Despite the conclusion of its 11-season run in 2022, “The Walking Dead” is still very much alive and well. Numerous spinoffs have been produced after the original series, such as “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” (2020–2021) and “Fear the Walking Dead” (2015–2023). Within the “Walking Dead” universe, there are currently three active spinoffs: “Daryl Dixon,” “Dead City,” and “The Ones Who Live.” Therefore, the franchise probably has a longer lifespan than Skidmark.
Are you ready to take on these skilled zombie hunters and survive with them? Everything you need to know to get cast in the franchise is covered in detail in our comprehensive guide, which also includes information on the people who run the casting table and tips from the stars who have helped the show become an unstoppable hit.
What is the plot of “The Walking Dead”?
AMC’s “The Walking Dead” is a post-apocalyptic horror-thriller about a zombie—or “walker”—apocalypse in which survivors must work together to survive. It is based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard.
When Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes awakens from a coma at the start of the series, everything is in ruins and there is a zombie apocalypse. In order to locate his family, he teams up with other survivors Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus).
As the survivors flee Atlanta in the upcoming season, viewers are first introduced to Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan). However, as the group grows more tense, they eventually start drawing walkers. The crew, which expands to include characters like Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Michonne Hawthorne (Danai Gurira), is followed throughout the next seasons as they journey to establish a home. Not everyone survives, thus the group must adjust, particularly when they come into other groups of survivors.
In June 2023, Maggie (Cohan) was shown on “The Walking Dead: Dead City” working with Negan (Morgan), her husband’s killer, in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan while trying to find her son Hershel (Logan Kim), who had vanished.
Then, Reedus returned to the show “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” in September 2023. The first season of “Daryl Dixon” followed the show’s title character after he washed up in France and had no memory of how or why he got there. Daryl has a strong desire to live, and he won’t give up until he gets home.
In February of this year, Rick (Lincoln) and Michonne (Gurira), who thought her love had died at the conclusion of the first season, were reunited on “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.”
Next up, “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon—The Book of Carol,” the new title for Season 2 of “Daryl Dixon,” will debut on AMC on September 29. In the second season, Carol (McBride) goes to France in order to locate her companion.
Who is a part of the “Walking Dead” cast?
Over the course of its more than ten-year run, “The Walking Dead” made the following new stars famous:
- Daryl Dixon, played by Norman Reedus
- Carol Peletier, played by Melissa McBride
- Michonne Hawthorne, played by Danai Gurira
- Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln
- Emma Rhee, played by Lauren Cohan
- Carl Grimes played by Chandler Riggs
- Eugene Porter, played by Josh McDermitt
- Rosita Espinosa, played by Christian Serratos
- Gabriel Stokes, played by Seth Gilliam
- Tara Chambler, played by Alanna Masterson
- Aaron, played by Ross Marquand
- Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun)
- Williams, Sonequa Martin-Green, Sasha
- Morgan Jeffrey in the role of Negan Smith
- Morgan Jones, played by Lennie James
- Ezekiel, played by Khary Payton
- As Paul “Jesus” Rovia, Tom Payne
- Hershel Greene, played by Scott Wilson
Along with new cast members, many of the most well-known characters from the original series have returned for the spinoffs. Reedus portrays Daryl in “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” which also features:
- Isabelle Carrière, played by Clémence Poésy
- Laurent Carrière, played by Louis Puech Scigliuzzi
- As Sylvie, Laïka Blanc-Francard
- Marion Genet, played by Anne Charrier
- Walker, played by Nicolas Dozol
- Stéphane Codron, played by Romain Levi
Morgan and Cohan, reprising their roles as Negan and Maggie, respectively, returned in “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” along with:
- Gaius Charles portraying Armstrong Perlie
- The Croat, played by Zeljko Ivanek
- Napoleon Mahina as Ginny
- Hershel Rhee, played by Logan Kim
- As Amaia, Karina Ortiz
- As Tomasso, Jonathan Higginbotham
Grimes and Hawthorne were reunited in “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live,” which also introduced:
- Jadis Stokes, played by Pollyanna McIntosh
- Major General Beale, played by Terry O’Quinn
- Pearl Thorne, played by Lesley-Ann Brande
- Judith Grimes, played by Cailey Fleming
- Donald Okafor, played by Craig Tate
Who oversees casting for the television series “Walking Dead”?
Director of casting for “Daryl Dixon” is Juliette Ménager of Joule Casting Studio (“Babel,” “Emily in Paris”). The primary CD of “Dead City” is Christine Kromer (“Power,” “Poker Face”) of Kromer Casting. Gohar Gazazyan, a seasoned cast member of the “Walking Dead” series, from Bialy/Thomas & Associates, cast “The Ones Who Live.” Gazazyan has also contributed to Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead in the past.
How is the “Walking Dead” franchise’s casting procedure conducted?
Comic writer and executive producer Kirkman told the Hollywood Reporter that Gurira had “the power and strength” necessary to translate Michonne from page to screen when he cast her in the original series. He said, “Michonne has a very complex personality and is a very complex character who is dealing with a lot of things.”
There is a lot to that role, and Danai more than any other actress demonstrated to us her ability to display that strength and demonstrate what an intense character she could be while also having an emotional core and the capacity to display a degree of vulnerability that isn’t always evident but is undoubtedly there. She was the complete thing, really.
