Chad L. Coleman Talks About the Death of Tyreese and His Next Show
The recently and dearly departed Tyreese, Chad L. Coleman, popped into Reddit yesterday for an AMA (Ask Me Anything), where he answered fan questions about The Walking Dead, himself and more. First things first, yes, he kept the hammer, but it’s made of plastic.
Coleman admitted during the AMA he was shocked when he was told Tyreese would be killed off.
“I was surprised when I found out. I probably said “Wow” about 500 times. I guess I didn’t see it coming,” he said.
Coleman said the toughest part was leaving the friends he had made on the cast.
“I’d grown attached to all of those actors, particularly Sonequa Martin Green, and Melissa McBride, and Norman Reedus, and Andy Lincoln, and Lawrence Gilliard, Jr., and Michael Cudlitz, and Alanna Masterson… and I don’t want to leave people out – I really was connected to everybody. They all had a fond place in my heart. So that was the hardest part. And just knowing I’m not going to be able to wake up and go to battle with those folks,” Coleman said.
But at least he went out with a powerful episode. Tyreese said the hallucination scene with The Governor from “What’s Happening and What’s Going On” is one of his two favorite Tyreese scenes from the show, sharing the spotlight with the scene from “The Grove” where Tyreese forgives Carol for killing Karen. Filming the hallucinations scenes was “incredibly intense, and very exhausting,” he said, but the other actors made it easier by being very professional and motivated.
Of course, it was heartbreaking when Tyreese died, but Coleman said that shouldn’t be interpreted as Tyreese giving up on his hope.
“Yeah, you know, Tyreese never gave up HOPE. His heart just stopped. He was fighting hard to stay alive. The only reason he said to turn it off was because he knew his heart was gonna stop. He wanted to live. But his body just couldn’t hold up,” Coleman said.
Coleman also talked about his next role, playing a military man on Syfy’s The Expanse, coming some time this year.
“Yeah, you know, we don’t have that spaceship drama. And it’s 200 years into the future, and we have people inhabiting Mars, and the belt of Mars, and it’s an amazing international cast, and it’s based on these novels, “Leviathan Wakes.” And I have an amazing role – you haven’t seen me like this. This man is a commander, Frederick Lucius Johnson. He’s a helluva leader. But he’s not the warm and fuzzy guy Tyreese was. You’re not quite sure what Fred’s going to do, but Fred is going to get the mission done,” Coleman said.
Beyond acting, Coleman has charity projects in the works, including “Chad’s Fighting Chance,” a boxing-based charity that will mentor kids, and “Laughter is the Best Medicine,” a three day comedy and reconciliation event that will work to heal the wounds left over from a police shooting and ensuing violence in Ferguson, Mo.