(police siren)
- I've been shot on the street, stabbed in prison,
been a victim of a slashing, twice actually,
dead in the morgue,
died in a supermarket from overeating.
My name is Ali Merhi.
I am an actor, and I have played a dead body
on several occasions.
The director usually tells you to hold still,
try your best to hold your breath.
It's good to slow your breathing down beforehand,
kind of like yoga or meditation.
I played a corpse in a morgue on Law and Order.
Laying down on cold metal
(laughing) while, you know, you're practically wearing nothing,
it's bone chilling to say the least.
You can take short breaths,
but they still don't want to see your chest
going up and down at a distance.
They're like, "Wait a second.”
"Are you sure that guy is dead back there?”
"He's breathing."
Whenever you end up dying on camera,
or playing dead on camera,
it brings you to another emotional state.
Normally people don't think,
"If I was shot or stabbed what would I do?"
But once you're there and you're playing it,
it's kind of a little traumatic.
You feel bad for people.
When you see real people get hurt,
you take it in a different,
you see it in a different way.
My kids watch it sometimes and they're like,
"Dad, you're dead.
"They killed you!"
I'm like, "No, I'm here with you and I'm okay."
(gentle instrumental music)