Interview: On The Set of The Walking Dead: World Beyond With Alexa Mansour
The Walking Dead World Beyond, The second spinoff in The Walking Dead’s long running franchise is set to debut in a matter of weeks. The show will focus on a younger group of individuals that are seeing the world outside of their community for the first time.
One of the main characters of the series is Hope. Hope is played by Alexa Mansour and Alexa had a lot to say about the character during my set tour on The Walking Dead: World Beyond. I will have to add a disclaimer, that I can only give highlights of this interview as there are a few questions that was answered about the current episode that was being filmed that I cannot share at this moment.
Alexa on getting casted on World Beyond
Alexa: “I hadn’t gotten a job in such a long time. I know a lot of people can’t say this but I was ready to quit. I was going on three auditions a day for months. So when you keep hearing, ‘She’s great, but she’s not right for the role,’ you’re kind of like, all right, I need to do something else. But I auditioned for this role back in April. My mom drove me to the audition because I had a long night before the audition day. She is waiting for me inside and I go inside and do my audition, and I remember that I had a band shirt on that belonged to my sister. The shirt had a drawing on it and it is probably something that I have not worn to an audition. So I put it inside out and I went in that audition with the tag sticking outside of my shirt. And I walked out and I looked at mom and told her that I screwed up and that there was no way they were calling me back. Flashforward to June and I got a call for a meeting with Scott Gimple and Matt. I went there, and I saw a bunch of actors that used to watch on television in the waiting room. The second I walked in, I thought that there is no way that this is going to happen. I spent about three hours talking with Scott and Matt. After the meeting, I called my agent and I told him that if I do not get this, I am done. Got a call a week later, and I was told that I was going to be tested for the pilot. They wanted to make sure I was edgy to do it. After the test which was the last part of the audition, I had another audition and I aced it. Then, I was flown to New York to meet with Aliyah Royale , who plays as Iris. Then the night before the 4th of July, I found out that I got the part. The first thing I said is “yay, I can fix my windshield!”
What was the drawing on the shirt?
Alexa: “It had a penis on it (laughs). But it was a band shirt and I can’t remember the name of the band. Before I walked into that audition, I remembered that the character is 16 years old and I can not walk in there with this showing (laughs).”
How can you describe Hope in your own way?
Alexa: “Hope is such an angsty teen that does not give a s*** about anything or anyone. Hope does not think that she will live very long and she wants to have fun and do whatever she wants. Then she has to face a serious task with her sister and she gets her act together to do that. She is going through a lot of stuff that she does not want to show on the outside.”
How old is Hope when the apoclapse happens?
Alexa: “I want to say about 10 years old when Hope was watching everything happened. And Hope had to grow up knowing everything that she has seen when she was younger.”
Alexa on Hope and Iris’ bond as sisters
Alexa: “Their bond is unbreakable. They love eachother to death. Iris is the responsible one and Hope would be the one to make booze in her dorm.”
Alexa on her life changing now since she is part of The Walking Dead Universe
Alexa: “It’s one of those things where you can’t believe it until you see it. That also comes with people stopping you or knowing your name. That’s one thing, I have a lot of people know my name recently and I am not used to that. When we went to New York Comic Con, AMC had everything arranged for us. The hotels, the drivers, and all that stuff. I went to get lunch across the street and I walk back to my hotel and I never seen these people in my life. They were saying how much they are happy to have me back. I look at them like ‘how do you know my name’ (laughs). How do you know what I look like. So if someone came up to the street, I would probably freak out!”
If there was a real apoclapse, where would you go and what would be your weapon of choice?
Alexa: “I would go back to my house that I grew up in Los Angeles. It is completly gated with trees all the way up. No one can see or hear you. It was built in the early 1940’s and there is a bomb shelter underneath. My weapon of choice would be Daryl’s crossbow because you would not have to make contact with whoever you are aiming at. I wanted to go with a gun at first, but I was told that it would attract more of them to me.
Do you have a dream crossover character that your character would like to meet?
Alexa: “Yes! Daryl and Carol. I look at Carol and I would look at the epitome of a strong female character and I love her. And Daryl, I have a big crush on him to be honest!”
Did everyone in the community grew up there or were some of them transfered there as time went by?
Alexa: “From what I know, we all grew up there. I know that every character has a different story on how they ended up there. Iris and Hope grew up there. Huck has a long story of what she went through which I do not know 100% of what she went through. Felix was taken in by our dad. He was part of our family when we got there and he is like the big brother to us. Elton grew up there. Silas was brought in.”
What is your favorite episode you have been part of so far?
Alexa: “I do not remember the number, but it is called ‘Blades of Glory’ It was one of the hardest episodes we had to shoot because it was very hot out there and we were wearing jackets and there is a huge fire that we had to pass. It is the most emotionally and physically taxing episode. In the trailer, you can see a little of that episode. After watching that, it makes it all worth it. Even though it was the hardest, it is my favorite.”
