EXCLUSIVE
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[h=1]Walking Dead Midseason Finale Post Mortem:

 

Emily THR
http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/entry/view/id/868351

 

[h=1]‘The Walking Dead’ star Norman Reedus on that ‘devastating’ midseason finale and Daryl’s sexual orientation[/h]by Dalton Ross | December 1 2014 — 12:10 PM EST

Image Credit: Gene Page/AMC​

[SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you have already watched Sunday’s midseason finale of The Walking Dead.]It was an emotional midseason finale episode of The Walking Dead on Sunday night, especially for star Norman Reedus who woke up “sad” and “depressed” this morning after watching the episode last night and reliving the death of Emily Kinney’s Beth all over again. Reedus called into Entertainment Weekly Radio (SiriusXM, channel 105) this morning to talk all about Daryl Dixon and the big installment, copping an inadvertent feel on Kinney, what to expect coming up, and his reaction to Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman’s clarification on last night’s Talking Dead as to Daryl’s sexual orientation.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I know how super emotional it is for you guys when you have to say goodbye to a cast member. What was it like having to film these last scenes with Emily Kinney, who played Beth?
NORMAN REEDUS: It was rough. I won’t lie, it was rough. She’s such an amazing girl and such a great actress and what her character meant to our characters was a big deal, so to lose that was a very emotional day for everyone. It felt like you actually lost a friend.
And I know you do take things very hard and you had some trouble before filming this scene, didn’t you?
I think all the characters are sort of hanging on a thread, not in terms of being killed off the show but their emotional state. All of us are walking that fine line between completely savage and broken and I really wanted to play out that scene as devastated. And it means as much to Daryl as it meant to all of us. I really wanted to be completely devastated by that and taken off guard by that. Daryl’s one of those guys — he’s tough but he doesn’t puff out his chest and have to be tough. He’s just tough. And you can’t really have one without the other. You can’t just be one-note tough. You have to show reasons as to why he fights and you have to show the world that we’re living in. So he had to be devastated by that.
We’ve talked before how Daryl is such a tough guy, but he has some very tender and childlike qualities as well, especially when confronted with tragedy. We saw it when Merle was a zombie and we saw it again here when he watches Beth get shot. All that tough stuff just evaporates.
Yeah, he’s never been a showboat, and I think as an adult he’s taken a lot of the trauma that he had growing up and he’s taken it with him and you don’t fully became one or the other. I think in a tragic situation it’s fight or flight, and he’s always been a fighter, but at the end of the fight, I don’t think he ever feels proud of himself, you know what I mean?
He does not hesitate. He puts a bullet right through Dawn’s skull. Is that just a natural gut reaction?
I think so. That’s just animal instinct kicking in, and he’s kind of a wild animal in a lot of ways. He wouldn’t flinch at that. He would just do that.
So did Emily Kinney’s lifeless body get a little heavy after multiple takes of carrying her out of the hospital?
[Laughs] You know, she’s not a heavy girl. I wouldn’t say that. But it’s this defeated posture. I couldn’t walk her out like a fireman saving a baby. It couldn’t be like that. Everything had to hang. It wasn’t the most comfortable position to carry someone. You kind of have to be sobbing and hang as you carry her. It can’t be a heroic thing, it has to be a devastating thing. I think I grabbed her boob once by accident. After like, six takes and you’re walking really slow and sobbing, I thought maybe I would drop her at least once, but I didn’t.
What does the loss of Beth do to Daryl and to the group moving forward?
She was such a beacon of hope, that girl. She sang and she had a positive outlook and she was hopeful. All these little slivers of hope are being taken from this group one by one. It just gets worse and worse and worse. Humanity and the goodness in people is slowly being evaporated from their world. I think she was a big beacon of hope for us, and to watch her go is just devastating.
How is Daryl feeling about Rick’s decision making? We saw last week he actually sided with Tyreese’s plan instead of Rick just wanting to go into the hospital guns blazing. Is part of his job to keep Rick 2.0 in check a little from time to time?
