Variety prompted the stars of The Walking Dead to share their epitaphs for Rick Grimes in the lead up to Andrew Lincoln‘s last episode.
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“Here lies Rick Grimes, the pain in the ass that I will love until the day I die,” said Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who has long terrorized Lincoln’s Rick Grimes as the villainous Negan.
Ross Marquand, the actor behind the recently incapacitated Aaron, hailed Rick Grimes as a “loving father, devoted husband, fantastic leader,” and a “great gunslinger.”
“Oh my God, it’d probably be ‘legend,’” said Callan McAuliffe, who plays former Savior Alden. “It describes both of them pretty happily, I think.”
Added a smiley Tom Payne, who plays Jesus, “It would be something like, ‘You didn’t know who you were f—ing with.’”
Alanna Masterson, who plays Tara, opted for a less sentimental and more simple “go f— yourself,” while Rosita actress Christian Serratos suggested simply, “badass.”
“Here lies a person who had to stop being a person to be a person,” said former showrunner-turned-chief content officer Scott Gimple, who conceived the story for Lincoln’s last episode with writer Matthew Negrete.
Recommended series newcomer Nadia Hilkes, who will be introduced as Magna just after Lincoln’s Rick has exited the series, “you did your best.”
Lincoln’s last episode closes out an eight-year tenure as leading man on The Walking Dead, which will continue as the focus is shifted to veterans Daryl (Norman Reedus), Michonne (Danai Gurira), and Carol (Melissa McBride).
Rick isn’t guaranteed to die Sunday following the introduction of plot points that could act as a set up for Rick’s exit, which could be tied to the unfolding helicopter mystery that has long been in the works as masterminded by Gimple.
Showrunner Angela Kang suggested Rick’s departure could be left open-ended, allowing for Lincoln’s eventual return elsewhere in the budding Walking Dead universe that will continue to expand in major ways.
Still, Lincoln’s last episode will be a bloody one as the injured Rick combats a wound gained after his impalement on a piece of rebar, forcing a hallucinating Rick to relive significant moments from his past.
“I think it was about day two of filming and I asked Greg Nicotero, who was shooting the episode, ‘How many pints of blood does a human actually hold? Because I’m not sure I’m going to make it through the credit sequence,’” Lincoln teased ET.
Rick Grimes’ last episode airs Sunday at 9/8c on AMC.
