SQUAWKING DEAD: [Episode 210] Shootin' the $#!t with JOSH MIKEL ("Jared"

↑↑↑Click the above graphic↑↑↑
to listen to this episode
in your favorite Podcasts App

The timing of this #interview couldn't be better: As #TheWalkingDead comes to a close, what better time to resurrect the long dead #ShittyJared, himself, #JoshMikel? I say that because not only do we talk about his time on the show and life after #TWD, but some of the incredible things he has in store for all of you!

Receive EARLY ACCESS to our Unedited Interview Recordings as soon as we're done with them by either buying us a coffee for 30 days of supporter-backed content or joining a membership tier for as little as $1 /month! Whether you support us or not, following us on either Patreon or Ko-fi and joining us during our recording sessions (in the real-time chat) costs nothing: it's the only way to get a hold of our recording schedule - we don't share our session links, publicly, on social media.

Tap the image above to watch on Ko-fi or tap here for Patreon!

Josh Mikel:
David Cameo:
Rachael Burt:
Sherrandy Swift:

When asked what he misses most about working on The Walking Dead, Josh Mikel says the consistent work. He also misses working on a show that is so loved by many.
He made lots of friends on set, working on a show he still holds close to his heart to this very day.
Gives kudos to the crew of The Walking Dead for their hard work.
His first day on set was awesome: even the audition process leading up to it was fun!
He started auditioning during Season 3 and it was around his 15th or 16th audition when he was finally cast.
It was also the following cast-members' first day on set: Khary Payton (King Ezekiel Sutton), Cooper Andrews (Jerry), Kerry Cahill (Dianne), Karl Makinen (Richard), Jayson Warner Smith (Gavin), and many more.
He assumed his death scene would be his last appearance on the show, but was brought back for Morgan Jones' hallucination in the finale for Season 8.
Being killed off by Morgan was rad. Sherrandy asks Josh: had Morgan not killed Jared, who would he have liked to have been taken out by?
Rachael asked whether there was potential for Jared to join the good guys had he survived. He had asked Executive Producer (at the time) Scott Gimple, but...
Sherrandy asks about the craziest names he's been called.
It wasn't difficult to portray Jared: Josh conceived the character as a somewhat of a shitty older brother.
Josh suggests there could have been a familial connection between Jared and Negan Smith, since he was able to get away with breaking so many rules.
As far as watching The Walking Dead, he's only made it to Season 9, but finds the idea of Negan redeeming himself a little hard to swallow; however, the luxury of a Negan-redemption-arc is getting to see more of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's on-screen portrayal.
Sherrandy asks whether Jared would have joined Negan in the upcoming spin-off, The Walking Dead: Dead City, had his character survived.
Josh paints Jared's pre-apocalypse backstory: a trust-fund kid who never had to really struggle.
His favorite characters are Morgan, Daryl Dixon, and Phillip "The Governor" Blake.
Josh was thrilled when Dave told him that Jerry & Ezekiel made it to the end of the series and hopes Khary shows up on a future spin-off.
The pandemic changed many things for Josh: he took a break from acting for roughly 9 months, but The Walking Dead was a major resume-boost, since many casting directors still watch it.
Josh believes that actors tend to fall out of touch with every-day people when they focus too much on acting and are in the acting/actor bubble. Many choose to take the craft for granted and put their career on cruise-control, refusing to challenge themselves.
Actors posting about their auditions is like posting that you bought a lottery ticket: there's toxicity in the acting community. Search the hashtags #onset and #bookedandblessed to find the worst of them.
Forming a rock band (and performing at The Camp) was a byproduct of COVID-19, but he had to drop out due to his hectic acting schedule.
@fanart_lindy: what's Josh's favorite car?
He enjoyed fulfilling requests on Cameo.com, but sort of gave up on it when he decided to refurbish his new home.
The Walking Dead helped him pay off his college loans.
Josh never swiped any props from set other than a few shell-casings; however, Andrew Lincoln got everyone a hand axe as a wrap gift at the end of Season 8. When asked what he would've taken if he could…?
One of his bandmates made and still has one of the original Lucille bats that was used in the Season 6 finale. His advice to take it to a convention and charge $10 for pictures with it have fallen on deaf ears.
The way The Walking Dead set itself apart from other projects is that it gave Josh the opportunity to maintain a recurring role for the first time. Up until that point, his roles have been one-offs.
Mikel really gravitates to comedic roles: hearing Danny McBride laugh as a result of something he did on the set of The Righteous Gemstones was incredibly rewarding.
He would love to be involved in anything that involves The Coen Brothers or, barring that, act in a western.
Josh wants you to check him out in: