Spoiler alert: Do not read until you’ve watched the season seven premiere of “The Walking Dead.”
In the long awaited and top secret seventh season premiere of “The Walking Dead” on AMC that aired Sunday night, fans lost not one, but two beloved characters to what some called “over the top” deaths carried out by new villain, Negan. The show’s plot lines are kept so secret that “The Walking Dead” zombie actor Tim Proctor could not, and would not, comment about certain aspects of the popular television show Saturday when he made a Sedalia appearance.
Proctor, a seasoned “walker,” greeted Sedalians from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday in a “Meet the Dead” event at End Zone Bar & Grill. The long-locked Proctor made appearances on the show in season five and six and was also, supposedly, in Sunday night’s seventh season opener that started off with a crack of a bat.
All Proctor could confirm about the first episode on Saturday was “yes,” eenie meenie miney mo, someone died thanks to Negan and Lucille. Now everyone knows it’s goodbye Abraham, and goodbye Glenn, and, as Negan said, “Well look at that, dawn is breaking, it’s a brand new day, Rick.”
Producers are telling fans this year is a reset for the characters and the show.
Proctor, formerly of Marshall, was invited back to Missouri by Ron Garrison and Rachel Fletcher, of Sedalia. They own Just Get in Photo Booth and they often book events at End Zone and other local places.
Garrison, who is a fan of the show, said Saturday afternoon they were lucky Proctor was able to visit Sedalia on season premiere weekend.
“That was exciting,” he added.
Garrison said he thought Proctor might be in three to eight scenes in Sunday’s premiere.
When Proctor was asked Saturday night if he was in the episode, he said “possibly, possibly, I can’t say anything yet.”
“He has long hair, so he’s pretty distinctive to find in the pictures,” Garrison noted.
During Sunday’s episode, it was difficult to pick Proctor out in the herd of walkers surrounding an RV containing show hero Rick and Negan. There were many walkers coming in and out of smoke and fog, but from 11 minutes into the show to 35 minutes there were several long-haired walkers disposed of by either Rick or Negan.
Garrison and Fletcher noted that Proctor attended “zombie school” to help portray a walker on the series.
“Zombie school, they do it usually every season,” Proctor said Saturday evening. “It’s more like an audition. We just kind of go in there and do our performances and hopefully we do a good job. (Director) Greg Nicotero is usually there and we just give it all we’ve got, and hope, and keep our fingers crossed that they’ll use us.”
Proctor was asked from a zombie viewpoint, what it’s like to be a walker on the set. He stated that he slips into the walker persona or mentality.
“I just try to put myself in the mindset that I’m hungry, and it’s food,” he noted. “That’s my motivation, I’m hungry. I try not to look at them as people, I try to look at them as food. That’s just what I do personally to get into character.
“You know, you put on the makeup and you put on the wardrobe, and you instantly feel like you are in that world,” he added. “So, it’s easy to transform into that character.”
Proctor said the “The Walking Dead” living actors seem to be actually frightened of him and the other walkers, but that could be because they are so good at their roles.
“I don’t know if they are really afraid, but if they’re not they are really good actors,” Proctor said. “They are all really brilliant.”
Saturday’s “Meet the Dead” event was free and also included a zombie trivia game and items for purchase made by Proctor, who is also an artist and illustrator. Proctor brought T-shirts, original art prints and autographed photos of himself as a zombie.
“That’s my full-time job, an illustrator,” he said. “I went to the Memphis College of Art and got degree in illustration. I do a lot of sketch cards for like Topps trading cards, Cryptozoic (Entertainment). Some of the properties will include ‘Star Wars,’ ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ and things like ‘My Little Pony,’ a lot of different properties.
“I also do some limited edition prints for Lucasfilm as well as Disney,” he added. “Then, I do a lot of private commissions as well. That’s my greatest passion, but I do the show too because I love the show, and I wanted to be a part of it. So, I just pursued that as well.”
Proctor will be in a horror movie in the near future.
“We’re going to start shooting a movie this summer in Florida,” he said. “It’s called ‘Crowley’s Tomb.’ I think I’m going to be playing six to eight different monster characters in that film. So, that’s going to be interesting.”
Jennifer Edwards, owner of End Zone, was pleased to have Proctor stop by Saturday.
“I’ve never ever really watched it, but oh my gosh, I tell people about it and they get so excited about it,” she said. “Apparently it’s a pretty big deal.”
Before leaving Sedalia, Proctor made an appearance Sunday at the Sedalia Moose Lodge, then traveled to Home Plate Grill & Chill in Moberly for a premiere party of “The Walking Dead” that evening.
Garrison said he plans to have Proctor back in Sedalia for the half-season premiere of “The Walking Dead” sometime in February 2017.
For more information on Tim Proctor, visit www.timproctorart.com or www.facebook.com/tk333.
