Though she has credits dating as far back as 2003, Alycia Debnam-Carey is only just beginning to have her voice heard on-set as a creative force. Her influence was already felt on The 100, where she enjoyed a recurring role as Lexa and was able to help decide her character’s appearance based on the lore of the show. However, nothing compares thus far to her long-running stint on Fear the Walking Dead, which earned her the chance to jump behind the camera and direct an episode in 2022 after being a main cast member throughout most of the first seven seasons. With her new horror sensation It’s What’s Inside hitting Netflix recently, Debnam-Carey appeared on the latest episode of Collider Ladies Night with Perri Nemiroff for a wide-ranging conversation in which the actress recalled how helming Season 7’s “Ofelia” helped her establish her creativity in a new way.

Fear the Walking Dead starred Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark, the daughter of the series’ original main protagonist, Madison Clark (Kim Dickens). Her journey is a long and winding one through the post-apocalypse, as she loses her step-father and brother, joins multiple groups and communities, becomes one of the most trusted allies of the other series lead, Morgan Jones (Lennie James). She eventually reunited with her mother at long last in a guest spot when the series ended. She’s one of the few characters to survive from the very beginning of the spin-off to its end, which also meant she knew the show like the back of her hand. Experiencing every twist and turn with the cast throughout the years made her a strong choice to take the reins, and, in a previous interview with TV Insider, she shared that it also meant she had a lot of trust from everyone on board.

Looking back on it now as she reflects on the times she influenced a project for the better, Debnam-Carey told Nemiroff that it was a seminal moment in her career that helped her grow as a creative. Moreover, directing the zombie horror and drama of Fear reminded her of the power she wields in Hollywood with more time and experience under her belt:

“It’s revealed itself in different ways, too. When I directed on Fear the Walking Dead , I think that was a moment where I was like, ‘I’m asserting myself as a creative in a different capacity, and I want to be expanding and growing.’ That is a part of my creativity, too. I was so lucky that they were really receptive and wanted me to do that. I think also just with age, you start realizing there’s so much more power in my age as a woman now. Honestly, great question. There’s so much to talk about.”

Debnam-Carey Has Found Her First Big Hit in the Aftermath of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’

Fear the Walking Deadcame to an end nearly a year ago, just under a year after its parent series also finished its lengthy run on AMC. Despite putting the longest role of her career behind her, Debnam-Carey is in a wonderful spot thanks to It’s What’s Inside. The science-fiction horror comedy by Greg Jardin boasts a Certified Fresh rating of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been hailed as one of 2024’s breakout hits, akin to last year’s Talk to Me. It takes place at a pre-wedding reunion of old friends which devolves into psychological chaos when their mutual friend who they haven’t seen since his college expulsion invites them to take part in a game with a strange device. As has been revealed, that device allows the friends to swap bodies, a fun, if freaky party activity that soon gets dangerous as their histories and resentments bubble back to the surface.

Debnam-Carey is part of a talented young cast in Jardin’s first feature directorial effort, including Brittany O’Grady, Gavin Leatherwood, Nina Bloomgarden, Devon Terrell, Madison Davenport, James Morosini, David W. Thompson, and Reina Hardesty. It’s What’s Inside and Fear the Walking Dead can both be found on Netflix, while the latter is also available on AMC+.