Seth Gilliam, Lynn Collins and Michael James Shaw – The Walking Dead

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) Seth, I absolutely loved the scenes with you and Ross [Marquand] during your adventure out. Can we expect to see more Aaron and Gabriel together? Their episode the intensity was just so gripping. And it really set them kind of on a darker path.

Seth: Mm hmm. We’ll see a little bit more of Aaron and Gabriel together, but I think that Gabriel may have freaked Aaron a little bit. And I think he may want to keep this distance this point.

Q) They have like a buddy-cop like a spin off coming in the near future. I feel though.

Seth: Yes, yes, we’re there. Yeah, they can be like, private detectives who live together on a houseboat in Key West or something.

Q) Mike, I wondered if you could speak to the Commonwealth going so far as to have a haunted house with walkers in it? And how do you get that comfortable with life to go there?

Mike: I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of such a house. But the protocols laid in place to keep the Commonwealth safe. They’re pretty foolproof. Walkers are not a problem for us at the moment.

Q) Seth, in one of “The Walking Dead” spinoffs, “The World Beyond” to be specific, Jadis is going around calling herself Jadis Stokes. I don’t know if you’ve noticed. So, what are your thoughts on that? And where do you think she’s taking your old friend?

Seth: I’m not sure where she’s taking my old friend. But I would say that bitch is delusional. I don’t recall any ceremonies or exchanging of rings or anything like that. The last time that Gabriel and Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) were together she had him tied up to whatever those things are when you move boxes around and dropped a walker in his face. Then she knocked his ass out and left him. So, I don’t know why she’s going out call herself “Stokes.” I think that I think that Father Gabriel would have something to say about that should they run across each other again.

Q) Lynn, your character has some speculations about the general dynamic she has with all the previous characters. And they are unfriendly, but that is the point of the character. So, I wanted to ask how did you set into the role? And how did you feel coming into such a intricate show that has so much past?

Lynn: It surely it’s been a blast. And from day one Norman [Reedus] just sort of gave me the lay of the land, which is like we have a lot of fun, we’re dedicated we go for it. And he just really showed me the way. This character I think is incredibly polarizing because I think we can identify with her. When you’re hurt, you want the person who hurt you to hurt like you hurt. This is natural and human. It’s if we act on it or not that defines our character. And I think she’s constantly been given these moments where we’re really getting to know her character, hard decisions, choosing love over family and allegiance over attraction and the law. So, I think but at this point we see her, and there’s just nothing to lose at this point. She’s lost everything. And that’s going to be a totally different side of her. So, I mean, honestly, the thoughts I’ve had was like, “Oh my God, I wish I had more time with these people to work with these people.” It’s just been incredibly rewarding. And so fun. It’s like an amusement park. Every day we go to work. I don’t know about you guys, but I was a super fan of the show and all of the actors. So, I’ve kind of been like pinching myself the whole time and just trying to like, serve them all and this last moment.

Q) Lynn, of all the adversaries that are survivors have taken on over all of the seasons. There’s something about the Reapers that really does feel like kind of this final boss battle, before everything moves into this just other completely different plane. What is it about the Reapers that makes them so uniquely different from all the other threats?

Lynn: That question just gave me goosebumps. I wonder why. I think the Reapers are different because they were trained killers. They were mercenaries, they were soldiers, they work together before the apocalypse, they already had a bond. This isn’t just like people who the apocalypse hits, and they have to dig down deep and find their inner warrior. They were warriors. They are warriors. So, then the apocalypse happens and then there’s like times ten. It amps up all that. I think that’s why they’re terrifying because they’re equipped for this, and then some, but it’s interesting. As you see the more intimacies of the group it doesn’t take away from like, you see how like religious they got, and how are they coping. Yes, they can all protect themselves or so we think, but how do they cope with the emotional ramifications of what’s going on and losing each other? It’s interesting, I often think the more we type, cast or judge someone as being a badass, or like a fierce, whatever that means – inside is a soft, gushy center. That’s usually in a lot of pain. So, I think, especially now, as she’s like, Reaper Queen on her own, what makes her dangerous is like, she has no access to that place anymore. Like she’s lost everything.

Q) Lynn, when you took the role, were you aware how passionately the fans would react? What’s been that like to navigate?

Lynn: I was warned by Angela [Kang] and Norman, at the very beginning, where they were like, “You can engage or not engage, we suggest you don’t engage.” [laughs] And there was originally like, an issue where I had said something about like Melissa [McBride], and Norman’s relationship, their characters, Carol and Daryl, being so complex, because you just don’t know what it is. Like sometimes it’s that. Sometimes she’s maternal, and then everybody was like, there’s a whole, like, the whole Carol ship was like, “Down with Lynn!” This is so interesting, because like, I’ve most of my friendships and relationships, eventually people will allude to the fact that I become sort of caretaker and maternal to them out of like, love and wanting them to be happy and comfortable and was like, “Why is that a derogatory statement?” And like, I’m a mom. That’s what I’m doing with my life right now. Like it’s all about being maternal and and I get these breaks to do these awesome jobs and like, find these other parts of myself that I’ve had to like put on a shelf. So, it was interesting how polarizing I think the character was, but then I think I polarized some people too, with that comment. And then, I was like, start talking about gray hair. And I was like, “Y’all don’t even know I come back. And his is my natural hair color. I’m gray.” Like, what are we talking about? Why is this divisive? So, it was interesting. But also I was able to detach from it because I was like, this is what successful entertainment is. When people become so passionate that it creates dialogue outside of that one hour that they watch it. This is success. And it certainly wasn’t comfortable at the beginning, but it has nothing to do with me at all. This is actually like a good thing. I would just say to the fans out there like be kind and gentle to each other because the show is about to end and you’re all going to need each other. Regardless of what ship you’re on, this is going to be very emotional for people, all of us when like the last episode airs. It’s a big ending. This is like we’re talking about over a decade of people bonding with characters that allow them to maybe have some relief about their own mundanity of life or there is something worth saying about the fact that what the last two years have been like for everybody is. It’s a parallel kind of to what these characters go through. We all have had to adapt to this insane change that’s changed the world forever. We can’t go back to what we knew. I think the probably “The Walking Dead” fans are ahead of the game than everybody else the last few years because they’ve been working with these themes the whole time.

Q) Seth, I wonder, at this point going into the last stretch of this series, if Gabriel had any regrets, like what his biggest regret would be, and if there’s anything at this point that he wouldn’t do to keep everyone safe?

Seth: I think there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to keep everyone safe at this point. I think that he would that he would lay down his life for his for his family. As far as regrets go, I think one regret that Gabriel might have is the way he tried to expose the group to Deanna (Tovah Feldshuh) when they first got to Alexandria. I think he kind of ham handedly handled that situation. And I think he would probably want a redo you on that.

Q) Seth, we know what Maggie thinks of Negan. What do you think Father Gabriel thinks of Negan’s character arc from the beginning to right now?

Seth: I think Father Gabriel invested a lot in trying to rehabilitate Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and bring out the humanity in him that was not there when we first were introduced to him. And I think he has a lot invested in Negan and that personal project. I think he considers him at this point, a friend and a companion. I think they’re kind of polar opposites. I think that Father Gabriel and Negan are an interesting kind of pair. I’d like to see a spin off with the further adventures of Father Gabriel and Negan. I don’t know what we would call it you know, call it something irreverent like “Fat Back” or something. [laughs]

*CONFERENCE CALL*