INTERVIEW: The Walking Dead’s Dan Fogler talks season 9 pressure and juggling Fantastic Beasts

The Walking Dead is changing. Negan is defeated, some of the show’s oldest and most beloved characters have departed the show, and we’ve skipped forward to a time where Judith Grimes is the unlikely saviour of a new band of survivors.

There are some familiar faces amongst the latest band of survivors to find Alexandria, but none as recognisable as Dan Fogler – the man best known for playing Eddie Redmayne’s right hand man in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts.

We chatted with Dan to learn what it’s like to join the Walking Dead at such a pivotal time, and how he juggles starring in two of the world’s biggest franchises at the same time.

Do you feel a lot of pressure joining the Walking Dead at such a pivotal time?

I feel like there’s definitely pressure anytime you come on board to a giant franchise. The wheels are in motion and this thing is full steam ahead and they’re transitioning the largest character out of it… You hope that you can come in and help fill that void, so yeah, there’s definitely a pressure there to perform well. Anytime you go out and you put yourself out there, you hope that it meshes well and people dig it.

It’s the same thing for Fantastic Beasts where there was so much pressure on that first movie, oh my god, to just do well and not mess up.

What’s it like being in two huge franchises at the same time?

Yeah. Wow. It’s funky, man. I’m constantly pinching myself about Fantastic Beasts and then I look at the Walking Dead and I’m just like… ‘wow, what happened, that’s amazing.’ What’s wild is I read the Walking Dead comic book and I play Luke, which is so many dreams come true.

A couple of years back I was having a lull in my career, and I had my second daughter coming, and I literally wished on a star – look, I need a break here – and I literally wished for a franchise. It feels like I’m in a dream.

INTERVIEW: The Walking Dead’s Eleanor Matsuura talks season 9 shake up and lesbian romance

After the departure of Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in the latest season of The Walking Dead, it’s fair to say the show is rebuilding itself.

At the forefront of this shake up of the world’s biggest post-apocalyptic drama are newbies Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), Magna (Nadia Hilker), Luke (Dan Fogler), Connie (Lauren Ridloff) and Kelly (Angel Theory).

Season nine saw them encountering Alexandria for the first time – though it was a different Alexandria to what we knew!

We spoke to new star Eleanor Matsuura, who plays Yumiko, about what it’s like to join the show at such a pivotal time, Yumiko’s background and her relationship wit girlfriend Magna.

The Walking Dead has been going through a lot of changes recently. What was it like for you to join the show at such a pivotal time?

It’s a lot of pressure but also a great honour to join on such an iconic episode. We knew there was a lot of pressure on getting it right and introducing this new direction and also our characters. Having said that, I then read the episode and I was so blown away. I thought it was so well written, it made me cry at the end to be introduced in that way.

Could you tell me a bit about Yumiko?

Yumiko is an incredibly brilliant fighter, she’s brave and she’s not afraid to put herself in situations where she has to fight for her survival. She’s also very loyal, level headed, calm, she is incredibly committed to her crew, who are her family. That’s what we’ve seen of her so far.

When I started playing her, I was so interested in what was her backstory. Where did she come from? How does that effect where she is now? And the truth of it is, it all got less important the more we got into filming, because the attention is so on the moment – the present day. The present is the most important thing in people’s lives so the past became less and less important.

I have a story in my head, that I’ve given myself, for where she comes from, but I’m glad it’s not been shared with the public yet, because at least it’s open for the later episodes.

How did you come up with her backstory?

It’s actually something I came up with in my head with a little bit of discussion with Angela Kang, our showrunner. I have read the comics, but I read them after I got the part. A friend of mine sent to comics and said hey this is Yumiko, this is who you’re playing, which is just the coolest thing – I can’t believe I’m a comic book character! So much of the story is different in the comics to our story on the show, they don’t really correlate that much, so I use it more for my own pleasure rather than guidance for the work that I’m doing on the show.

Speaking of the comics, will Magna and Yumiko’s relationship be explored?

Absolutely. In the comic books, it’s clear that they’re a couple. And Nadia Hilker [who plays Magna] and I were very vocal about keeping that and wanting to represent two women in a relationship. We fought hard to make sure we could find moments to make it clear to viewers we are two women in love with each other. We fought really hard to have a kiss between us, coming up in a few episodes time. Every other relationship on this show has tender moments, kissing each other, we wanted that tender moment too.

