Harrelson and Eisenberg talk zombies, costumes

"Zombieland," out now in theaters, follows a few survivors of the zombie apocalypse and details the unlikely bonds they forge with each other. The Daily participated in a roundtable interview with the film's two principal actors, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg.

Question: What part of the script really caught your eye and made you want to do the film?

Woody Harrelson: For me, it was mostly the 100 pages in between the front and back covers.

Jesse Eisenberg:  That's a good part. Yeah, I would say everything except the title page, because when I saw it was a zombie movie, I couldn't imagine how it could offer a character that an actor would actually want to play. But from page one, it was clever, the lines were actually funny, the characters were nuanced and real and even the drama was touching.

WH: I felt the same way, that it was bound to be stupid, but the writers really did a great job.

Q: Did you find that the director had a specific vision, or was there leeway in where the scenes could [go]?

WH: The director had everything storyboarded and was really very prepared, and I think that's best kind of director — almost over-prepared, but not to the point where he didn't allow spontaneity and input into things like blocking. He was pretty open-minded, which I think helps a film a lot.

Q: How much creative input did you have into the characters?

JE: The characters were very well-written and well-defined, except for Woody's character, who was supposed to wear "thick, ironic glasses" and I never knew what that meant.

WH: I actually kind of liked the idea, but it was nixed. But I had never taken that much time over a character's outfit in my life, and I felt that the look was so important to the character. There were so many meetings over it, but you want to see the character and believe it right away.

JE: The director originally wanted shirts with funny sayings, like [shirts from] BustedTees, and it was so over the top. There's a fine line with this movie, and it would have become an annoying kitschy thing, and thankfully it didn't. So we ended up just going to American Apparel and picked out some clothing.

Q: What was the process of getting into character?

WH: I mostly just smashed s--t up.

JE: I've been getting into character for 25 years. So there wasn't much research to be done, it was mostly about defining how comedic you could be while staying realistic.

Q: Was there any improv in the scenes?

JE: We were filming on video, not film, and that gives you a lot more leeway to improvise, so after we finished a scripted scene, the director would let us improvise, which lends a sort of freshness and spontaneity that's lost after like 20 takes, so some of that is in the movie.

Q: Both of you have done work in both theater and television. How would you relate those experiences and would you like to return to them in the future?

JE: I want to be a playwright, ultimately, and people are reading my play now because I'm in a zombie movie. I wrote a musical that's going to be produced soon, it's called "Me Time." It's a satire on modern self-indulgence.

WH: Theater is what really drew me to this fine profession. I love it and want to get back to it soon. I was in London recently, doing Tennessee Williams' "The Night of the Iguana," and I really liked the production and how it turned out, so I'm eager to get back to it.

Q: Are there any projects that you've done that you regret making?

WH: Oh yeah, although, there's no point in really talking about them.

JE: Usually you know on the first day of shooting, "Oh, this was a mistake." Every day on the set of "Zombieland," I thought "What am I doing here, I'm doing terrible," but when I saw the end result, I was a bit more happy with my performance.

WH: And you realized it was all in your head.