‘The Walking Dead’ Star Austin Nichols Recalls His Time With Andrew Lincoln

The Walking Dead stars each have a special type of appreciation for Rick Grimes actor Andrew Lincoln and Austin Nichols is no exception.

Nichols played Spencer Monroe on the AMC show through a trio of seasons before being killed off by the villainous Negan. In his time, he shared the screen with Lincoln’s Rick Grimes in several sequences, some of which were more intense than others. Each of them, however, seem have left an impression on the actor.

“I remember one time, Andy tends to stay in character, and we were talking to Denise Huth our producer, and it was something about… It might’ve been the scene where I got in his face and said something about Glenn and Abraham, that whole thing,” Nichols recalled while talking to ComicBook.com at Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta. “Rick started talking to Denise about Spencer and he said something really intense. I love Andy. I know he’s in character and I get it. Denise was like, ‘Whoa! Hey now!’ I was like, ‘No, it’s okay, it’s okay, he’s in character!’”

The memories of working with Lincoln, whose time on The Walking Dead expires in Sunday’s Episode 9×05, date back to their very first encounter.

“One of the first things I remember was going to Alexandria, the first time, base camp where all the trailers were was parked where the church is now. The church wasn’t even built,” Nichols said. “Then they built the church and they built the wall around the church but I remember Andy walked up to me and he shook my hand and he was so warm and he welcomed me to the show in such a cool way that you don’t get from a lot of leads on shows and movies. He was such a gentleman and I’ll never forget. I was like, ‘I’m excited. I’m excited to do this.’ And then I met Steven and Steven was also so warm and cool.”

While Nichols has not been on The Walking Dead in nearly two years, he firmly remains a member of the tightly knit family which consists of dozens of cast members and millions of fans.

“It feels like it didn’t really end in a way,” Nichols said. “I always feel like it’s over which makes me very sad but when you walk around here and you meet everybody and everybody’s yelling out, ‘Spencer!’ and waving, it feels like I just finished the show a few months ago. It doesn’t feel like it was very long. It feels like you’re a part of a family that you’ll be a part of forever.”

In the end, it all goes back to the leading man: “I used to love watching Andy in between takes and I learned from him,” Nichols said. “I would take something from that for me that works.”

Following The Walking Dead Episode 9×05, Comicbook.com’s After the Dead will be live with Daryl Dixon actor Norman Reedus and executive producer Greg Nicotero from their restaurant on the show’s set. To watch, follow ComicBook NOW’s official Facebook page to be notified when the show is live.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET. Fear the Walking Dead will return for its fifth season in 2019. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter and watch ComicBook.com’s After The Dead each Sunday night following new episodes.