What does it mean to you to play a gay Asian woman on a big action series?

It means everything. It really means the world to me. The landscape is really changing in the industry. I have opportunities now that I might not have had when I was younger – because the demand wasn’t there. I feel like that’s changed now and it’s so exciting to be a part of it. I think that’s why I felt so passionate about making sure that we keep the relationship between Magna and Yumiko very visible, because it’s important for people to see these are two people in love with each other.

There isn’t anything to do with my heritage in a way. I’m not playing somebody in Japan or with an accent – Yumiko is Japanese British and that’s who she is and that’s reality, that’s the world we live in. It’s really truthful representation, I’m really grateful to do that.

Did you have to do any archery training for the role? You’re pretty good with a bow.

Yes, I did have archery training. They threw me straight in. They have amazing archery trainers on set and I went straight to the guy and I have to look like I’ve been fighting with this weapon for a really long time, like all the weapons are an extension of the character. So yeah, it had to look good and it definitely had to train for it. I had a bit of a head start because I was in Wonderwoman and the Justice League films the year before and my weapon in that also happens to be a bow and arrow – so I’ve had a little bit of training. I love love love the bow and arrow, it’s such a cool weapon. I train as much as I can outside of shooting. I’m hoping to get real good at it.

So you feel like now, if there was a zombie apocalypse, you’d be sorted?

100%! I know what my weapon is! I know how I’m going to act! I know how to survive, I know that I can protect my family and my crew – and I’ll be fine in the zombie apocalypse.

The Walking Dead: Art Apocalypse opens in London

An official Walking Dead-themed immersive art gallery, The Walking Dead: Art Apocalypse, has opened on London’s Brick Lane.

The new gallery features immersive recreations of scenes from the show, winners of a nationwide fan art competition, and plenty of fan photo opportunities.

One recreation features The Governor’s room of decapitated walker heads, with which fans can take a picture. Another features the Junkyard Walker, Winslow, which Rick Grimes had to fight in season seven. There are also opportunities to take pictures with walkers (both restrained and unrestrained), and don the famous Rick Grimes sheriff hat.

Fans can learn all about the hard work that goes into making the Walking Dead, including learning about the prosthetics involved in creating the frightening walker visuals and what goes on behind the scenes to create the show. For those wanting to scare their friends and families, there is also the opportunity to have one’s own walker ‘make under’.

Completing the exhibition is twenty shortlisted entries of a national fan art competition launched by FOX last year. These were judged from more than 800 entries by a panel including Walking Dead‘s Special Effects guru Greg Nicotero.

The Walking Dead season 9 returns on Monday 11th February at 9pm on FOX.

The Walking Dead: Art Apocalypse is open to visitors on Friday 8th February (12-7pm) and Saturday 9th February (10am-5pm) at Truman Brewery, Ely’s Yard, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL.

The Walking Dead immersive art gallery to open in London

An official Walking Dead-themed immersive art gallery is set to open in London’s East End in February.

Opening in a pop up space in Shoreditch’s Truman Brewery, the gallery will open to fans on Friday 8th February (12-7pm) and Saturday 9th February (10am-5pm).

FOX’s The Walking Dead: Art Apocalypse will feature interactive displays including a recreation of The Governor’s room of decapitated walker heads, Daryl’s motorbike and immersive live reenactments of popular scenes from the series.

The exhibition will also shed light into the efforts of the series’ special effects team led by Greg Nicotero. Fans will get insight on what goes into making the frightening walker visuals, including deconstructing the make up and prosthetics process. There is also a chance for visitors to experience their own walker ‘make-under’.

Completing the exhibition will be twenty shortlisted entries of a national fan art competition launched by FOX last year. These were judged from more than 800 entries by a panel including Nicotero himself.

The Walking Dead season 9 returns on Monday 11th February at 9pm on FOX.

The Walking Dead: Art Apocalypse is open to visitors on Friday 8th February (12-7pm) and Saturday 9th February (10am-5pm) at Truman Brewery, Ely’s Yard, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL.

The Walking Dead’s Chandler Riggs discusses Andrew Lincoln’s exit

Former The Walking Dead star Chandler Riggs has broken his silence on Andrew Lincoln leaving the show.

Riggs played Lincoln’s on-screen son Carl Grimes for eight seasons, until his character was killed off in a shocking twist. Now, Lincoln is also departing from the hit series, meaning The Walking Dead will have to take a new direction without Rick Grimes as the lead character.

