- Hi I'm Norman Reedus and I'm doing
the WIRED Autocomplete Interview.
[soft music]
This should just be Kendall and Reedus, get it?
How was Norman Reedus, discovered?
That's and interesting story.
I was working at a motorcycle shop in Venice California.
I had followed a girl that I had met in Tokyo,
who lived in New York and she asked me
to move to Los Angeles and at that time,
I was actually in Spain and I was living
in this tiny little thing and doing these
little paintings and she said what are you doing?
I said I'm doing this.
Wanna come to L.A.?
I got a job at a motorcycle place in Venice California.
Got into a fight with the guy who owned it.
Ended up that night going to a party
up in the Hollywood Hills, drinking way too much.
I started yelling at a crowd of people
and then someone asked me to be in a play
and they told me you'd be the understudy,
you wouldn't even have to do anything
and we'll pay you these many dollars a day
and you just have to show up
but you don't actually have to go on stage and do it.
So I was like, game on.
And the first day the dude didn't show up
and I had to do it.
I was very lucky there was a lady named Laura Kennedy
who was in the audience, liked me.
Started, I think it was called side pocketing,
or hit pocketing or something like that
and that's when they don't sign you
but they have faith that you might do something someday
and I did some things.
The name of the play was called Maps for Drowner's.
It was at the Tiffany Theater on Sunset,
which is no longer there.
- [Man] Who did you play?
- He had some stupid name like Tal or Tad
or something like that.
And he was like a surfer boy who's from [beeping]
Oklahoma who came out to California
who was supposed to be a [beeping] thing
and he got wrapped up.
And the play was about, an apartment in New York
that rented the apartment to like five different
groups of people and so they all showed up
to get the keys and there was all these people in the house.
Everyone started bitching but then they found out
that the reason why the guy had rented to all these people
was because he had aids and he had to pay
for his doctor bill and so they all sort of
started to get along after that.
All right, the next one.
How to get Norman Reedus Hair?
Oh that's easy you just don't cut it.
I'm on a TV show that doesn't let me cut my hair
'cause they own my head.
But yeah, I do have friends that have salons
and things like that and they've given
this haircut to people.
People have come in and said hey,
can we get Daryl Dixon haircuts?
And so it's a thing, so there you go.
How Norman Reedus restaurant
is not even proper English by the way.
But I do have a restaurant.
I have a restaurant in Senoia Georgia
where we film the Walking Dead called Nic & Norman's.
I share it with Greg Nicotero and Robert Kirkman
and Dave Halpert and a few other people.
I think we're expanding to Savannah
and this one other place, I forget, Chattanooga I believe.
And then I'm also part owner in my friend Luke's restaurant
here in New York called Gitane which is also going to be...
He has one in Cobble Hill, and he has one in Tokyo
and he's about to have one
in Venice California, there you go.
How old is Norman Reedus today?
He's 51, I had a birthday January 6th.
I'm a Capricorn, just like Jesus Christ
and that's how old I am.
How Norman Reedus, vegan.
Yeah I've gone back and forth with that.
I'm currently doing it again.
I started doing that when I was in Georgia
'cause where I live is out in the country
and I started getting those ready made meals,
not the ready meal, but they send you the ingredients
and you make them yourself.
I forgot the name of it, Blue something.
And the vegetarian ones were just better
than the other ones and I think they sent me
one by accident, which is like three weeks worth of meals
and I did it, and I liked it better.
And I actually felt better.
I felt lighter.
And you know we run around in the woods in Georgia
in the heat and you know,
you gotta keep on your feet.
So I enjoyed it, I kept doing it.
All right next one.
Why Norman Reedus?
What the [beeping] does that mean?
Why Norman Reedus?
My dad's name was Norman.
When I was little he passed away.
And yeah there you go, that's why.
Why Norman Reedus, Death Stranding.
I did the video game 'cause Guillermo del Toro
originally called me and said,
hey a guy named Hideo Kojima is gonna call you,
just say yes.
And I was like who is he?
He goes it doesn't matter who he is, just say yes.
And then I met Hideo at Comi-Con in San Diego
and he came out back when we were gonna
do a different game and he showed me what he was
working on and I was just blown away.
I mean the guy's like a super genius.
And then I became friends with him,
started working with him and we kept going.
So we did Death Stranding which was a huge hit
and we're in talks to do other stuff.
So that's why.
'Cause it's Hideo Kojima, that's why.
Norman Reedus, sunglasses, why?
Why not?
You know I just wear them a lot.
I have really sensitive eyes.
