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Best of the best

‘The Walking Dead’ cast. GENE PAGE/AMC (3)

The cast members of The Walking Dead select the scenes and episodes that mean the most to them over the entire run of the series.

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Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan)

JACE DOWNS/AMC

I think the highlight of everything and the culmination of all of it was the “Here’s Negan” episode for me. We had to play the long game there. And even if it only gave the Negan sympathy for that 40 minutes and then you hated him again afterwards, it’s okay, because we got a foot in the f—ing door there with a lot of people. It was just a special thing to be able to film and work with [wife Hilarie Burton] and all of it. I just thought that script was great.

It was a weird time. It was during those pandemic six episodes. My whole family was living on the Alexandria set. A whole lot of stuff was going on in that episode, and I loved finding who Negan was, because that was me also finding out a lot who he was. You can think about your backstory all you want, but when you play it out, it really comes to life.

And so then moving forward for me into season 11 and having those kind of introspective moments that Negan had, which we never really had before because he was always motor mouthing, it helped having done the “Here’s Negan” episode. I felt like I knew more about him. And now going into even the new show, using that as part of the foundation of who he is has been an extraordinary gift to have. And so now I’ve got layers upon layers that I can pull from in doing this new adventure. And it’s awesome. It’s been invaluable.

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Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier)

GENE PAGE/AMC

So many scenes I’ve filmed, and a few episodes, that are particularly special to me — it’s difficult to pick. As for the episodes I’ve actually been in, first to my mind always seems to be “The Grove.” One reason that episode is so special to me is because it was Mike Satrazemis’ directorial debut. He’d been on the series from the start as a camera operator, then director of photography, and in those positions he was always so helpful.

Our camera crew is the best, and with the perspective they have, it’s no surprise many go to directing. Getting to work with Mike in that capacity was such a treat, and the episode itself was so well-written by Scott Gimple — so complex, and so pivotal for Carol. To act that story out with Chad Coleman, Brighton Sharbino and Kyla Kennedy was thrilling. Episodes that have both that intensity and still somehow maintain space to breathe, I love those. “Consumed” with Norman, is another. Andy in “Indifference” is another.

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Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon)

JACKSON LEE DAVIS/AMC

When Rick blew up on the bridge, that scene was extra special to me. I was originally written to run with the group down the bridge and be like, “No!” But Greg [Nicotero] directed that episode, and we came up with this idea that it was like he’d be in a hospital bed dying and I’m holding his hand. I know he’s not going to make it through that. So to run on the bridge and be like, “Nooooo!”… everybody’s doing that already.

So we made this change where I’m just locking eyes with him and I’m shooting zombies that are walking towards him, but it’s more about me and him connecting. I’m here. I want you to be the last face I see before this is over. And it turned out to be such an emotionally charged scene. And it’s kind of because I’m a wimp, it’s kind because I love Andy, and it’s kind of because of the characters, but it all just came together and I was just crying like a baby.

He came down off the bridge for my close up and he’s standing by the camera and everyone’s crying. Andy’s bawling behind the camera. I’m bawling in front of the camera. But I like that we took that moment and we altered it and we made it different than just “Nooooo!” I’m glad that we put in the work to change it. And Greg, to his credit, he let me do it.

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Lauren Cohan (Maggie Rhee)

Lauren Cohan on ‘The Walking Dead’. ELI ADE/AMC

It’s always these moments. It’s Sophia coming outta the barn, it’s Daryl coming outta the hospital holding Beth, and it’s standing at the fence with Beth when the governor killed Hershel. And it’s getting on the bus with the psych-out moment that it’s Glenn, and discovering it’s not him and that he’s still alive in season 6 when I’m looking for him. There’s definitely a theme of receiving news of losing a loved one or witnessing the loss of a family member that’s made a deep, deep impact because usually you’re with another family member just sort of embracing each other and that really resonates.

The way the show delivers those moments are so sad, but so defining. And I see them the way I saw them in the episode, but I feel them the way I felt when I made them when we were doing the scenes. It’s all pretty heavy. It’s actually giving me a whole body sensation right now, and it’s not goosebumps. It’s like heat on a dermal layer.

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Michael James Shaw (Mercer)

JACE DOWNS/AMC

I’ve had beautiful moments with all the actors on the show, but my favorite moment I have filmed was definitely with Princess. In episode 16, “Trust,” we got to explore a beautifully written arc. Paola Lázaro is a phenomenal human being and extraordinary actress. I love the journey we’ve taken as characters coming together. When I’m working with Paola, it’s like there’s no one else in the room. It makes it easy to be vulnerable. All of our work together stands out for me.