One of the joys of watching the show is you see these little gifts that we give each other. And Rick’s done it to me quite a bit of times, and if you watch the episode with Carol, we see the little kids behind the glass and Daryl says “You don’t have to do it,” and then Daryl is going to go burn those bodies while she’s asleep. It’s just these little things where we have each other’s backs and that moment with Tyreese, Tyreese is really shaken-up and he’s had a hard time killing people, and Daryl is looking at Tyreese and thinking, you can’t fail. You have to be at 10. You can’t be at 3 and go in there. So while Rick is down there on the ground and drawing a map, he’s not really looking at Tyreese. Daryl is looking at Tyreese, and he realizes that he may screw this up, so Daryl sides with Tyreese and Rick doesn’t really know why because Rick didn’t see Tyreese flinching like that. So it’s little gift that Daryl gave Tyreese. But Rick listens to Daryl now. So that was between me and Tyreese, and Rick’s done that for Daryl numerous times, and Carol has done that for Daryl, and Glenn has done that for him. It’s these little gifts you give each other to show solidarity and friendship and that you have each other’s backs and that’s what that was. The same thing when I beat the guy over the head with the skull and Rick is ready to shoot him — Daryl wants to play the smart move. Four aces is better than three aces. He just wants to get the girls back, which is why it is so devastating for him in the end. He’s just playing good poker there.
We’ve had some seasons with tons of action and others with tons of character development, but this is I would argue the best one at really marrying both of those things. We got through both the Terminus threat and the hospital threat in only 8 episodes yet we also had a lot of character study in there. Would you agree that this season has excelled in that way?
Oh, man, you ain’t seen nothing yet. It just gets more so. It’s very well thought out this season, and a really strong combination of both of those things — character and action. And with both of those things comes a lot of sorrow and even mini-victories here and there. But it’s gonna become even more complicated in the back eight episodes.
I know you just wrapped production on season 5 last week. What’s that like in terms of bring excited about making it through another campaign but also saying goodbye to this on-set family for a good five months or whatever?
I feel like I’m still in it to be honest. I feel like I’m just visiting my apartment in New York and I’m about to go back. It takes you a while to decompress from it, and all of us are emailing each other on group emails already. All of us are doing that. It’s weird to be home for a minute. Even watching last night’s episode I woke up this morning feeling really down.
In what sense?
Just sad. I woke up sad. You put a lot of time and effort into all of this and you don’t just snap out of it sometimes. So I woke up pretty depressed.
What can you tell us about what we’re going to see coming up when the show returns?
It’s a very different show, the back eight. It’s still the same show, but it’s very different circumstances. Personalities really come to a boil and a lot of unexpected things are going to happen because it’s in a very different vein. You see us in a very different circumstance and it becomes very desperate. And there’s a false level of security that really messes with everyone.
I don’t know if you watched The Talking Dead last night, but Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman went out of his way to explain that Daryl is straight because of all that hubbub where he mentioned in the letters section of the comics that there had been talk of having the character be gay at one point. Does it amuse and confuse you as to why people are so invested in Daryl Dixon’s sexual orientation?
[Laughs] It’s funny that you brought that up because he caught of a lot of grief for even mentioning anything. Sometimes stories just get blown out of proportion. Whatever they gave me to do, I would happily do it and I don’t think it matters one way or another his sexual orientation. He’s an honest, badass dude and he has a lot of heart to him and it doesn’t really matter. It’s so funny when you meet people and their reaction to this and to that — and believe me they go from all the way far left to all the way far right. I didn’t really address that when it came out because it doesn’t matter. And whatever they give me to do, I would have done. But it’s kind of funny watching him cover his tracks a bit. A lot of times stories do get blown way out of proportion.

