It’s Steve Coulter, actor, writer, all round cool guy!
Who is Steve Coulter? Fans of The Walking Dead will know him as Reg Monroe in hit tv show The Walking Dead. There’s also much more to Steve but I’m not going to insert a spoiler here, you’ll have to read on to find out about him, where he’s come from and what he’s got lined up for the coming months.
Steve is another one of my verified followers who agreed to do an interview on the site. Before I sent the interview we got chatting and he seems like an awesome and talented guy. I am truly blessed to have such amazing and cool followers like Steve.
So let’s find out a little more him!
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1) How did you get into acting?
I was extremely shy growing up, and especially in school. I was terrified of even reading out loud in class. In 8th grade, we were assigned to write a report about Hungary, and instead of writing the report, two friends and I presented a scene that we wrote, pretending to be members of an underground resistance movement in Hungary. We had candles, toy guns, and that way we talked about the history, geography, and history of Hungary. It went over really well, and I think it sparked something in me.
I also say a school production of “Our Town”, and I was totally captivated by it and thought, “I want to do THAT.” So started doing plays in junior high and high school. I was still shy, but somehow, playing someone else was easy and a great escape. I ended up going to an acting conservatory program for college at the North Carolina School of the Arts and figured out how to make a living at this thing.
2) You were in The Walking Dead as Reg Monroe, what was it like being on such a cult show and do you have any interesting stories from your time there?
I had been a huge fan of the The Walking Dead from the first episode, so I was very excited to be on the show. I’d auditioned for the show twice before, my first audition was for the role of Hershel (and I think Scott Wilson did a MUCH better job than I ever could have done). Hadn’t realized it was going to be a recurring role, and had no idea what would eventually happen to Reg.
It was funny how I learned that Reg wasn’t going to make it out of season 5 alive. I’d gotten a message that Scott Gimple (the showrunner) wanted to meet with me. I think I was shooting my second episode at the time. I naively thought that he just wanted to chat about the character. We played phone tag for a day or so, then I got another message saying “Scott wants to talk to you about what’s coming up in the finale episode.” My immediate thought was, “Awww…I’m gonna die.” We finally talked on a Saturday, and Scott was extremely apologetic. Literally apologizing around a dozen times, but he said “It’s gonna be really cool, though…you die in the final scene of the final episode!”. I was disappointed and excited at the same time. I would’ve loved to continue on the show, but I got to go out with quite a bang.
RIP Reg *sniff sniff*
3) You also starred as Elijah Bowman in the TV series Banshee, how would you describe your character and the show to someone who has not seen it before?
Banshee takes place in the Amish country of Pennsylvania, and Elijah is a leader in that community. He is the father of Rebecca, who he has cast out of the Amish world because of her “worldly” activities. The Amish lead a very stoic life – no electricity, cars, phones, etc. And he has a pretty nifty Amish beard, which took about an hour and a half to apply in the makeup trailer every day.
That is a DAMN cool beard
4) If you could be in one existing film, what film and character would you choose and why?
Great question. I think Jason Bourne, in any of the Bourne movies. Because he gets to do a bunch of really cool stuff. Appeals to that 11 year-old in me. Either that, or any Western.
5) I see that you are also a writer, are you working on any projects currently you can share with us?
I wrote a pilot script for a series we’re developing, called “The Land”. It’s the story of a farm family, and if I had to compare it to something, I’d might say it’s a 21st century version of “The Waltons”. Or Downton Abby for the U.S.
6) Can we expect to see you at any conventions in the US or UK in the coming months?
I’ll be at the New York/New Jersey Walker Stalker Convention the first week of December. Possibly in London in 2016, but I think I’m shooting a film at the time, so iffy as to whether I could go.
7) What can we expect to see from you in the remaining months of 2015 and into 2016?
I appear opposite Bruce Willis in the film, “Extraction”, which opens this December. I play his boss at the CIA, and my character drops a LOT of f-bombs. I just finished shooting “The Conjuring 2” out in LA, and that’s coming out later in 2016. Next year you can also see me in “The Wizard of Lies” with Robert DeNiro on HBO, with Jamie Foxx in “Sleepless Night”, “The Founder” with Michael Keaton, and “Mena”, with Tom Cruise”.
8) Tell our readers one fun fact about yourself that they may not already know?
Hmm, let me think…I’m a cartoonist. Almost did that instead of becoming an actor. And I wanted to be a professional baseball player when I was growing up. However, it turns out you have to be a good baseball player to do that.
9) Finally what advice would you have for an upcoming actress or actor?
Know that it is a long-distance race, not a sprint. Take classes, work on things you have control over, since so much is out of your control in this business. Like in any other profession or in sports, preparation is SO important…work harder than anyone else, but keep a sense of humor and don’t take yourself too seriously. And be nice to everyone on your way up.