‘iZombie’ star David Anders on the secret to playing a villain

“iZombie,” the CW‘s horror-procedural-dramedy mash-up, has earned a passionate cult following around titular lead, Liv Moore (played by Rose McIver) and her band of friends’ attempts to deal with life in Seattle during and after the zombie apocalypse. Few characters have stood out as much as David Anders’ Blaine, an opportunistic schemer whose occasional turn as one of the good guys has made him impossible to completely write off. 

With the show’s fifth and final season set to premiere on May 2, Page Six spoke with Anders to discuss the joy of playing a mustache-twirling villain, how bad Blaine really is and what’s next for him.

How was it working on the final season of ‘iZombie’?

It was a blessing to be told that it was our last season after being picked up the day before. It allowed us to tell the story we wanted and wrap it up how we wanted, rather than crossing our fingers hoping for another season, which has been the case for us every other season.

The show always felt like it was on the brink of cancelation. Why do you think that was?

Yeah, for people who watched us – the four who did – they were like, ‘How is this on the bubble!’ When the script came across my desk, I was like, ‘F–k, ‘iZombie’? Give me a break.’ But two pages in I was like, ‘iZombie!,’ and ripped through the rest. It was just so funny and great. Unexpected. I think people just judge a book by its cover.

It’s easy to think of Blaine as a villain, but he’s also spent time trying to be good? Is he just misunderstood?

I think so, absolutely. That’s something I’ve been dealing with my entire career, playing these anti-heroes who walk the line. Ever since [playing Julian Sark on] ‘Alias.’ I think playing a bad guy, you can’t just play him bad. He had a terrible upbringing, his dad was a prick. There are reasons for him to be so s—y. It’s all about the Benjamins for Blaine. That really is more important than anything. Though, I think he probably would give up all the money he has to get [Aly Michalka’s character] Peyton back in his arms.

What do fans like about him?

I think it’s the charm and the wit. At Comic-Con, before season three, [co-creator Rob Thomas] was at the other end of the stage, and I said, ‘I thought I’d be dead well before the end of this season, so the rest of this is just gravy.’ And then Rob chimed in, ‘David, I didn’t think you’d be alive either.’ I guess I earned my keep.

So where do things stand for Blaine now? It seems like he has another choice between being good or bad.

Exactly, keep those mitts dirty. So when you catch up with him, there’s the whole montage about how wonderful his life. He wanted to be the kingpin of old Seattle, but maybe he’s just the kingpin of new Seattle. That’ll all go away. He gets a new apple in his eye, the lovely Paige Golightly. She plays a reporter who’s doing a piece on Blaine. He’s riding high and then he’s riding low.

What will be your biggest take away from ‘iZombie’?

I got life-long friends and family out of it. It’s not always the case. This has been a five-year honeymoon. We just consciously uncoupled. We didn’t get a divorce. And I got to be me. For this to be the closest character I’ve ever played to me, and be me out there, is a thing.

What’s next for you?

I have an album coming out. They’re using my music on the show. I’m also planning on doing a podcast after every episode. We’ll have guests on, people from the show, Rob, and stuff like that. We’ll talk about the show – it’ll be like ‘After the “Walking Dead.”’

This interview had been edited and condensed.

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