Stars of The Walking Dead have reacted to the death of one of the show’s main characters. Spoilers follow.
During the midseason finale of season 8 in December, the character of Carl Grimes (played by Chandler Riggs) was bitten by a zombie. Grimes finally said his goodbyes as his death was shown in the midseason premiere, which aired in the US last night (February 25).
Fans were not happy with the plot twist, not least because the character is still alive in the comic books on which the series was based, and features in a very prominent storyline later down the line.
Now on last night’s companion show Talking Dead, many of Riggs’ co-stars spoke about working with the actor and how he would be missed.
“I always just think of Chandler as a sound, caring person who you can get honest advice from. And he’s a beautiful, compassionate, spiritual person,” said co-star Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie Greene in the show.
“He started off almost like an old soul. He knew what he was doing. He knew what it all meant. He knew what it was all about from the beginning. And watching him grow into a leading man was a real joy,” added Norman Reedus, aka Daryl Dixon.
Andrew Lincoln, who plays Carl’s father Rick, said of Riggs: “He’s my American son. To watch someone grow onscreen and off these past eight years has been one of the great privileges of my career… He’s a very, very special part of my life.”
Lincoln also sang about the character. See that in the clip below.
?“God I hate those frickin’ zombies. They keep eating all my friends and family.”? Tune in this Sunday at 9/8c to say goodbye to Carl. #TWD pic.twitter.com/lZQrxCh5Ld
— The Walking Dead on AMC (@WalkingDead_AMC) February 23, 2018
Riggs had previously said that leaving the show “wasn’t my decision”, though he added that “it was all story-related” and said: “It made sense story-wise for it to happen for Rick and Michonne and all the other characters.”
The Walking Dead was was renewed for a ninth season in January.