Terry O’Quinn (“Lost,” “Alias”), before he joined “The Ones Who Live,” had never watched “The Walking Dead.” “After learning that I was being considered for the role, I spoke with [showrunner] Scott Gimple and asked him to tell me more about the character.
He said to Entertainment Weekly, “And I had to admit that I didn’t watch ‘The Walking Dead,’ but I heard all about it and I know that there were a lot of really avid fans.”
I spoke with a few folks without providing them with specifics because I wasn’t really sure of them. They said, “Oh my God, you’re kidding,” together. How fortunate you are. Yes, please proceed! Of course! I then thought, “Well, that sounds good.”
So I spoke with [Gimple], and during our lengthy chat, he gave me a lot of information about “The Walking Dead” and its background, O’Quinn continued. “So, basically, after our conversation, I said, ‘Yes, please, I would love to do it.'”
“Dead City” CD Kromer said during the auditions that she wanted to make the process “fun and warm” so that “actors know that the time they’re in my room is theirs.” In exchange, she only asks that actors make wise decisions.
“The role, whether it’s a single line or the lead in a series, belongs to the actor. I can see their skill and will keep them in mind for something else even if they’re not the proper fit, she said, provided they make it their own and add something new.
People get upset if they don’t get booked for every part, but that’s kind of unrealistic. It’s all about timing. As an actor, your only real option is to work hard to develop a fan base of directors you’ve collaborated with, CDs, other actors, producers, and writers. Doing a decent job is far more essential than worrying about whether you understand it or not.
Which episodes of “Walking Dead” are under production right now?
“Daryl Dixon” Season 3 isn’t wasting any time, even if “Dead City” Season 2 was filmed in Boston earlier this year (with a 2025 launch date established) and “The Ones Who Live” has no intentions to return just yet. According to Forbes, production on the second installment is scheduled to start in August 2024 in Spain. Beware of spoilers.
Where are casting calls and auditions for “Walking Dead” held?
The “Walking Dead” franchise does not currently have any open casting calls for lead or recurring roles. Still, don’t write yourself off just yet. Kendall Cooper Casting put out a request for “Dead City” extras in the Boston region earlier in 2024. Backstage was previously used by the franchise to cast “Fear the Walking Dead.”
What are the greatest ways to succeed in an audition to get a part in a “Walking Dead” series?
Maintain your position. Early on, Yeun (Glenn Rhee, “The Walking Dead”) saw that he was frequently dismissed by CDs as just another Asian stereotype, and he would not let it. The producers of a small show in Chicago requested that I perform a ’80s monologue for my very first audition, so I prepared Ferris Bueller’s opening monologue.
The actor informed us that they just wanted to watch his rendition of Long Duk Dong from “Sixteen Candles,” adding, “That was good, but can you do an Asian accent?” Yeun stressed, “After that, they wanted to book me, and I just refused.”
Yeun only wants actors to know that their choices, whatever they may be, are legitimate. He is not, however, trying to discourage any actor who is prepared to accept what they may get. “It’s extremely difficult to find work in this industry, so I say all the best to those who take on work,” he declared.
You accept the employment that you are offered. That is not inherently flawed. However, I was unable to accomplish it. I knew I couldn’t do well since I lacked confidence in my abilities.
Inhale and step away from the book. Breathing can be rather beneficial, as Kelsey Scott (Sierra, “Fear the Walking Dead: Passage”) is aware. “Stop and take a breath. Just take a moment and breathe, she advised us, whether it’s before an audition, when you’re studying the role, or when things are chaotic in your profession. “I’m not sure if I practice meditation formally, but I have definitely discovered the value of taking a moment to sit still before venturing out into the world. That emphasis has a significant impact.
Going off-book is crucial for Scott’s focus as well. “I want to not have to concentrate on remembering the line; I want the words to come naturally to me. I believe that’s actually when we say more when we’re off-book because that’s when I can truly understand where the words are coming from and get involved in the rhythms and spaces between the lines,” the speaker continued.
Act out your lines. Cohan meticulously and methodically prepares for auditions. “My approach is to start with a script, work through it one line at a time, and develop a whole universe with only a few details before adding a little bit more.
However, my favorite thing to do is to take a line and run it through all the conceivable variations: what you might say or do, how the other character might react, and so on, before moving on to the next item. She informed us that the information will either validate or refute our theories.
“It’s slow and laborious, but it gets better because it really exercises the peripheral parts of your creative brain,” the actor continued. I sometimes lack patience and have to just sit down and finish the task. The most important aspect of being an actor is that you have to do it whether you want to or not, but it’s always there when you need it. At that point, you realize that “living your lines” is more important than merely memorizing them.
Be open-minded. Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha Williams, “The Walking Dead”) sets boundaries by stating that she cherishes her imagination and does not let her personal life affect her work. “A lot of my work is just creation—imaginative creation, empathetic creation,” she said, explaining that she revisits certain memories and reshapes them to become even more detailed.
Martin-Green likes to put an emphasis on both professional and internal training, since it’s the greatest approach to assure continual progress as an actor. “Everywhere you go, you need to be learning,” she remarked.
A certain amount of internal training is also necessary because your true self is the actor that you are. As I get older, I’ve come to realize that to a great extent. Whatever your flaws are as a person will be reflected in your acting. You have to develop yourself to be of greater service.”
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