'The Walking Dead': Chandler Riggs Reveals Exactly When He Learned Carl's Fate

Fans are still reeling (and sometimes in denial) after the revelation that Carl Grimes will die in the upcoming midseason premiere of AMC's The Walking Dead, but series star Chandler Riggs, who plays the character, laid out the way he learned of his fate during an inteview today with the AMC website.

Obviously, he learned it before San Diego Comic Con in July, when the cast and crew teased an unknowing audience with the heartbreaking reveal.

"I was super surprised. I was not expecting it at all," Riggs admitted. "I don't think any of the fans were expecting it. I found out during rehearsal for Episode 6, which was back around June. It was really weird for a while… but I'm going on to do lots of other cool and exciting things. I just booked a movie and that's really exciting stuff. It's definitely not the end for me. It might be the end for Carl, but not for me."

Episode six is when Carl was apparently bitten by a walker, an injury he revealed to his father two episodes later. The character has not yet turned or perished, with a midseason break separating the revelation from Carl's final moments on Earth.

Riggs has already done some exit interviews with the press and his father was even spotted taking aim at producers in a social media post. Everyone seems to be dealing with it in their own way; the 18-year-old actor expressed his gratitude for his time with the show on Twitter after the episode's airing on December 10.

Riggs told reporters that he was glad Carl's death would mean something, since he would die while imparting an important lesson about civilization and mercy to his father. Other actors have commented on his passing and it was the subject of the day on Talking Dead following the midseason finale. Showrunner Scott Gimple has referred to the bite as a "one-way ticket."

The Walking Dead returns to AMC with its mid-season premiere in February.