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Paola Lázaro (Princess)

There are three episodes and three moments that have stuck with me and will continue to be near and dear to me from my experience on the show. I will list them:

1. As an audience member: Watching the episode “The Grove” (in which Carol has to sacrifice Lizzie) and being blown away by the incredible writing and the performances from the cast members.

2. As an actress: Being able to talk about mental health and perhaps make way for conversations surrounding the topic while filming and performing episode 20 from season 10, titled “Splinter.”

3. As an actress watching the work of other actors on the show: I have to point out the beautiful moment between Melissa (Carol) and Angel (Kelly) when they are in the car talking about how adversity and what seem to be obstacles in our lives can become our superpowers.

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Margot Bingham (Max)

JACE DOWNS/AMC

My favorite scene is definitely when Max exposes herself for not being Stephanie. I remember that whole day. We were filming in the middle of town, word had gotten out that we were there, so a lot of fans were around. I was still somewhat of a secret, so it was tricky. And it was with Josh McDermitt (Eugene), whom everyone just adores, so the phones and cameras were out! Michael Cudlitz was directing and I’m such a big fan of his! I was nervous about the fans, I was nervous about impressing Cudlitz, it was kinda Josh and my first real scene together, and it was an intense one so I was nervous about that too!

In the scene, Eugene is burning his manuscript and his world is crumbling, and then Max comes in behind him in the alleyway and says the line she used over the radio when they first were connected. Josh had to be set up over this massive fire, his mullet was SO close to the flame! LOL Poor guy was drenched, it was so hot, we had zero time to get the shot… it was wild. And then, Max was born.

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Josh McDermitt (Eugene Porter)

GENE PAGE/AMC

Where Glenn and Abraham died. We had been building to that moment for so long, and not one person phoned it in, including our background actors. We had 100 of them. We had so many camera operators, so much crew. Everyone was on the same page, and just gelling. We were just so locked in, and it wasn’t until after it happened that we were all like, “Holy s—, that happened.”And I think that scene is probably one of the coolest scenes I’ve ever shot of anything. I don’t know what could top it, really.

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Cailey Fleming (Judith Grimes)

JOSH STRINGER/AMC

There are so many great moments that I got to have on the show that it almost seems impossible to narrow it down to just a few favorites. Episode 914 will ALWAYS be one of my favorite episodes for Judith. I had my first onscreen walker kill, which was the most exciting thing! I also got to work alongside the incredibly talented Miss Danai Gurira, who always brightens up everything that she is a part of. She has been such a huge inspiration to me as an actress, and as an all around human! I’m so lucky to have been able to portray her onscreen daughter.

Another memory that I will never forget is the episodes with Judith and Gracie in the basement. That was an experience like no other! We worked SO hard those couple of days, but also had SO much fun! Anabelle, who plays Gracie, is just such a joy to be around. I remember playing games underwater in between setups. SO. MUCH. FUN!

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Ross Marquand (Aaron)

I think my favorite scene on The Walking Dead has got to be one of the more recent episodes that I shot with Cassady when we’re at the Renaissance Faire, just getting that nice little insight into who Aaron was before the apocalypse. We so rarely get to see glimpses of who any of these characters are or were before the s— went down, and I just thought it was such a beautiful moment between these two characters. It was a nice little insight into his relationship with Eric, and it was also, at the same time, a great bit of advice for Lydia, and it was a beautiful bonding moment. I just loved working with Cassady and thought that the scene was beautifully written and it was a really, really wonderful moment of the show.

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Cassady McClincy (Lydia)

JACKSON LEE DAVIS/AMC

It’s so hard to choose just one. I feel like this answer will constantly change as I reminisce about my time on the show throughout my life. I always loved being all together with everyone, but some of those intimate scenes felt so special and rewarding. I always say it was the snowball fight scene that was completely improvised because we had so much fun, but I also loved being depressed with Carol, and goofy with Melissa.

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Lauren Ridloff (Connie)

JACE DOWNS/AMC

The ‘On the Inside” episode is definitely one of my favorites. It was very intense. And while it is an important part of The Walking Dead story, I felt like it was a unique vibe. It was like a standalone horror film on its own. And being paired with that reuniting of Kelly and Connie was definitely a mirror of real life.