Like bright light, I just start tearing up, I always have.
I was in a car crash in Berlin,
maybe what was it, like 10 years ago.
No before that.
I was hit by an 18 wheeler truck
and I went flying through the window of the car
and my eyeball popped out.
So they had to put me back together.
So I have a whole titanium eye socket right here
and I have like four screws in my nose.
But ever since, bright light really bothers me.
And so I wear sunglasses all the time.
Next one, why is Norman Reedus so popular?
That's a really good question.
I think because TV's a whole thing.
You know, people they watch you from the comfort
of their living room and you know,
I walk around with big movie stars sometimes
and I get hounded more than they do.
And I think it's 'cause of television.
I remember a long time ago being on a plane
with the cast of Friends and I thought they
were gonna storm the airplane and flip the plane over.
So I think it's just television and that's why.
Next one, why Norman Reedus on Charmed.
I was on Charmed way back when.
Rose McGowan's a friend of mine and I love Rose.
And we were out to dinner one time, we had the same
manager at the time and she was like,
you should be on the show.
And I was like yeah.
And she was like you can play my boyfriend
and I was like hell yeah!
Then all of a sudden the next day there was a contract
sittin', I was like ah, so this is happening.
And we did and it was a lot of fun.
And I still talk to Rose, so there you go.
Next one, why Norman Reedus tattoos?
Geeze, these are real questions.
I don't know.
I got a few tattoos, so what?
Don't yell at me, who cares?
All right next one.
What is Norman Reedus like in real life?
He's a total [beeping].
In real life, I don't know.
I'm kind of shy.
I'm kind of a neat freak believe it or not.
My refrigerator has to be like perfectly organized.
I have five of those little vacuums that are robots
that clean your house.
All they do is pick up after my cat really.
Who throws up everywhere.
I ride motorcycles a lot.
I collect Punk Rock 45s, yeah I'm like that.
Next one.
What color are Norman Reedus's eyes?
Usually red.
But I was born with blue eyes.
What is Norman Reedus's birthday?
January 6th, 1969.
I'm a Capricorn, Scorpio rising
and I think I'm a Leo moon.
Next one.
What is Norman Reedus doing now?
He's doing Google ads I think.
Right now I'm shooting Ride season five.
I just flew in from New Zealand,
which is why I'm so asleep right now.
We did the north side of the island,
the north part of the country and then the south part.
And I flew in and we were suppose to fly next week
to Italy and Greece and Croatia but I think
because of the Coronavirus, we've kind
of put that on hold now and they're tryin' to figure it out.
I have an art show in Copenhagen coming up.
I just did Sotheby's, I have one in Geneva,
I have one in Kelown.
We were thinkin' about Japan.
I'm shooting Ride, I'm getting ready to do
Walking Dead, talking to Hideo about maybe doing
some Death Stranding stuff and being a daddy,
that's what I'm doing.
What was Norman Reedus's first movie?
My first movie was Mimic with Guillermo Del Toro.
He got me my side card or whatever
and then after that I did Six Ways to Sunday
with Debbie Harry and Isaac Hayes.
And then what else?
I can't remember.
All right next one!
Where Norman Reedus height?
I'm like 5'10 and a half-ish, somethin' like that.
Yeah somethin' like that, 5'10 and a half,
5'10, 5'11 [beeping].
Where does Norman Reedus come from?
I was born in Hollywood Florida
and I lived there for about three days.
Bounced around a lot after that.
Dropped out of high school, moved to Tokyo,
ended up in Spain where I picked up the last story
that I told you.
Where Norman Reedus original art?
There's a website called Big Bald Gallery.
There's a lady named Laurie Dolphin
that runs that for me and does show for me
like the art shows that I was talking about
that I'm about to do and the ones that I had just finished.
I just collaborated with Mick Rock on something
and we may do a book together.
There's another book of photographs coming out
and then there's a bunch of shows coming out.
So there.
Where Norman Reedus Prada?
Oh yeah, I was in a Prada campaign a long time ago.
I did a movie called Six Ways to Sunday.
On the set of that, Ellen von Unwerth came
and shot photographs.
The photographs she took to Miuccia Prada's house.
Miuccia at that time was doing a series of actors in ads
like Willem Defoe did it, Joaquin did it,
a Japanese actor did it.
John Malkovich did it.
And so Miuccia was like I gotta find another actor
to do this next Prada campaign.
And Ellen goes, here are some photos,
I shot this kid today.
Then I got a call from my manager saying
it's between you and Nicolas Cage to do a Prada campaign.
