Phoenix’s Josh McDermitt lands role in AMC’s ‘Walking Dead’

PHOENIX — A Phoenix man thinks he’s found his big break in show business.

Josh McDermitt started in Phoenix radio at age 14 and later did stand-up comedy, making it to the semifinals as a contestant for NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.”

He has now joined the cast of AMC’s popular television series “The Walking Dead.” The drama is based on the comic book series of the same name. It follows a group of survivors finding their way in a post-apocalyptic world that is dominated by zombies. The show is in its fourth season, and has already been picked up for a fifth.

McDermitt talked about his role in the show during a live interview Saturday on News/Talk 92.3 KTAR’s “Arizona’s Morning News Weekend” with Becky Lynn and Bob McClay.

“‘The Walking Dead’ was my favorite show. I never even thought I would get an audition, let alone get on it. When it came around, I went nuts,” he said.

He plays Dr. Eugene Porter. The character was first seen last week, and will have a bigger role in the upcoming episode.

“We showed up in the last episode with Abraham Ford and Rosita Espinoza. We’re kind of like a trio traveling. In the comics, they’re trying to get Eugene to Washington, D.C.,” McDermitt said. “Up to this point, no one on the show knows what caused the zombie outbreak. Eugene shows up and says, ‘I not only know what caused it, but also what’s going to stop it.’

“This is going to kind of give some hope to people. Right now, they’ve just been trying to survive, not just against the zombies, but surviving from each other.”

“The Walking Dead” airs on Sunday nights on AMC. Its most recent episode garnered more than 13 million viewers, beating out the NBA All-Star Game that was broadcast the same evening.