Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan have long survived the zombie apocalypse. have endured. watching my family beaten to death To cut in the neck with a knife.
With the hugely popular drama finally coming to an end this fall as the finale of its three-part 11th season begins, it’s time to think about its main co-stars (Cohan in 2011, Morgan joining the cast in 2016). would be allowed. Collectively leave the undead behind. However, AMC recently announced that two actors have signed deals to lead The Walking Dead: Dead City, a new spin-off of his miniseries that follows characters as they try to navigate a post-apocalyptic Manhattan. Did.
Before “The Walking Dead” kicks off its final block of eight episodes on Oct. 2, Morgan and Cohan spoke on Zoom about killing characters and finding “shreds of light and hope.” These are edited excerpts from that conversation.
Lauren, you joined the series in the second season. How was it when you arrived?
Lauren Cohan I’m from the UK and saw season 1 on the plane to Georgia and thought wow, ok. Better not spoil this.When I landed, I had a week to prepare and Stephen [Yeun, who played Glenn] and Sarah Wayne Callies [who played Lori] He took me to a Korean barbecue and showed me the land. The atmosphere throughout the show was so hot, we survived as much as the characters did, but it was a very bonding experience.
Jeffrey, your character Appeared late in the season 6 The huge and infamous cliffhanger. What was it like being thrown in so dramatically?
Jeffrey Dean Morgan [The “Walking Dead” producer] Scott Gimple called me and asked if I wanted to do this. We were filming “The Good Wife”. As it happened, he had a two day window where he could go to Georgia. I’m a huge fan of this show and knew it would get attention. But I never expected it to reach the level of insanity.
I met Lauren — We were Batman’s mom and dad on “Batman v Superman.” But it was such an inspiring way to meet everyone. As expected, everyone was a little timid with me.
Who were you going to kill?
Morgan I think everyone knew it was Glenn, but not Abraham.The final shot from his first two-day stint A bat descended towards the cameraI remember Michael Cudlitz, who played Abraham, approaching me and saying, “Do you know who you’re killing?” I am Stephen! Comic is here! He said, “Do you think you’re killing someone else?”
Cohan Do you remember filming those alternate endings?
Morgan: That is correct! We shot me to kill every member of the cast. Everyone got hit from the bat that night. It was just throwing people away. It was crazy. The cliffhanger has alienated the fanbase very much.
Cohan What people don’t know is that they’ve been hanging out in that clearing all summer until we discover it.
Morgan It was actually like that. When we got back to his September premiere for the seventh season, it was going well in that clearance with everyone on their knees. It was brutal. The only person who gave it the OK was Stephen.He said, ‘I’ve got closure, I’m gonna go win [expletive] Oscar now. All in all it was a strange vibe. I thought those people hated me.
Cohan I had to hate you for the entire season.
Morgan Lauren actually didn’t speak to me for about a year. That was her way as an actor. And now we are still working together.
This show wants to kill any character at any time. Was there a time when you felt relatively safe, or were you always worried that you might be next?
Cohan I didn’t consciously think about it, but I knew my character had a lot of stories to tell. By the way, this is not a guarantee of anything.
Morgan Do you know when they killed you on this show? When buying a home in Georgia. Once you get comfortable, you are dead. The first was a three-year contract.I remember asking [the showrunner] Angela [Kang], “Should I buy a house?” And she was like, “Yeah.” And I’m like, well, that’s it. I’m dead!
Did Jeffrey, the show’s main antagonist, think the story ended with being killed by the heroes?
Morgan every year.especially after [the 8th season story arc] “Total War”. I knew Negan didn’t die in the comics. But I thought they might make me walk into the sunset.
Which character death was the most difficult for you in terms of cast members leaving?
Cohan Steven. It was tough on every level where something could be difficult.It was hard with Scott Wilson [who played Hershel]It was hard with Emily [Kinney, who played Beth].
Morgan Well, they were your family.
Cohan exactly. But what made it difficult is also the best part of the show. But I love these people and I love the depth of their lost experiences.The poetry and darkness and light and bits of hope in this are all.
Morgan “A piece of light and hope.” I put it in my head and keep it there. My next interview without you, I’m using it.
How are you, Jeffrey?
Morgan For me, Andy hit me harder. [Lincoln, who played Rick] left.Broadly speaking, this was his story, his world we all lived in. Norman [Reedus, who plays Daryl] I spent a lot of time talking about it: What’s next for the show? And none of us ever saw it coming. I came in and said, “I’m only going to do six more episodes.” what did it look like?
Cohan Amazing.
Morgan We all thought he couldn’t come back. He’s coming here to kick that pig. And he wasn’t. Everyone, from writers to actors, stepped up and played their part, but there were moments like this. That’s a different thing now. That’s the cool thing about the show. It has reinvented itself many times.
The show has undergone many changes creatively, including several showrunners. Was it difficult to handle as a cast?
Cohan I think it actually held each other tighter. Not that it wasn’t destructive and scary – Frank [Darabont, the Season 1 showrunner] Left, it’s like, oops. it was weird. But what we were asked for was such an emotional investment that it seemed like there was little distraction from something like this.
Before signing up for the spinoff, did you feel the show’s ending was time to leave this world and these roles behind?
Morgan When I found out the show was over, I was like OK. I am proud of the work I have done. It didn’t take long for them to mention the spin-off idea and my ears perked up. thought.
Cohan Mmm. I wasn’t done
Morgan Well, here we are still telling the story.
Cohan 10 years from now.