The Major Difference For Chandler Riggs' Final 'The Walking Dead' Episode

Chandler Riggs' last episode of The Walking Dead was bittersweet, as the young actor was finally able to pour everything he had into a performance.

"For the majority of the time that I was working on the show, I was in school half the time so I never really felt that I could mentally put 100 percent into my work," Riggs told EW. "And it was really frustrating because I'd have to bounce back and forth between school and work. I loved going to work every day and it was so much fun, but I always had to think about school and have to worry about that. And that last episode, I got to put 100 percent into that because I had already decided I wanted to move out to Los Angeles.

"And it was really nice that I got to focus on just my character and just the show and really put all of my effort into it. It was nice to be able to put 100 percent of my full capacity into just those moments and those scenes, and I feel like they're going to mean so much to every character because of how much I was able to put into it."

Riggs joined The Walking Dead when he was just 10 years old. Upon completing high school in 2017, the actor had planned on attending the University of Georgia in an effort to continue his career with the AMC zombie drama while also fulfilling his education. Upon learning Carl's fate and exiting The Walking Dead, the actor decided to move to Los Angeles where he is currently pursuing careers in both acting and music.

As for the characters surviving Carl on The Walking Dead, Riggs promises his will leave long-lasting legacy. Andrew Lincoln, however, is already imagining a difficult time ahead for Rick Grimes. "He's lost the things that he's fighting this war for," Lincoln told ComicBook.com. "That has a huge effect on him and it changes him irrevocably."

The Walking Dead returns for the second half of its eighth season on February 25, 2018. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.