We ended up shooting this right after COVID, and when I was reunited with Kelly, I hadn’t seen Angel for a while. So we were just starting to shoot, and I had asked [director Greg Nicotero] if we could keep it that way, that I didn’t want to see Angel because I didn’t want our paths to cross while we were shooting until we actually shot that scene where Kelly and Connie were reunited. Everybody went out of their way to make sure that we did not see each other during that shoot. And it was definitely an important moment to me when we were reunited.

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Eleanor Matsuura (Yumiko Okumura)

JACE DOWNS/AMC

Looking back, some of those early first scenes we shot when our group first arrived were so epic. I will never forget Cailey Fleming first appearing as Judith Grimes, putting on the hat and introducing herself to us. I got chills when we shot it, such an iconic moment. Also any scene where we got to communicate through ASL felt special — like, what a superpower we had to have this skill in our arsenal. Lauren Ridloff and her team always guided us through with such patience. Any scene where we get to use ASL always felt the most authentic and was a true pleasure to shoot.

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Okea Eme-Akwari (Elijah)

JACE DOWNS/AMC

Episode 19 of this season was easily one of my favorites to shoot. There were more than a few moments in there that I was really excited to read in the script as both a fan of the show and an actor on it. But I think what really made that episode special was the time I was able to spend off-camera with various members of the cast. While shooting, it’s really easy to not see a lot of the cast if individual storylines aren’t intersecting, but I think maybe everyone was starting to feel the end-of-show blues coming on, and more than ever we wanted to enjoy each other’s company while we still could in that capacity. I don’t think I’ve ever taken as many pictures or sung as much karaoke in my life, and I’m happy to have made such amazing friends and memories to match.

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Nadia Hilker (Magna)

JOSH STRINGER/AMC

This is such a hard one, there are so so many to choose from… But, as of right now, I feel like the first episode of season 10 pops up. We were filming on Jekyll Island and it felt like we all left Senoia for summer camp. The hottest and most exhausting days of my life, but we all had so much fun and came together for dinner (by everyone, I really mean everyone) on this small island and had the best time.

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Laila Robins (Pamela Milton)

JACE DOWNS/AMC

I enjoyed all of my scene partners, but most of my interactions are with Josh Hamilton who plays Hornsby, my “henchman.” We knew each other from the New York theater scene. He was a delight to work with, and we worked on our backstory a lot to make the relationship specific and complicated. We go to some very interesting places together!

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Josh Hamilton (Lance Hornsby)

Josh Hamilton as Lance Hornsby on ‘The Walking Dead’. JACE DOWNS/AMC

I got to have so many great scenes with so much of the cast and they all felt really different because I feel like Lance can be a different person with different people and sort of talk to them in the way that he thinks is gonna be the most effective with them. So I felt like he got to have all these different dynamics and it was almost like playing lots of different characters in one.

I really loved the scene with Josh McDermitt on the stairs where Josh realizes that he’s been duped by me in terms of his girlfriend. Michael Cudlitz directed that episode, and he was such a great actor’s director to work with. But I love my scenes with Carol. Any of my scenes with Carol, I could choose any of them because Melissa is just one of those actors that makes you a better actor. She’s so present and never a false moment. So it’s hard to pick one. I just remember laughing a lot with her.

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Angel Theory (Kelly)

JACE DOWNS/AMC

There are a few scenes and moments I absolutely lovedddd shooting as Kelly!

The episode that highlights the changes Kelly was going through with her hearing loss and trying to prove to herself and the others that she was able to hunt down a pig so she can bring food to her community. Even though it was a dumb thing to do alone, her intentions were pure and she meant well. I had so much fun during that episode.

Another would be when Kelly left to go find Connie on her own and was found by Carol, Rosita, and Magna when she had the hilarious scuffle with the horse that lead her falling into a pool of mud. It’s not new for us to get bloody and dirty on set, but honestly, I felt like a big kid and had the best shower IN MY LIFE.

Also, the scene when Connie and Kelly reunite for the first time. That was such an emotional scene, not only for Connie and Kelly, but for myself and Lauren since we hadn’t seen each other in a while because she was away filming. This was during COVID and things quickly changed for everyone’s safety. We both agreed that we didn’t want to see each other before that scene so the emotions captured on camera were real and authentic. We really missed each other and it showed — that wasn’t acting. It was as real as it gets.