Exclusive: Kim Dickens Talks Fear The Walking Dead & More

The doomsday prepping continues.

While making my rounds talking to the Fear The Walking Dead cast members, such as Mercedes Mason, Lincoln Castellanos, Lexi Johnson, and Cliff Curtis, none have been quite as much fun as Kim Dickens. Sure, Dickens may be a fun interview, but she's no joke on Fear The Walking Dead. Dickens is no stranger to serious roles. Having played parts in House of Cards, LOST, and Gone Girl, Dickens can get serious on camera.

We can describe Dickens' Fear The Walking Dead character, Madison, for you, or you can take it straight from her. Below is our exclusive interview with Kim Dickens.

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CB: First of all, I would love to sit here and talk all day about how raising Clementine has been since LOST ended, but we're here to talk about Fear The Walking Dead!

KD: I know! What happened to Clementine? [Laughs]

Right! I wish you could tell me, but we'll stay on topic.

Okay.

What has the whole experience been like for you since joining Fear The Walking Dead? You must be excited!

I'm very excited. It's been a great experience. It was a very exciting project to work on. It was a lot of hard work and a lot of action stuff which is new for me and was actually a blast. You know? So, I'm excited. I'm proud of it. I hope it resonates.

Cool! I'm sure it will. I've seen the first two episodes and I'm already a huge fan. Speaking of fans, how was San Diego Comic Con this summer? Was that your first Comic Con?

Yeah! It was my first Comic Con! It was cool. We were all sort of warned, like, "It can get crazy! It can be a madhouse!" We got there and everyone is so lovely! The fans are just so cool! Obviously, they don't know our show yet and they don't know our journey and a lot of it like they know the beloved Walking Dead but hey were great. They were much more civilized... When people told me about it I was expecting like almost Mardi Gras down Gervais. No... It's much more... They're just sweet. There's families there together. It's great to be a part of it.

Absolutely. Such a one of a kind atmosphere. You did just mention how people don't know Fear as much as they know The Walking Dead just yet... What should fans know about Madison going into the Fear The Walking Dead premiere?

She is a mother of two teenagers. She lost her husband about six years prior to where we start and she's a high school guidance counselor in East L.A.. She's a very strong, single mother. Adaptable and pragmatic. She's not without her flaws. She has a drug addicted teenager and one seventeen/eighteen over-achiever teenager. She's falling in love with Travis who has a teenager, as well. It's very modern. She has her obstacles and challenges and obviously the apocalypse is impending upon them.

Yeah, that family aspect is something The Walking Dead universe hasn't seen much of since the original has gotten so engulfed by the apocalypse and priorities are now on survival.

Yeah! I think it starts at a place that's necessary and relatable to the audience as themselves. Not someone in the apocalypse. It starts in a very familiar place with the audience with its story and it's a little bit of a slow build but it catches on quickly. It starts to crumble. When society starts to shut down and crumble it happens pretty quickly in a big metropolis like Los Angeles. Yeah. Also, in terms of the family, we're gonna see how it plays out because the family is really formed. Here we start with the family and we're going to see how challenges implode within the family unit.

Were you a fan of The Walking Dead before you joined Fear?

No, I had not been following it.

Oh, no!

I know! I know! I was approaching the audition and I asked the casting director, "Let me know what I really need to be cramming on and how to educate myself because I'm very behind on The Walking Dead." They basically said to me, "You don't need to cram anything. You shouldn't know what it looks like in the apocalypse. You're just in exactly the right place." You know, it makes sense. My character shouldn't know what that world looks like. Rather than just pollute my head with this stuff that I would have to forget for my character, I kept it clean for a bit. I'm dying to get into it. Once we get into it with [Fear The Walking Dead] I think I'll really get into [The Walking Dead].

Have you watched the first episode of Fear The Walking Dead yet?

It's the only one I've seen!

Oh, I loved it! What did you think?

I thought it was great! You loved it? I'm so glad!

Yeah! I thought it was fantastic.

Are you a fan of The Walking Dead, as well?

I am a huge, huge fan of The Walking Dead since day one. I read the comics, I watch the show, I love it. But even without The Walking Dead, I think Fear will do a good job standing on its own two feet.

Oh, I'm so glad! You don't have to say that just because you're talking to me!

No! I'm telling you! I loved it. I want more. I wrote my review and sung Fear The Walking Dead's praises! I think a lot of people will react similarly, as well. You'll see! I'm not lying!

Great. Actually, somebody sent me your review. Thank you for that!

As a fan of both Gone Girl and LOST, I have to ask: Is there any chance at a Gone Girl sequel or a LOST reboot which you've heard anything about having been involved with both?

I don't know anything about that, no. I mean, I talk to my Gone Girl friends from time to time and I know Gillian [Flynn] has kind of teased the idea and I don't know if it's real but that would be... It was an incredible experience. Those characters are so beautiful, well-written, and fun to play. Gillian is a tremendous writer so I would love to play Detective Rhonda Boney in every one of my breaks from Fear The Walking Dead. I'd be more than happy to put on those shoes again but I don't know anything about it.

Of course, I understand. I had to ask, even as a fan!

I don't know anything about LOST. That's an interesting concept.

It is! I'm such a huge LOST fan I even have a tattoo from the series on my ribs.

What is the tattoo!?

It says, "Don't ever tell me what I can't do," from John Locke!

Oh, that's so good! That's great. That was a fun show. It was such a great magical show. It kind of changed things. I guess Game of Thrones has come in after that and is compelling and rich but LOST was pretty special.

Exactly. I think LOST opened the door for a lot of these shows, though, like Game of Thrones and even The Walking Dead. It revolutionized story-telling on TV.

Yeah, I think you're right! I'm happy to be a part of it! It's a very exciting genre to be in.

Fear The Walking Dead premieres August 23 at 9 PM EST on AMC.