Fear The Walking Dead: Alycia Debnam-Carey On Intense Death Scene, Iconic Weapon

Fear the Walking Dead is only three hours into its third season but has already thrust Alicia Clark into a wide variety of situations.

She narrowly escaped captivity in the military compound. She was present for Travis’ shocking and unexpected death. She was introduced to the teenagers of Broke Jaw Ranch who like to party. And she did it all while keeping her beloved switchblade close by.

Speaking to press at a roundtable following Fear the Walking Dead‘s panel at ATX Television Festival, Alicia actress Alycia Debnam-Carey detailed the character’s journey from her perspective, starting with the death scene which saw Cliff Curtis exiting the series.

“For Alycia with a Y, me, it was great,” Debman-Carey said. “I loved that we were seeing this acceleration of this character in a very quick amount of time. It was suddenly — she’s been sheltered, I think, for a long time. She’s often been in the shadow of Nick, of Madison, to a certain extent. This is finally her being confronted by some traumatic experiences and then having to grow from that.”

Of course, in the wake of Travis’ death, things have lightened up for Alicia a bit. After trying to dodge the “Bible Study” at Broke Jaw Ranch, the character realized the youngsters in this community were simply doing what they can to entertain themselves while the monsters outside the walls keep knocking.

“Alicia’s trying to make the most of it,” Debnam-Carey said. “She’s been through so much that now it’s her being with people her own age and maybe trying to fill a void of what could’ve been. The experiences that she probably should’ve had.”

As for that switchblade which has become synonymous with Alicia — the item was handpicked by Debnam-Carey as a defining part of the character’s story. It was even brought to the forefront in Sunday’s Teotwawki episode which saw her sarcastically offering the knife to her brother so he go off and could kill Troy Otto.

“They wrote it out and then I asked to have it put back in, because I did want it to become more connected to her, and also I thought it was time for her to start carrying power, or having some sort of defense that wasn’t just Madison,” Debnam-Carey said. “I think [Madison] was always the looming, protective force, and a nice change for her was to slowly start making her own choices — and that was one of them. It worked out really well.”

MORE WALKING DEAD: Season 8 Trailer Details Revealed / FTWD Teases Mutant Super Zombie / Steven Yeun Breaks Silence Since Leaving TWD / Is Jadis Going To A Whisperer? / FTWD: Who Killed Spoiler Revealed / Ross Marquand Promises A Massive TWD Season 8 / How Fear’s Madison Might Be Connected To TWD

Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season in October of 2017. The first trailer is expected to arrive at San Diego Comic Con in July. For complete coverage and insider info all off-season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.

(via Mic)