'The Walking Dead' actor never saw the show before he was hired as a major character
Austin Amelio may play the seemingly cool, cocky, and confident savior Dwight on "The Walking Dead," but his first days on set during season six were a bit nerve-racking.
"One of my first scenes was with Norman [Reedus]," Amelio told INSIDER back in March after he joined the show. "I wanted to throw up. I was so nervous. He made it so, so easygoing and was just open and welcoming."
His first entry onto the series was during season six, episode six when he ended up leaving Daryl stranded without any weapons and a ride out in the woods. Since then, he's become more of an antagonist on the show, kidnapping Daryl, Michonne, and Rosita. Now, he's torturing Daryl at Negan's compound, feeding him dog food sandwiches to try and break him into becoming a Savior.
"The Walking Dead" wasn't just Amelio's first big television role - it was his first TV role period. Before he was cast as Dwight on the AMC series, Amelio says he had never watched the hit show because he didn't own a television. He didn't even realize who he was cast as or how large the role may be.
"To me, it was just another audition in my life. Kind of hanging on," said Amelio. "That's kind of how it is when [you're in] pilot season. Auditioning every day, but yeah I really had no idea about the show or Dwight or who I got cast as. I thought I was just going to go down there and shoot an episode and that was going to be it."
Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Samsung
It wasn't until Amelio later got on the phone with showrunner Scott Gimple that he learned about Dwight and that his role may be bigger than expected.
"He filled me in with who this guy was and where he came from and how he was a comic book character and that he's a huge part of the comics and I was like, really surprised to be honest. I was like, 'Oh my god. I had no idea it was that big.' You know? At all."
Gene Page/AMC"When I first got cast it was like some distant TV show off in some other world. I don't have a TV or anything so I never watched any of 'The Walking Dead,'" - Austin Amelio on getting cast as Dwight.
Right before landing the role of Dwight, Amelio had just moved out to Los Angeles with his wife and son two weeks prior from Texas. He had just wrapped up a role in Richard Linklater's "Everybody Wants Some!" Amelio recalled how his wife asked him what would happen if he would get cast and if they may have to move again.
"I was like, 'That's not gonna happen.' I was like … it's LA. It's gonna take a while," said Amelio. "And then literally, two weeks later, I got cast as Dwight in 'The Walking Dead' so it was really funny."
Amelio said he had no time to read the comics after he was cast. He had a week to prep for Dwight's character so he got on the phone with Gimple to learn everything there was to at the time about Dwight.
One of the things that quickly became part of Dwight's character was a giant burn scar down the entire left side of his face. The fake scar takes about an hour to create each time.
"It kind of changes your physicality and your persona a little bit. That's what the scar does for me," said Amelio. The first time he saw it, it was a shock. "I was blown away. We had actually tested for three different styles of burn prosthetics. You know, it was freshly burned, not completely healed but not completely burned, and that's the one that we went with. It felt like part of my face."
"The Walking Dead" is known for having a close-knit cast and Amelio said that was obvious from the first time he was on set.
"For a newcomer to come in and feel the immediacy of that closeness was so welcoming and kind of just made you feel a little more comfortable," said Amelio. Though he was nervous doing his first scenes with Reedus, it didn't take long for him to feel like part of the family.
"Norman's one of the most giving actors. He's right there with you in it the entire time," he added Amelio. "You feel the comradery and that sort of group consciousness and everyone wanting to do a good job. It's a good feeling for an artist. I feel a little more comfortable now."
Hopefully, after a few more episodes on the show now with Reedus, Morgan, and Andrew Lincoln, Amelio feels a lot more comfortable and a bigger part of "The Walking Dead" family. He should be on the show for some time.