Netflix 'Santa Clarita Diet' Stars Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant Explain Zombie Popularity
There have been plenty of shows and movies about zombies since the '60s. "Santa Clarita Diet" stars Drew Barrymore (Sheila Hammond) and Timothy Olyphant (Joel Hammond) recently discussed why the subject matter remains popular with viewers as the second season of their zombie comedy marks its return on Netflix.
Barrymore said that she personally enjoys stories about life and death, with lots of blood and craziness, which originated from old-school vampire films. She likened "Santa Clarita Diet" to the themes in these old movies because it presented humanity and humanness as well.
George Romero introduced the zombie genre in movies in the 1960s with "Night of the Living Dead." Olyphant agreed with Barrymore that there's an audience for this type of film.
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"Death is a fascination, so you're never going to go away from it," Olyphant shared. "The idea that you don't die, you know, people have been talking forever about trying to live your life as though you're already dead because it's freeing."
"Santa Clarita Diet," however, isn't your usual scary zombie movie because it's actually a light comedy, where Barrymore and Olyphant play a couple with a teenage daughter and a job. Creator Victor Fresco shared that he wanted the show to be a family series with a twist.
"The undead have always been portrayed as mindless eating machines," Fresco noted. "I thought it would be funny to have someone that's undead who also could function in the world, sell real estate, be in a relationship."
Netflix renewed "Santa Clarita Diet" for the season in March last year. Production finished by October 2017 but the streaming platform has not yet announced the show's return date.
"Santa Clarita Diet" also stars Live Hewson (Abby Hammond), Skyler Gisondo (Eric Bemis), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (Lisa Palmer), Ricardo Chavira (Dan Palmer), Richard T. Jones (Rick) and Portia de Rossi (Dr. Cora Wolf). Zach Knighton (Paul) and Jee Young Han (Marsha join the show for season 2.
