Exclusive: Lorenzo Henrie Talks Fear the Walking Dead
Staci Layne Wilson
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Are you excited about the return of AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead”? We sure are! Our heroes were left in peril as season one ended, and in season two things are going to get even scarier, promises Lorenzo Henrie, who portrays troubled teen Christopher James Manawa.
We caught up with the actor at an L.A. press day recently, and here’s what he had to say about working on the show and what we can expect in round 2 with the Walkers.
Dread Central: Whoa, that cliffhanger in season one was really intense…
Lorenzo Henrie: Yeah, definitely! The big cliffhanger at the end of season one is where Eliza’s bit, and Travis has to take her life because he knows she’s going to turn and she knows she’s going to turn so you hear the gunshot and my character Chris hears the gunshot and the next thing you know he’s over his mom’s dead body, shot, and that cliffhanger opens up season two. It unfolds a journey that is going to be very dark for Chris, for Travis also, because he has to come to peace with the fact that he had to kill Eliza and now heal this new relationship with his son because obviously there’s going to be consequences, wounds that are going to be opened. But also other cast members are going through similar arcs even though it’s a different object and theme.
DC: Cliff Curtis plays your dad on the show, and he’s got such gravitas in the role… can you tell us whether that’s more intimidating or encouraging?
LH: Oh man, Cliff Curtis is awesome, he is such an amazing actor and I’ve really learned. I say look, I’m learning from you so please help me, I want to make the best story possible and the best acting. He will be completely honest and tell me… we have directors who are amazing on set, but I know Cliff will be real with me; he looks after me like a son in real life so he wants me to perform to the best of my ability. Me doing my best helps him look good, and doing his best makes me look good, so we want to help each other… The best advice he gave me or has given me so far is he’s made his whole career off of taking a crumble and making it a cookie. You remember him from the movies that he’s in, and that has been such wise counsel given to me… no matter what one little scene you’re given in the whole episode you make it the most memorable scene and I think that was the coolest advice he’s given me but I’m also learning every day from him.
DC: He’s got a great body of work.
LH: Everything he does… like when he played Pablo Escobar, he brought that character to life. When you see the script on page, it can be very bland, but get some character choices, little quirks that he does, things that he does that really make the scene come to life, and he really brings his A game on set.
DC: We assume you’ve already shot most of season two? Tell us a little bit about what fans can expect in the months to come.
LH: Sure. Season two is coming on April 10th and we are midway through. We are almost done with the second season, and when season two airs, I believe we’ll be on episode ten, so we’ll have five more episodes left. It’s very ambitious. It’s definitely going to deliver the promise to the premise of season two, a lot of action, a lot of unknowns, a lot of beautiful story arc themes. You know, blood versus bond, who do you trust, do you trust your family? A lot of symbolism of rebirth… we’re on the sea and the water has been such a symbol of rebirth in so many different themes and stories from the beginning of time that it really relates to our show. So a lot of cool, scary things are going on in season two.
DC: What about for your character – Chris?
LH: Chris is starting off in a really dark place and you know you have to connect that energy somewhere and I think the scariest part is where is he going to connect that energy with? What and who and where? You know, he’s kind of a ticking time bomb, and is it for good or is it for bad? So it’s a very beautiful story that’s unfolding. You’ll have to check out the teaser online, there’s a little interaction between me and an infected at the coast of a beach, so that is one of many unknowns that you will have to see and wait.
DC: We know that season one is just now out on Blu-ray in a special double-disc box… did you take part in commentaries, and can we see you in some featurettes?
LH: Yeah, throughout the first season we actually had an amazing behind-the-scenes AMC promotional team on set, and between takes they would actually talk to us, explain the scenes and also explain what our characters are going through and also some exciting facts and surprises and unknowns that we did to prepare and interact with the cast members. Those are fun to watch, so I think definitely the fans will have an awesome time interacting with us in between some of the behind-the-scenes takes.
The second season of “Fear the Walking Dead” kicks off on April 10th, just one week after the super-sized “The Walking Dead” Season 6 finale.
Set in Los Angeles, “Fear the Walking Dead” Season 2 focuses on new characters and storylines. The cast will include Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Frank Dillane, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Lorenzo James Henrie, Ruben Blades, Mercedes Mason, Daniel Zovatto, Dougray Scott, and Colman Domingo.
Robert Kirkman, the writer of the comic book on which “The Walking Dead” is based and an executive producer on the original show, also serves as executive producer on “Fear the Walking Dead,” along with executive producers Greg Nicotero, Gale Anne Hurd, and David Alpert. Dave Erickson is the showrunner.
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