On Syfy’s horror-dramedy “Z Nation,” Keith Allan portrays Murphy, an unsavory character immune to the zombie virus thanks to a lab experiment that inadvertently makes him humanity’s only hope for survival. Though it’s more responsibility than Murphy ever asked for, the role has proved serendipitous for Allan, whose acting, writing, and directing career has been given new life as a result of the show’s success. Like many working actors in Los Angeles, Allan had to get a day job a few years ago in order to survive. Thankfully, this job happened to be at a production company, which led to the opportunity to audition for this show.
“I got a day job working at The Asylum, a production company that does a lot of B movies,” he tells Backstage during Atlanta’s Walker Stalker Con. “ ‘Sharknado’ is one of their bigger movies. I started as a stage manager and just helped run the facilities, made sure everyone had a desk and a garbage can, the toilet’s weren’t overflowing, and stuff like that. They knew I was an actor and would let me come audition for their movies. I wound up doing a couple of small parts in some of their movies. Then they let me write and direct a feature [‘11/11/11’], an opportunity I probably wouldn’t have ever had otherwise. I wrote a couple of zombie movies for Syfy and a movie for Lifetime over the course of three years.”
When The Asylum decided to branch out into a television series, Allan was again asked to audition. Knowing that actors with name recognition were more likely to be cast, he was surprised to receive multiple callbacks.
“I probably read seven times for this role,” he recalls. “In the end, they thought I was the best choice for it. So I wound up getting this job simply because I needed a day job and was at the right place at the right time.”
Prior to landing this high-profile gig, Allan had bit parts in numerous TV shows. With much of his work being on horror, fantasy, and sci-fi shows such as “Charmed,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Star Trek: Enterprise,” and “Wizards of Waverly Place” (as well as writing, directing, and acting in 2012’s “Rise of the Zombies” and 2013’s “Zombie Night”), playing a lead character in an apocalyptic horror show seems like a natural progression. But Allan says it’s coincidental that he’s cast in undead- and supernatural-themed projects.
“Even though I am a fan of the sci-fi genre, it just kind of happened that way,” he admits. “As an actor you take the jobs that pay, or you take the jobs that are offered to you, because you want to work.”
With the second season finale of “Z Nation” airing on Dec. 18, and a third season recently confirmed, Allan has secured the type of ongoing role for which all up-and-coming actors strive. With a few writing and directing credits to his name, Allan now finds himself looking for his next big opportunity, including potentially being on the other side of the camera for “Z Nation.”
“I would love to write and direct an episode, especially now that I really know the characters and the show,” he says. “I also have a project I’m trying to get produced that I want to direct and act in. It’s a dark comedy graphic novel feature based on a play I did in L.A. a couple of years ago called ‘Hearts Like Fists.’ I shot the first seven minutes of the movie, which is a supervillain, crime fighters kind of piece with a very stylized look. It’s really funny and dark and I think it’s great.”
While the consumption of brains is commonplace on “Z Nation,” picking Allan’s brain about acting is a much easier process. Aside from making the most of every opportunity, his biggest recommendation is to continue studying craft, whether it be on screen or stage.
“I don’t think you ever stop learning how to be a better actor,” he says. “I still take classes myself. It’s a great way to meet people. In some of the movies I’ve made, I’ve cast friends or actors that I’ve worked with in theater because I know they’re good and can do the job. It’s always important to continue studying. I don’t think there’s any better training than getting onstage in front of an audience.”
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