The Walking Dead: World Beyond premieres on October 4th, 2020
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I Seen The First Two Episodes of The Walking Dead World Beyond and Here are My Non-Spoiler Thoughts
Last year, it was announced that a second spinoff of The Walking Dead franchise was in development. From that point on, we were given little details over the months of 2019 until the first trailer was revealed at New York Comic Con.
At the beginning of 2020, the name of the series became known to the public as The Walking Dead: World Beyond. I have watched the first and secondepisode of World Beyond and I will give you my non-spoiler opinions about the two episodes and what can everyone expect from the series.
World Beyond’s first episode gets straight to the point of the mysterious CRM group within the first few minutes of the first episode. You will also get to know a little more about what do they do in other states and why they are there in that community.
At the end of the episode however, you will find out why they arrived at that community to begin with. The main focus of the first episode are the two sisters Hope and Iris. They both went through a crazy event over a decade ago that kept them together, but they are both curious to why CRM is very secretive.
Iris stood out to me more than the entire cast of the episode as she feels that she has to be the one to give her all to the community while not focusing on herself as a person. There will be more to this when she speaks to a particular person.
Iris and Hope also seems like the most affected members of that community to what happened 10 years ago as they both still struggle mentally to live their lives in a safe community. You will also see that there is an unexpected connection with Iris, Hope, and Elton too and Elton is a fun, easy going person who is also curious to see what the world outside their community is like.
Felix is the head of the security of Campus Colony and it shows since his jacket with the CRM emblem is a different color than everyone else. Felix is also the first LGBT character on World Beyond as he told a story of his ex-boyfriend to one of the characters on one of the scenes.
He also acts as a big brother to one of the characters too especially on a particular scene where he had to temporary arrest that character. Felix’s authority is believable due to the fact that he is the oldest of the main characters.
The other security guard that is part of the cast is named “Huck” (played by Annet Mahendru) and we do not know her first name yet. She has a bond with Felix and also with Hope. But on the second episode, we see her and Felix spend a lot of time together and they both get to know more about eachother.
The main plot of the first episode is that they are celebrating a holiday to remember what happened a decade ago. Also during the episode, there will be a particular reason to why the group goes out of the Campus to adventure the world. There is a motivation behind it and it will not be too long to find out why.
The second episode revolves around the first adventure the group goes on, and a backstory on Felix. Felix’s past made me really feel for the character because he went through so much. You would have not thought that the head of security at that community had a tragic backstory when you see Felix on the first episode. Nico Tortorella stated on Talking Dead not too long ago that his character was kicked out of his house when he was younger due to him coming out as gay. That will be expanded on this episode.
Another thing about Felix’s past during this episode, is that it also haunts him in a disturbing way to his mental state.
What is also interesting, is that when you hear the main characters interract, you will learn that they all have had a bad past which brings them all closer together. This is showcased during the episode even though it also shows that they are inexperienced dealing with taking down empties.
Life outside of what they are used to will take time for these characters to get adjusted to because it gets tough out there for them early on. There were many times that I rememberd that this is their first time outside the walls to see the world.
Elton also really shined on this episode too and he questions if they can survive outside of where they lived, and if they would one day become one of the empties. There is a particular reason to why Hope and Elton are connected and once you find out, your mind will be blown.
The second episode does end in a minor cliffhanger, but it is the character development of the characters in a swift time that makes this one stand out.
I will have to say that it was werid to see everything so normal in that Campus like nothing even happened at first from an outsider looking in as there are school classes, karate classes, and much more. But they realize that the dead, which are called “empties” on this series, is still out there. There is more to the cast other than them being young ten years into the apoclapse and you will get to know who everyone is little by little.
Also, bonus points to Silas as he reminds me of one person I knew in high school!
I was optimistic and curious of the second spinoff since it was announced and when I went on the set tour last fall (That article will be coming soon), I got to learn about more of the show and how it will tie into the unannounced Rick Grimes movies. Especially since CRM is more than just trading people for supplies.
There is a strong cast and I am looking forward to the rest of the season. But it will take time for the general audience to grow with the characters because many will most likely tune in just for the lead up to the Rick Grimes movies than the characters itself.
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The Walking Dead Season 10 Finale Non-Spoiler Preview
After the announcement that the season 10 finale of AMC’s The Walking Dead would be delayed until a further date due to the pandemic, the entire community of The Walking Dead was hearbroken. It would not be until San Diego Comic Con at Home that the date of the finale would be revealed.
Ahead of the October 4th airdate, I got the chance to watch the long-awaited season finale. Here is my preview of the season 10 finale of The Walking Dead!
A Certain Doom is the same name of issue number 167 of the comic book series, and the name of the volume 28 story of the same name.
Although there are some moments that were adapted from this story, The Whisperer War (volume 27), and Lines We Cross (volume 29), there are big moments from two of the three stories that did not make it on screen and I wish they did.