 

Gimple
http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/entry/view/id/868412

 

Gimple
http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/12/01/t...mple-coda-midseason-finale-burning-questions/

 

One more
http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/wal...em-scott-gimple-talks-tragic-coda-1201367848/

 

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Walking-Dead-Postmortem-Scott-Gimple-1090010.aspx

 

'The Walking Dead' star Andrew Lincoln talks 'cruel' twist and reveals the true meaning behind the 'shut up' line





By Dalton Ross on Dec 1, 2014 at 6:11PM

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[SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you have already watched Sunday’s midseason finale of The Walking Dead.]

What the hell has happened to Rick Grimes? The dude has gone from refusing to carry a firearm to gunning down anyone and anything in his path. And then, after he guns them down, he tells them to shut up! Does that make any sense? Beats me! So we went to the source himself for answers. We checked in with Andrew Lincoln to talk all about the big Walking Dead midseason finale, and the star was more than happy to spill secrets. What kind of secrets, you ask? Secrets like whom Rick is actually addressing when he tells dead Bob to “Shut up.” (Hint: not dead Bob.) Secrets like an awkward Beth-Rick storyline Lincoln proposed a few seasons back that was shot down. (No pun intended.) And secrets like giving us some intel about what is coming up in the next few episodes and whom to keep an eye on. Read through our two page deep dive to get your full Walking Deadmidseason finale scoop. (Also make sure to check out our midseason finale Q&A with Norman Reedus, our emotional chat with Emily Kinney, and our burning questions with showrunner Scott M. Gimple.)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Tell me about the emotions of having to say goodbye to Emily Kinney, who played Beth on the show?
ANDREW LINCOLN: Yeah, man. That was such a body blow. I really didn’t see it coming. I had absolutely no idea and I think everyone was reeling from that one. Always when you get about three episodes without a death you know it doesn’t bode well. Everybody starts getting twitchy. Emily is such a beloved person on set and such an incredible actress. I understood it. You get it in hindsight because you know if she hadn’t done such a magnificent job portraying this character she probably wouldn’t be in the firing line, you know what I mean? It’s symptomatic of such a great performance that we needed an emotional impact, and unfortunately, Beth was the character to do it this season, and it was harrowing.
The whole experience of shooting it was, as always, painful. And also you do feel robbed as well because I did not get enough time with her. I remember doing a scene with Emily during the Hershel beheading and she’s such a fine actress. I was in the middle of the scene and I walked forward to the fence having this exchange with the Governor and I remember putting my hand down and reaching out, and as he brought Hershel and Michonne on to their knees and my hand came out, she held my hand. She just knew it was there. It was that kind of amazing sense that she had. I really regret not having more time with her. I actually pitched an idea, I think in season 3. I said, “I think Beth should have a crush on Rick. And Rick doesn’t have a clue how to deal with it. And also, Carl is really upset about it. And then Hershel gets involved as well.” And everybody ignored me as usual. But I thought it was quite a good pitch.
I’ve seen you on set before and you are an intense guy and this was an intense sequence at the hospital. What did you do to get in the right place for filming that?
We all go off and do our own sort of crazy stuff and I think the crew is used to us being a little crazy. Certainly when you do a scene like that which is so odd and upsetting and strange I kind of just listen to music and get quiet before I do it. And then if it’s a physical scene you need to be amped up and I’ll do a physical preparation, but with that one it was just an odd experience because it was a new environment. It was a strange environment with new people, having what should have been a hostage exchange that just goes wrong. It was uncomfortable. I didn’t enjoy it. It’s not an enjoyable scene. And also, to lose somebody that is so important to the group that we would be fighting to find, was unbearable.
And it’s a funny thing because there’s a scene where we come out of the hospital in the aftermath and Norman is carrying Emily and I am sort of leading the way. And I had made a conscious decision that Rick is driven on this, he’s just done on this. He’s gonna push people forward and not get emotionally engaged. I tried to do it. And then having Lauren Cohan and Steven’s reaction to seeing the body carried by Norman was unbearable. I kept having to turn away from the camera because my eyes were just weeping. Tears were rolling down my face. Watching LC and Steven’s performances in that scene, my mind exploded reconstituting that stuff, and then exploded again. They were so good. It was just a bad day at the office, dude. I hate saying goodbye to people at the best of times. But when Emily Kinney, who is such a fine actress and one of the sweetest human beings you are ever going to meet — it was a terribly sad episode. And we’re still reeling. She was family. It sucks.
I know it’s tough for you guys off-screen, but what does the loss of Beth do to Rick and to the group moving forward on-screen?
I think Rick is one of these people that can partition and put it aside and actually use it for fuel to push him and the rest of the group forward. I think he has to because everybody is yet again lost. We have a reunion and we’re back together, but we’re lost. And yet again we’re in a desperate place and we’re in the middle of Atlanta that is overrun. We’re compromised, yet it’s one of these places where he has to step forward as a leader. There isn’t time to dwell on this. He has to keep pushing his troops forward. But whether or not that happens with the other characters is another thing.
Let’s talk about that first scene. You’re chasing this cop who’s fleeing, you hit him with your car, break his neck, then shoot him, then tell him to shut up, which seems a bit out of order. Usually you tell somebody to shut up and then you shoot him!
