The Walking Dead: Q&A with Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes); a Sneak Peek of Episode 2.09 – Triggerfinger

Steve Barton |

Feb 13, 2012

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“The Walking Dead” on AMCtv.com

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http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead

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One thing’s for sure after last night’s return of “The Walking Dead”: Rick Grimes is finally becoming as badass on TV as he is in the comics! Here’s a Q&A with actor Andrew Lincoln, who portrays Grimes, along with a look at next week’s Episode 2.09, “Triggerfinger”.

Below the interview, in which Lincoln shares the essentials of his role – his trusty Colt Python and a secret that he can’t even tell his wife – you’ll find a teaser trailer and sneak peek of next week’s episode, entitled “Triggerfinger”, in which Andrea (Laurie Holden) critiques Shane’s (Jon Bernthal) methods of getting what he wants.

Once you’re done reading and watching, you’ll want to visit the official “The Walking Dead” page on AMCtv.com, where you’ll find highlights of Episode 2.08, “Nebraska”, along with an “inside look” at the ep in which the cast and crew explore how their characters are changing in the wake of the Sophia’s death.

Q: What was the bar scene like in Episode 8?

A: That was an incredible scene! We were so lucky to get such cracking actors. And we didn’t play the problem; we just played the fact that this is a reunion of human beings. The tension is inherent in the fact that they encounter this other group.

Q: Rick’s presence at the farm has been described as antagonistic this season. Do you ever feel like you’re a bad guy on your own show?

A: Yeah, I think I do a bit. I don’t normally see it like that, though, because you never look at your own character as the problem. I’m appealing to this man’s spirit.

Q: Was the scene when Rick had to kill Sophia a difficult one to shoot?

A: I was talking about this the other day thinking, my goodness who’d have thought I’d build a career as a child killer in a huge internationally acclaimed show? What does that say about the state of things?! Look, as an actor I was even going, “Please let her be alive.” It’s a gut-wrenching moment. Conversely, it’s a brilliant beginning to the second half of the season, which is a much darker and more dangerous exploration of these characters.

Q: Very important question next: What’s your preferred method of killing walkers?

A: I’m convinced that most of the time in the writers’ room is spent going, “Okay, what’s the next one going to be like? How can we shock people the best?” Ax in the head always works, and the baseball bat was funny, too. But I love my cannon. We were doing a sequence where I had to jump on an RV and I borrowed Shane’s glock and it kept jamming, but the Colt Python is like a Rolex: It will never fail you. It makes a real satisfying click as well. It’s become part of my body. I had to wrestle with the props department when they took it back the last time. They said, “You will be arrested trying to bring that through customs!”

Q: You used a rock earlier this season, too…

A: Yes, that’s kind of getting back to an older style. Very retro — almost Neanderthal. I mean whatever comes to hand, Rick is an incredibly practical-minded leader.

Q: I love that Rick still wears a watch, post-apocalypse. Are you like that? Would you make that choice?

A: That is my choice as an actor. It’s Rick’s father’s watch that he’s given to him. I don’t actually wear a watch myself, but I do think that any real memento from the past is vital to people who are so destitute. The watch I wear on set is broken — it stays at one minute to 12. Someone changed it and made it work — I was like, “No, it should not work! Leave it at one minute to 12.” It’s very doomsday.

Q: You were in Love Actually. What do you enjoy playing more as an actor, a lover or a fighter?

A: I like to say I’m a lover, not a fighter, but I’m willing to fight for love, know what I’m saying? I love romantic things, but the role of Rick is the role of a lifetime. It’s great to have a long journey to play with any character because you get stretched and pulled in directions you wouldn’t necessarily see in another context.

Q: Rick and Shane have a somewhat tense way of relating on screen. What’s your relationship like with Jon Bernthal?

A: It’s a nightmare to work with that man! But really, Jon Bernthal is like my American brother. He reminds me — I hate to say it — of a little bit younger version of me. What he’s done with Shane is magnificent as a character, and I love the see-saw nature of their relationship. They’re like warring brothers — but they’re both so similar.

Q: Do you know what Dr. Jenner said to Rick at the end of Season 1 — and did Noah Emmerich actually say that to you?

A: Yes, he did.

Q: Have people tried to pressure you into telling them?

A: My wife doesn’t even know. Man, I take my job seriously!

Episode 2.09 – Triggerfinger (2/19/12 Air Date):
Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Hershel (Scott Wilson) find themselves trapped and facing a battle for survival against a new army of foes, both dead and alive; Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) encounters danger on the road and Shane (Jon Bernthal) attempts to rescue her and return her to the farm