Merle Dixon. He’s the character Walking Dead fans love to hate, but the man who plays him, Michael Rooker, insists that Merle is simply misunderstood. According to Rooker, Merle is a positively delightful individual who did nothing wrong on that roof before he was handcuffed and left to die back in season 1. Who knows? Maybe he’s right, because when I went on set for an upcoming season 3 scene, the residents of Woodbury could not stop chanting his name — “Merley! Merely! Merely!” — over and over.
On this week’s InsideTV Podcast, Rooker explains what makes Merle so gosh darn swell. He also offers his theory as to where Merle has been all this time (“I tell people I’ve been done to the Bahamas. I learned how to make mixed drinks, partied a bit, and then decided to come back north.”), his thoughts on appendages (including a spatula) that can be added to the contraption where his right hand used to be, and what might happen when Merle and brother Daryl are finally reunited. Does the conversation go off the rails a few times? DAMN STRAIGHT! What else would you expect from our main man! Ladies and gentlemen, feast your ears on the world according to Michael Rooker! Click on the audio player below if you handle the truth he’s throwing down. (The Michael Rooker Walking Dead chat starts at 21:45.) READ FULL STORY »


