And I said what's Prada?
And she said they'll fly to you Paris
and give you free clothes forever.
And I was like never been to Paris.
And so I did that.
And I think more people saw the Prada ad
than Six Ways to Sunday.
So people thought that was my jam but you know,
I'm short and I can't sit still.
I'd never make it in the modeling world.
Okay next one.
Can Norman Reedus speak Japanese?
[speaking Japanese]
There's actually a funny story.
Andy Lincoln and I went to Shanghai and Tokyo
and all these different places for a press junket.
I think season three of Walking Dead.
We arrive and we're super asleep right?
There's a whole camera crew full of people.
We're on live television.
So we're drinkin' our coffees, tryin' to wake up.
Tryin' to wake up and he goes, you speak
a little Japanese right?
And I go yeah a tiny bit.
And he goes how do I say thank you for
having me in your country.
And I said [speaking Japanese].
He goes okay.
And so they start the thing and he stand up and he goes.
Before we start, [speaking Japanese].
And then like 20 people are going.
He goes, he stares at me, does it louder.
[speaking Japanese]
He goes what the [beeping] did I just say?
And I go you just asked where the toilet was.
So on live TV, Andy Lincoln is going [speaking Japanese].
Which was one of the highlights
of my whole professional career.
Can Norman Reedus ride?
Yeah I can ride.
I got 12 bikes.
[beeping] Yeah I can right.
Can Norman Reedus sing?
Nope.
Not at all.
You don't want me to sing.
I did get on stage with Anthrax
and play base guitar in my socks, that was fun.
Can Norman Reedus yell?
Yeah I can [beeping] yell.
All right next one.
When does Norman Reedus cat?
Again, really bad English.
When does Norman Reedus cat.
I have a cat named Eye in the Dark.
It's a black cat.
My son named it that when he was five
because it's black and we had black floors
and you could only see his eyes.
So he named in Eye in the Dark.
He's a pain in my ass but I still love him.
When Norman Reedus email?
Well I'm not giving anybody my email, that's for sure.
But I know how to email.
If that's an answer.
When is Norman Reedus up?
In the morning, in the night, in the afternoon,
all hours of the day I'm up, as you can tell.
When does Norman Reedus Instagram?
Not very often but I have an Instagram
it's Big Bald Head, like everything else in my life.
Which actually comes from a Laurie Anderson song.
People ask me all the time, why Big Bald Head?
My first concert was a Laurie Anderson concert.
She was a performance artist and a musician.
Here in New York, she still is.
She was married to Lou Reed.
My first concert was a Laurie Anderson concert.
She came out in a glow in the dark outfit
with a violin, she was like ree, ree.
And then on a big screen behind her,
her head popped up and she goes, the sun's coming up,
like a big bald head.
And I just always remembered it.
It scared the [beeping] out of me
and that's why everything's Big Bald Head.
When does Norman Reedus get paid?
Not right now, that's for sure.
It comes on a, I don't know.
I really don't know.
Not often enough.
Okay, is Norman Reedus nice?
Not really, not at all, really.
Is Norman Reedus left handed?
Nope.
He's not.
Is Norman Reedus a good,
I think actor is what that says.
Not really.
Is Norman Reedus in the Walking Dead?
Yeah, yeah, he is.
Does Norman Reedus have SnapChat?
No he doesn't.
Does Norman Reedus have teeth?
Nope.
Does Norman Reedus have underwear?
Nope.
Next one, does Norman Reedus have Uber?
Yeah on my phone, I've used it.
What kind of dog does Norman Reedus have?
He's got a cat.
He doesn't have a dog.
He wants a dog, he doesn't have a dog.
Except on the show he's got a dog named Dog.
But I have a cat.
So there you go.
Next one, who Norman Reedus zombie prank?
Who hasn't Norman Reedus zombie prank?
I got zombie prank'd in Tokyo
by this nice gentleman that jumped out
of a table and scared the [beeping] out of me
while I was playing Candy Crush.
I like him a lot but [beeping] that guy.
Norman Reedus Boondock Saints.
Yeah I was in Boondock Saints.
There's always talk of a third.
I get asked everyday.
Never say never.
Who knows?
Next one, Norman Reedus John Connor.
I don't even know what that means.
- [Man] They think you should play John Connor
in the Terminator films.
- Oh that's the guy from the,
yeah [beeping] yeah, I'll do that.
Do I get powers?
Do I get to morph through [beeping]?
- [Man] No I mean you kill Terminators.
- [beeping] Yeah I'll do that, yeah.