.

Now that you’re a movie star, what about the film industry surprised you the most?

MB: How accessible a lot of the cast and crew are on set during the nights they are shooting. I’ve also gotten to know a lot of people involved with behind-the-scenes stuff, and there is a lot that goes into a film after the cameras stop rolling. It seems that filming is actually the easiest portion of the film itself. After all the post production is done, there is the job of getting a distributor for the film, which is where we currently sit with Survival of the Dead.

Describe the differences between Romero the man and Romero the director.

MB: Absolutely nothing. The Romero you see in an interview or at a convention table is a lot of the same man you see sitting in the director’s chair. He’s very focused and laid back on set. George is a very laid back, soft spoken man. To this day he still wonders why people love and continually watch his films as much as they do. On set, he’s focused, but you don’t see much emotion out of him.

Is Survival of the Dead the last film in Romero’s saga or can we expect more adventures of the undead?

MB: Well I’m sure if George has his way he’d take a break from zombies for a while. He’s always wanted to do a comedy, but as of right now, the big thing for him is and always has been zombies. I’m sure if can keep coming up with new ideas and ways to kill zombies, he’ll keep making ‘em.

As a zombie connoisseur, what are your all-time top zombie films?

MB: Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Survival of the Dead, Zombi 2, Shaun of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead 1 & 2. Yes there are a ton of Romero films there, but I have to say, the man basically created the genre and has a knack for doing it right.

[At this point in the interview, Matt’s brain lust finally got the better of him (he didn’t seem keen on the craft service bagels) and he promptly devoured a hapless intern. But, being the professionals we are, we saw no reason to cut the interview short.]

So . . . how long have you been dead? I wasn’t going to say anything, but you kind of smell like old salmon.

Zombie Matt: A few weeks, I think. Well, I did go down to the docks for lunch that day…

Are you one of those fast zombies or are you more of a shambling man?

Zombie Matt: Ask me this question again and I’ll shamble right over and bite your face off.

Fair enough. Do you believe in Sasquatch?

Zombie Matt: He’s an asshole

As a “performer” in Romero’s films, you have to get used to a lot of Hollywood lingo. Does the term “head shot” send a chill down your lifeless spine?

Zombie Matt: Only when they look at me when saying it.

If someone you’re chasing falls on the ground . . . is there a five second rule?

Zombie Matt: Does it matter?

As an insider, could you give us living folks a clue on when the Zombie Apocalypse might occur? 2012?

Zombie Matt: We have a meeting about this next Tuesday, we’re on the agenda, so once we know, you’ll know.

We appreciate that. So, would hiding in a Wal-Mart be the right choice?

Zombie Matt: There is no right choice when zombies are involved, remember what happened to those idiots who hid in a mall?

If you could turn anyone into a zombie, who would it be?

Zombie Matt: As of today, Kanye West

How would you like to die your second time around?

Zombie Matt: A military grade assault rifle fired at point blank range to the head.

What are your thoughts on necrophilia given your current circumstances?

Zombie Matt: Dead girls don’t say no. Also necrophilia means never having to say you’re sorry.

Without thinking about it: what’s your favorite dish?

Zombie Matt: Liver covered in spleen sauce, eyeball pâté and a nice slice of rump roast.

Read Matt’s full review of Survival of the Dead over at DreadCentral.com!