The Stars Of ‘The Walking Dead’ And ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Reflect On Their Bloody Sunday Finale And Premiere

After an explosive season finale of The Walking Dead and an intense season premiere of Fear the Walking Dead last Sunday night, fans have been gnawing at their fingertips to find out what will happen next for their favorite characters on the hit AMC shows. In a post-apocalyptic world ruled by gruesome and remorseless zombies, nothing can ever be certain. Will the beloved Maggie Green become a villain in the next season of The Walking Dead? What will happen to Morgan on Fear the Walking Dead?

The Inquisitr had the chance to speak with some of the stars before they took to the red carpet to celebrate the ‘Survival Sunday’ event at AMC Empire 25 in New York City on April 15. Seth Gilliam, Josh McDermitt, Colman Domingo, and Kim Dickens were on hand to answer a couple of burning questions from die-hard fans who were fortunate enough to be in attendance.

Gilliam, who plays Father Gabriel on The Walking Dead, has become a fan-favorite with viewers in recent weeks. Playing a big part in Negan’s downfall in the appropriately titled episode, “Wrath.” Father Gabriel finally understood his purpose after the all-out war between Rick’s group and the Saviors, ultimately helping Eugene see the light. It was a far cry from Gabriel’s original introduction in Season 5.

“It’s been a fun ride to play someone who turned you off in one sense, and suddenly [is able to] turn you on,” Gilliam exclusively told the Inquisitr. “Trying to find that shady grey area has been a lot of fun, and very rewarding for me as an actor. He’s a survivor. You think that he is weak, and he’s not. If he was weak, he’d be dead. He has weak moments, but who doesn’t?”

McDermitt’s Eugene Porter is a character that knows weak moments all too well. After letting his cowardice control his destiny for the majority of his adult life, Eugene unexpectedly emerged as the true hero in The Walking Dead’s epic season finale. The cunning Porter wound up sabotaging the Saviors’ guns with faulty bullets that would eventually pave the way for Rick’s big victory over his longtime nemesis.

“Eugene is ultimately loyal to himself. The thing that was pretty obvious, that people seemed to forget, is that Eugene was kidnapped by the Saviors,” McDermitt revealed to the Inquisitr. “He didn’t say, ‘Oh, I’m going to live with them.’ It was like, ‘No. We have you now. You either work for us or you die.’ And so in order to preserve his own life, he went to work– begrudgingly, against his former friends and townspeople. He’s only been loyal to himself.”

That thought process has been the exact opposite for Domingo’s Victor Strand and Dickens’ Madison Clark. The two characters need each other more than they’ll ever know on Fear the Walking Dead. Domingo speculated why that happens to be the case for the pair.

“I think they now have an immediate history. A history that is founded in this apocalypse,” nodded Domingo. “They become a blended family in a way–I’m sure–that they could never imagine.”

Dickens couldn’t agree more with her 48-year-old co-star. After everything Madison and Strand have been through, they have come to the realization that they are far more similar than they are different.

“They recognize something familiar in each other. They come from vastly different backgrounds. Obviously, we have vastly different histories. I think Madison probably does see more goodness in Strand than he sees in himself, you know? And probably vice-versa.”

Before departing, Dickens tells fans of both shows that only one thing can be expected when the cameras aren’t rolling, and the answer might not be surprising for people who are familiar with the sense of humor from the two casts.

“Hijinks. That’s if you see the outtakes,” the actress laughed.

The two shows have finally meshed and the fans will be in for more heart-jolting surprises in Fear the Walking Dead as they wait for the return of The Walking Dead after summer.