Interview: Fear The Walking Dead Season 6 Cast
It’s been over a year since Fear The Walking Dead was on our TV screens, and in many ways, it feels like we’ve gone through our own apocalypse since then. We recently sat down with Lennie James (Morgan), Danay Garcia (Luciana), and Jenna Elfman (June Dorie) in a virtual roundtable interview with other media outlets to discuss how life has been for the castmates recently, the return of the show, and all things season 6 (or at least as much as they could tell us). Read on for the interview highlights.
How do you feel about the way your characters have gone so far [seasons 1-6]?
James: If you’d said to me 10 years ago that the character of Morgan would still be challenging me, and interesting me, and I’d still want to play him, I’d say, “go away, you’re an idiot.” I still like being around him. To me, that’s a surprise every time we go back.
Can you talk a little bit about where everyone’s mental state is at the beginning of Season 6?
Garcia: [Luciana] agreed to go with [Virginia]. I think she’s very focused. We’ve been looking for a home, where we can be safe. That’s been our mission as a group, as a community.
James: He’s somewhere between living and dying.
For Lennie James: you make your directorial debut this season. Was there anything really challenging? What was your favorite part?
James: Everything was challenging. I have a newfound respect for our entire crew. There were people who worked longer on this show than I have that I’ve never met because they do all the pre stuff. It was a huge amount of fun.
For all three: how do you separate yourself from this intense shooting on a daily basis?
Elfman: I find taking a nice long walk at the end of the day helps a lot. [And] when you have kids, nothing will slam you back into reality faster than [hearing], “momma, momma!”
Garcia: I also go on walks. Long walks are healing. Mediation, showering, all that good stuff that gets the blood out of your face and your hair.
James: Riding my bike or music kind of helps. Watching something daft on television or cooking. The science of the kitchen.
Elfman, to James: Will you come cook for me?
James: [laughs] When this pandemic is over, Lennie cooks for everyone.
Have you learned anything from the show that is useful in the real pandemic?
Garcia: I learned don’t talk to strangers. Usually, when someone comes that we don’t know, we’re like, “who is this person?” The one thing that is consistent is don’t approach a stranger unless there is a problem or something serious.
Elfman: I redid all our emergency kits. And having been on the show actually gave me a much more comprehensive view of what was needed. It was much more comprehensive than the previous one, I’ll tell you that.
James: [after training with Morgan’s bo staff] I can keep a 6 ft distance from a number of people at a time. Not like Spider-man, but I do find myself easily to pivot to the distance I want to be without feeling like I’m being impolite to the people that I’m around.
Do you expect viewers to watch the show through a different lens?
James: I’ll be really interested to find out if it changes how people are viewing the show.
Elfman: I think everyone is very excited for new content. We’ve all watched everything. I think it has a more meaningful engagement with everything starting to air again.
Garcia: I was talking to the fans [at NYCC]. They said, “it will bring back a sense of normalcy. At least our shows are coming back so we feel normal. There’s something normal in our lives.”
Final question- how will the separation [from Season 5] affect everyone?
James: The short answer is, we can’t tell you. The slightly longer version is, that’s kind of the story of Season 6. By the end of season 6, every single character will have changed.
Elfman: I love your answers, Lennie.
James: They’re written down in front of me. I’ve hired the boys [FTWD writers] for the day.
Season 6 of Fear The Walking Dead premieres on Sunday, October 11th. You can catch up anytime on the AMC app. We’ll leave you with Lennie James’s last piece of advice from the interview: Be safe everybody. It’s an apocalypse out there.
Kade is often described as, “here just a minute ago” and can often be found just around the corner from where you’d expect. Approaching is not encouraged, unless you come with a strong wifi connection and a nice charcuterie board with gluten-free breads.