Rick will only appear on the show for six more episodes and reports claim fan favourite character Daryl (Norman Reedus) will stand in as the new lead.

Speaking on Good Day Sacramento, Riggs confessed he was “shocked” by the news of his co-star’s exit.

“Andy has been on the show for so long and he’s had to leave his family every single year,” he said (via ComicBook.com).

“I was surprised, but at the same time, it’s going to be good for him to get back to his family and raise his kids.”

It was announced at the end of last month that Lincoln would be walking from the show, after sticking with TWD since 2010.

Following reports of Lincoln’s exit, co-star Reedus posted an emotional Instagram snap of Rick and Daryl hugging.

❤️

A post shared by norman reedus (@bigbaldhead) on May 31, 2018 at 7:11pm PDT

The actor captioned the photo with a simple heart emoji.

INTERVIEW: The Walking Dead’s Pollyanna McIntosh spills the beans on THAT meat grinder scene

The Walking Dead is back from its midseason break with villains, violence and gore-aplenty.

In the recent tenth episode of the new series, ‘The Lost and the Plunderers’, the Walking Dead‘s most enigmatic newbie has revealed the truth behind the facade. The Scavenger leader, Jadis, hit rock bottom as her entire community was executed. However, she soon took charge of the situation – in one of the show’s most grim scenes to date.

We sat down with Jadis actor Pollyanna McIntosh to talk about Jadis’s backstory, what’s next for the character and filming THAT meat grinder scene.

What backstory did you have for Jadis before you started the show?

I had what you saw in [episode 10 – ‘The Lost and the Plunderers’]. I had that much. I didn’t know it was going to come out in this way because I didn’t know what was going to happen in the future. I did know she was an artist and she had an artistic community. I know a little bit more than that, but I didn’t know that we were going to hear that in tears on top of a dump in a white dress.

How was it to film the meat grinder trash compactor scene?

A pleasure. I’ve played a lot of characters who have gone through awful things and people are always asking [if it was hard]. Honestly, if you’re feeling those awful emotions and you’re going through the horror of it, truly, then you’re happy as Larry, because you know it’s going to work. There’s always a fear for an actor: am I going to be able to cry? Am I going to be able to feel this for an extended period of time?

For me anyway, I’m trying to calibrate myself so it’s there when it’s needed and but it’s not affecting the whole time. It’s a strange joy to know that you’re feeling awful if you’re supposed to be feeling awful in a scene. It was fun, but just my weird version of fun.

Have we seen a hint as to what she will turn into?

I hope so. We’ve definitely seen a bunch of layers coming off so far. I definitely would hope we get a bit more insight into her and who she is.

INTERVIEW: The Walking Dead’s Steven Ogg on what Simon and Negan will do next

The Walking Dead is back from its midseason finale, and the carefully constructed world of Negan and the Saviours is starting to crumble.

As the Alexandrians turn up the heat, Negan’s methods seem to making things more difficult. Now, in episode 10 ‘The Lost and the Plunderers’, right-hand-man Simon openly defied his leader. Are things going from bad to worse for Negan and the Saviours?

We sat down with Simon actor Steven Ogg to learn what’s going to happen next for Simon and Negan in season eight.

After the events of episode 10, could there be a showdown between Simon and Negan?

I think there’s obviously some disagreement between them, but Simon believes what he’s done is the best course of action at this point. We’ve been trying what Negan has been trying for this amount of time and where have we got? Kind of f***ing nowhere. So Simon’s like okay. Action time. Let’s get this moving. He would rather come back to Negan and explain it on the backhand, as opposed to try to explain it to Negan upfront and disagree.

Early on, you didn’t see Simon and Negan together at all, it’s because Simon was trusted. They have all those outposts and Simon was doing his thing. He was getting the job done because he was trusted. They obviously might have a bit of an argy-bargy, but I don’t think it’s a big concern. I don’t think Simon’s heading back after that and going ‘argh, what’s dad going to say?’. It’s just like, well this is what I did. Now we can get further ahead. Now we can make some progress here because what you’ve been doing hasn’t been working.

What do you think the key differences are between Simon and Negan?

Well, after the last episode, there’s a pretty big difference between them now in the way they’re operating and the way they’re getting stuff done.

