Viewers were shocked and heartbroken by the death of Glenn in The Walking Dead season premiere, but image how Rick Grimes must feel.
For many longtime viewers, the death of Glenn on Sunday’s The Walking Dead was painful. He was a character that had been around since the show’s beginning. Even though some expected him to die due to the comic book’s foreshadowing, it was still a shock.
Rick Will Never be the Same
Image Credit: AMC
It was that impactful for fans. Though, imagine how it will affect Rick Grimes. The Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln shared his thoughts on the death.
“I think it changes him; more than any other death, the loss of Glenn is seismic,” said Lincoln. “We felt it enormously as a crew, losing both those guys, because they’re so funny, they’re leaders in their own right, but Steven in particular was like the social secretary for the youngsters. I’ve said it before, the relationship between Rick and Glenn is, he’s the younger, better looking, smarter and funnier younger brother that he never had, and that’s exactly my relationship with Steven. I love the guy; he’s one of my best friends, and this show and the experience of making the show is less, because of his absence.”
Keeping a Secret of National Importance
It’s one thing to say goodbye to a favorite character and a member of the family. It’s another thing entirely to keep it a secret for a full year!
“It’s so true, it’s been very difficult. Homeland Security have said, ‘you’re not coming into the country unless you tell us,’ so it’s not been without its problems,” said Lincoln. “But the relief – we can exhale now, as a crew, as a cast. [The premiere is] such a horrific, brutal and harrowing episode, but what I’m particularly happy about is that Steven and Mikey can get on with it.
“It’s a very strange experience because you want to celebrate their service to the show and their commitment, and just who they are as actors and as people and as friends and family, but we haven’t been allowed to do it because of the nature of our show. It’s interesting, because some of the finest acting I’ve ever seen has not been on screen – although it’s been really good acting on the show – it’s been at conventions and Comic-Cons. These people have to bite their tongue and pretend that they’re not off the show; this show that they love dearly. If we can’t get an Emmy for [the show], they deserve one for the panels we do at Comic-Con.”
Taking a Step Back
The season premiere was particularly focused on Rick. It was a harrowing ordeal for him and surely an emotional roller-coaster for Andrew Lincoln, as well. How do you get the clarity of mind to film an episode like that?
“The funny thing was, a very dear friend who’s worked on the show for a long time, Drew, he’s a PA, he said it was so strange, that episode, because everybody was so zoned into it and it was very difficult to communicate,” said Lincoln. “A lot of the crew just left us alone for it. The crew are magnificent on this show because they realize that you do your homework, you learn your lines, you look the other actor deep, square in the eyes, hold their hands and jump and see what happens. Fortunately, I’ve been doing it with the same crew for so long that they probably think I’m clinically insane anyway, so I don’t have any fear of looking like a fool anymore. They’re sort of used to me doing weird things, so they leave me well alone.
“It was strange, a couple of times we did the — I liked to call it the ‘Isaac and Abraham’ scene, with the ax and the kid — there were a couple of times where grown men, with beards and tattoos, that move heavy equipment, had to walk away from set shaking their heads and couldn’t make eye contact with me. At that point you know that we’re in the ballpark of what’s necessary to tell the story.”
Image Credit: AMC
