Exiting The Walking Dead Star “Burst Into Tears” After Major Character Death

Exiting The Walking Dead star Samantha Morton, who played Alpha until the Whisperer leader was murdered by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in “Walk With Us,” says she “burst into tears” upon seeing a touching gesture from the Walking Dead crew. In the Greg Nicotero-directed “Walk With Us,” Alpha intended to “free” herself and her defector daughter, Lydia (Cassady McClincy), after she refused to take her place as leader of the Whisperers in “Stalker.” But Negan, who has been masquerading as a Whisperer after he was set loose from jail by Carol (Melissa McBride), lured Alpha into a trap where he slit her throat before decapitating her.

“Honestly, I burst into tears because they made these t-shirts that said Save Alpha. The whole crew were wearing these Save Alpha t-shirts that they made,” Morton told EW of her last days on set. “I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to miss you guys.’ They’re used to that on the show, I’m not. They’re used to it because they’re always having people come and go.”

“But I fell in love with both living and working in Senoia, and I loved Atlanta,” Morton added of her time in Georgia. “I’ve been working in America since I was 19, and it’s a dream come true for me to be in your country, and play an American character. It’s like a childhood dream come true whenever I get to do it, so that’s where I was at.”

Morton’s last days were “kind of happy and sad at the same time.”

“Really happy because I think we hit a home run. We just achieved such amazing stuff. Jeffrey Dean Morgan — the work we did together blew my mind,” she said. “Melissa and I, some of the work that we had to do in the series and everybody — Cassidy [McClincy], and Ryan [Hurst], and Norman [Reedus] — and I just love everybody so much. Even actors I didn’t get to do anything with, you just become family. I just was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to miss you all so much.’ It was the best job ever.”

Through it all, Morton particularly enjoyed Season 9 episode 10, “Omega,” and Season 10 episode 2, “We Are the End of the World.”

“I think my favorite scene was when I first walk up to a Hilltop, and I literally say, ‘I am Alpha.’ I loved that day. I had a great day,” Morton said. “That’s the one that comes into my head right now. I loved filming the flashback episode, episode 2, because I got to work with Greg Nicotero for a whole episode, a lot of it, because it was a lot of Alpha stuff, episode 2.”

New episodes of The Walking Dead Season 10 premiere Sundays on AMC. For all things TWD, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.