Simon’s a peacocker too, but he does it back here, whereas Negan I think likes to peacock out front. I always call him the drummer, because he likes to get shit done without being at the front of the stage. I think that’s the biggest, fundamental difference. It’s not that Simon couldn’t lead, it’s that he’s allowing Negan to lead. Negan doesn’t mind being at the front of the stage, whereas Simon prefers to get stuff done back here. Their position is the biggest difference.

INTERVIEW: The Walking Dead stars on Carl’s death, gay romance and what to expect next

After last year’s shock cliffhanger, The Walking Dead is back for the rest of the season – albeit without one familiar face.

The death of long-term season regular Carl, played by Chandler Riggs, has completely changed the tone of the show. It’s a death that didn’t happen in the original comics and struck fans completely off-guard.

As the Alexandrians and allies inch closer to victory over the Saviours, the new season of the Walking Dead looks to be one of the most intense ever. We sat down with series regulars Austin Amelio (Dwight), Tom Payne (Jesus) and Ross Marquand (Aaron) to discuss the impact of Carl’s death, what’s still to come this season and a certain gay romance that takes place in the comics.

How do you feel Carl’s death has affected you on and off screen?

Tom: It’s a big diversification from the comic books, so it throws a hand grenade into the show from that respect. You can predict certain things from the comic books and certain things have happened and played out, but [Carl’s death] really does change everything up for everyone. I definitely said in the past I thought Carl was the future of the show, and that made absolute sense. It’s a big change.

On the show, when people leave, the group dynamic changes obviously, on screen and off screen and just to not have a young voice… We’ve got Katelyn [Nacon, who plays Enid], but to not have a young voice who’s been there from the very beginning, it’s kind of a weird thing.

Austin: He was one of the original pillars on the show. I think especially for Andy, it’s very tough for him.

Were you surprised then?

Ross: I think I learned about it when I first read the script. I was like, ‘oh my gosh!’. We all thought he was the future of the show, so it’s definitely a massive departure from the comics.

Tom: It’s definitely one of those things you hear and you’re like wait… no… like wow, okay.

What is Dwight’s long-term plan now? Nobody trusts him and his only playing card is the fact he knows how the Saviours work.

Austin: I don’t think he has a long-term plan right now. He’s kind of living day to day. He knows that he could go at any moment, with the moves he’s making. He’s a good guy and a bad spot. If he knows his time is coming, he wants some redemption and he wants to do some good for the world and I think that’s getting rid of Negan. That’s consuming his mind right now.

There’s no thought of finding Sherry?

Austin: I mean, long-term, sure. A nice honeymoon with Sherry would be nice. He would like to get back to his wife, but we’re living in a pretty dangerous world so I think he’s just focusing on what he can do right now.

Could we talk about Aaron’s personal journey in season eight?

Ross: I think the loss of [Eric] – I think it hit him like a ton of bricks. It’s affected him in that he’s living with more immediacy. I think he’s taking in every moment as it comes and just realising if he leaves that community, the Oceansiders, without them getting on board, he will have failed. The whole mission was to get them on the side of the Alexandrians so that we could all fight. He needs to get them on side so they will win this.

Otherwise, his life has no purpose right now. Gracie was a mission, he had to take this baby somewhere. Now he’s done that, he’s like, ‘what else can I focus on?’ because he can’t focus on the loss of Eric right now. He needs to focus his energy into something positive.

Aaron and Jesus have a romance in the comics. Is that something you would like to happen in the TV show?

Tom: We just chatted about that at lunch! First of all, [Aaron’s] boyfriend just died. We both find it funny when people approach us about that, it literally just happened, his boyfriend just died.

We also thought it might be quite lazy if that happened. It might be fun, actually, if we did a kind of a riff on it and had a funny conversation about it and just be like, ‘you know, everyone kind of thinks we should like…’ and just put it in the show. I think that would be quite funny. Not everyone on the show has a romantic relationship, there aren’t that many. It’s like Michonne and Rick and that’s it right now?

Austin: Dwight and Sherry.

Tom: She ran away. She’s gone.

Austin: In my eyes, she’s out there somewhere.

What can you hint about the rest of the season?

Ross: I think the conclusion to the war is the thing that’s most exciting to me, because the communities do come together at the end of the season in a really cool way.

Tom: Yeah, the war does end this season. Can we say that?

Ross: We can say that.