I would first like to say, that the VFX team did an amazing job on the special effects. The wait was fully worth it for the episode’s post production process to be finished and I totally understood why the delay was necessary. It was not only the the great effects that stood out, but the sound and the music too especially one scene involving Judith as she is getting away from Whisperers. That scene also starts with a bang so keep that in mind.
Something that also caught my attention during this episode is the little hints of what will set the motion of the untitled Carol and Daryl spinoff series that will premiere in 2023. Those small hints are seen and heard throuought the episode between the two characters especially towards the end of the episode.
Michonne is also brought up early on in the episode as Carol and Daryl are talking about her. I will not go into detail of what they said about her, but it is something to think about when you see this scene for yourself.
The main plot of this episode is for the group to escape the hospital that they are in so they can retrieve the horse wagon. But the problem is, Alpha’s megahorde that is being controlled by Beta and The Whisperers has surrounded the entire hospital and the group has to escape through the horde. The way this is planned, is that they divide into smaller groups so they can all go through.
I will not say who is paired with who, but during that long sequence, it gets bad for one person in the group. Also, the way that the walkers devoured on the few people in that megahorde is gruesome and you may want to turn away if you do not want to see anyone’s body parts gets disassembled.
Watching that, made me feel more claustrophobic than I did when I watched “Squeeze” and I had to remember that Carol is claustrophobic. But this time, it seemed like she was not bothered by it. Later in the episode, there is a battle between the group and The Whisperers and it had me on the edge of my seat when I seen it.
Negan on this episode is very good. To me, his redemption arc has come full circle from the start of the season. However, there is something that puzzled me the entire time when I seen him with everyone else. But I believe that will be expanded on the extra six episodes in 2020. That, along with Maggie’s return which is brief on this episode too. Her reunion with one character however, is a sight to see.
The masked person that is with Maggie had only one action scene. But the way he appeared to save one character got me excited to see more of the person. I compare the masked indiviual to Marvel’s Blade in terms of how swift and quick his or her attacks are. The mysterious person does not unmask on the episode, nor does the person speak. So that person’s idenity is really sealed.
Beta is really awesome on this episode as he is still hearing voices of the walkers. But what is interesting about Beta on this episode, is how his “end of the world” chant he did with Alpha caught up with him. Here is a teaser I can say. There is a Beta vs Negan fight. I cannot go into detail of who wins or loses. But another character gets involved in the fight too. But I feel disappointed on how fast that fight was especially since everyone included myself could not wait for this showdown to be adapted from the comic to the screen.
One of the best scenes of this episode, and for this season involves Carol and Lydia. It is very poetic when you watch it. I was not really sold on the dynamic on the two characters when they first started bonding earlier in the season, but this scene really got me into their dynamic. The way this scene was shot makes you believe one of the characters will do something tragic, but it does not go how you expected it and I love the way it was shot.
And by the end of this beautiful scene, I believe that the entire fanbase will agree on how masterful it was shot and acted. I am not kidding when I say that this scene will be a memorable one. It also made me think that Carol feels that she is finally relieved of everything Alpha put her through.
I did not forget Eugene, Yumiko, Ezekiel, and The Princess. Their journey of meeting Stephanie is only showcased a small amount of time on the episode, but comic readers will be excited at the end of the episode. Also, Princess says a very hilarious line towards Eugene and I could not hold my laughter at all when I heard her say it and when everyone else reacted.
Overall, I love this episode. It is the best season finale since season 5 and it made you look forward to the next season. Every major question is answered on this episode including an unexpected return. There were a few things that disappointed me on this episode especially when we did not get any major comic book deaths adapted to screen, but there are deaths on this episode. This episode will be universally acclaimed by the community of The Walking Dead when they see it on October 4th.
P.S: Gabriel’s story on this episode is damn great.
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The Walking Dead Will Have a Twitch Channel Coming Soon Called The Walking Dead Universe
AMC has announced that they have partnered with Twitch to create The Walking Dead Universe channel. This channel will serve as the main place for fans to interract in real time from the start, to finish. What is more exciting, is that it will be done every sunday starting at 7:30pm and it will continue untill midnight.
This was created so Twitch and AMC will have one central place for The Walking Dead fans to come together and talk about the latest news and episodes under one platform that is outside of Twitter and Instagram.
The schedule is the following as AMC stated on the press release:
7:30pm Recapping Dead Pre-Show – Hosts dive into recaps of the previous week’s episode, explore theories and give their best predictions and speculations before the new episode premieres on television.
9:00pm Live Watch Party – During the episode, TWDUniverse will keep streaming on Twitch to create a live second screen experience for new episodes in The Walking Dead Universe with behind-the-scenes info pop-ups, interactions from the community and live host reactions.
11:00pm After Show – Following the premiere of Talking Dead, fans can continue the discussion in a more informal, interactive space on Twitch, taking a deeper dive into the new episodes.
With four hours of content and a place for everyone to join and talk about everything with The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead, and Walking Dead: World Beyond, this is too good to pass up. Twitch has brought people together and The Walking Dead has too and with these two together, the best that will come out of it is a growing community!
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