As death comes for Carl Grimes on AMC’s The Walking Dead, actor Chandler Riggs praises the TV show as a “great experience.”
Season 8 of the popular zombie apocalypse gave one of the biggest twists in its eight-year run when it gave OG character Carl Grimes a deadly bite from a walker. As the credits rolled, Carls revealed his injury to his family (and the audience), leaving a huge cliffhanger ahead of this month’s midseason premiere. When The Walking Dead returns, we know it will be Riggs’ swansong, which was a decision slammed by many fans and even the show’s cast.
However, while it once seemed that Riggs was left saddened by showrunner Scott Gimple’s choice, he is now looking back fondly on his time with The Walking Dead. Speaking in a press conference ahead of the episode ‘Honor’ (via Cinema Blend), Riggs had nothing but nice things to say about his chance to play Carl:
“Being on the show was such a great experience. It was so awesome and I loved working with everyone in the cast and the crew; the writers, everybody. It was a really, really awesome experience. It’s really unfortunate to have to leave, but it’s great, because now I get to go and do film and other TV shows and a bunch of stuff that I haven’t gotten to do before, and stuff that I’m really excited for. So it’s very bittersweet.”
However, even with such a wonderful role under his belt, he did admit that there is one thing he won’t miss about being a part of the end of the world:
The Walking Dead has something of a no-nonsense stance when it comes to axing some of its biggest names, going with the motto that no one is ever safe. For those who don’t know, the news that you are about to leave the show comes accompanied by the promise of a “death dinner” where the cast and crew get to say their goodbyes. While they are apparently normally a more cheerful affair than they sound, Riggs isn’t alone in struggling with farewells.
“I won’t miss having to go through any more death dinners and watch the other characters and cast members that I’m really a part of go. But you know, I actually loved my time on the show. I don’t regret any of it ever, and it was definitely the best experience I could have asked for. I’m okay with being off the show.”
Joining the show when he was only 10, audiences have grown up alongside Riggs as much as he has grown with The Walking Dead. It was once thought that Riggs would carry the show at the eventual point that Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes is killed off - and while comic book Carl could still do that, his time on the TV adaption has sadly come to an end.
Just like Riggs himself, Carl’s fate on The Walking Dead will leave a lasting impression on us all and is sure to have an effect on the show’s future. Even with creator Robert Kirkman teasing Carl might not die - and those still clinging onto hope that this is the case - it looks like we should all come to terms with the fact that Carl has only a matter of weeks left before he shuffles off to his own early grave. Well, if Riggs can accept it, why can’t the rest of us?
More: How THAT Walking Dead Death Compares To The Comics
The Walking Dead returns Sunday, February 25 on AMC.
Source: Cinema Blend