[Laughs] Your reaction is exactly the same reaction I had when I read the script! I went, “Let me just get this right, Scott. I say ‘shut up’ after I’ve shot the dude?” And he went, “Yep.” And I went “Okay. I’m going to find a way to do this.” I guffawed. Sometimes you have moments playing this role where you just go, “Oh, thank you!” Because you know what? The last episode I was furious. I kept saying, “Why don’t I shoot the bald dude?!? Why can’t I shoot him, Scott? Let me shoot him!” I said, “Scott, I want to shoot this guy.” And he goes, “You’re being tethered by Daryl. Daryl’s your emotional anchor. You’re still anchored by people — your friendships and your family.” And I’m like, “Uggggghhhhhh. I still want to kill him, Scott! I mean, the plan was to slit their throats. Help me out here.” And he goes. “No!” So I was quite relieved when I read episode eight, because of course as usual with Scott Gimple he’s always like, “Wait. We aregoing to get there. Don’t worry about that.” So I read the teaser and I just went, “Oh my lord! It’s beyond badass. It’s ridiculous.”
But the “shut up” thing was really interesting because the way I justified it was when I echo Gareth by saying “Can’t go back, Bob” — I think that part of it was him going “shut up” to Gareth. Because otherwise, really? I’m saying “shut up” after I shot the guy? Which really made me laugh. And to their credit, [writer] Angela [Kang] and Scott were laughing when they told me. They were like, “Yeah, we thought it would be really cool.” And I was like, “That’s not good enough! You’ve got to give me some help here!” So that’s the way I justified it, is that it was to Gareth. It was extraordinary shooting that scene.
It’s interesting because when Rick says that same line Gareth said with “Cant go back, Bob” — that made me worry for Rick and is this guy going to that place and going that far to where Gareth was?
That’s what I love about this show and the writing the past few years are the echoes. And its almost like there are certain moments and things that we do that resemble the Claimers. Like we’re whistling a lot this season, which is what they did. There’s a scene on the rooftop where I signal to the family that the deal is on, which is that hand clench that Gareth did as well. There are a lot of echoes that we’re putting in that makes you ask: How far gone are these people? How far gone is Rick? Is he too far gone? Is he becoming one of these people? And that’s the exciting thing going on in this journey. The writers keep throwing in these strange moments where you ask yourself: Who are we rooting for here? What line have we crossed? But then, Dalton…he should have stopped! I did say stop! C’mon! I gave him fair warning. And he was going to go back to the hospital. He had to get it!
You were very clear in your instructions, sir.
I was so clear! So clear! Couldn’t have bee more clear. He should have stopped!
It is curious, however, then that Rick invites anyone in the hospital to join with their group. Why do that considering how untrusting he is of everyone in general at this point?
It’s a very good point to identify and I think it was much more directed towards the people behind the cops. It was more like, you’ve taken one of us so I’m gonna to take what I want. It was a power play. Also, I played it kind of like — let’s finish this. Let’s finish it right now. I was furious and I wanted to take on more people. I wanted to provoke. That’s the way I wanted it. I wasn’t done with the situation and I was so hurting that I wanted to vent.
You’ve had to play Rick in a lot of different emotional states. He’s a guy of extremes. There is no middle ground. We’ve seen him crazy and seeing ghosts, we’ve seen him refuse to engage in any violence, and we’ve seen him now be super violent. I have to imagine it is at least a lot of fun to play him this way.
I mean, there is a recklessness and freedom to this Rick that I haven’t experienced before which is really exciting. As an actor, you feel like you can push a lot more. There’s a lot more freedom to play lots of different emotions. And when you read a teaser like that with “shut up” — it’s such a treat. I just go, I can’t believe I get to do this job for a living. It’s the coolest job. And certainly it’s worth saying that episode 9 is one of the great episodes we’ve ever done. And 10 is the episode I always wanted to make. And then we do something very, very different in the back half, but believe me when I say it comes full circle and I think the back eight is some of the most interesting storytelling we’ve ever done on this show. It’s so exciting to do. It’s been scary, but also it’s been thrilling because it’s so different.
I was talking to Norman Reedus and said how I feel like we’ve had some seasons ofThe Walking Dead with a lot of action and others with a lot of character development, but this one feels like it’s done the best job so far of combining both of those elements. Would you agree with that?
I think you’re absolutely right. And that’s why when we finished this season four days ago the crew and the cast were the most buoyant we’ve ever been, because it felt like we got through this incredible roller coaster of a season that had everything — the big set pieces, the thrill rides, the intense character moments, the horror. But also in just ambition and scale, you’re right. It feels, certainly for me looking at the performances around me, it no longer feels like an ensemble — it’s a cast of leading actors. You watch out for Steven Yeun in this back eight. You watch out for this young man. I think he’s a rare talent, amongst other people.
We also introduce a lot of new characters in this back eight, and Scott and the writers have done a tremendous job of servicing maybe 24 principal characters. It’s been an astonishing feat from their end as well. But I do have to say that losing Emily — it was so painful on so many levels. I adore the girl. I think she’s amazing. We lost the voice, her song. And after her having such a tremendous episode that she led in in episode 4 to not even get the chance… I mean, I had three or four seconds to act with her and then she was taken away. It’s just cruel, this job, man. It’s just cruel.