Walker Stalker Atlanta: Good Guys Panel Recap

The moderator kicks it off by asking Martin-Green how she approached Sasha and her new role on [...]

By Brandon Davis

The moderator kicks it off by asking Martin-Green how she approached Sasha and her new role on Star Trek Discovery.

"I love good stories, I love rich storytelling, I just feel tremendously blessed to be at the route of these two rich stories at the root of it all," Martin-Green said. "I had been faking through everything. I had this defense mechanism up and I thought that was strength...that's not strength at all. That's actually weakness. In order to be truly strong, you have to connect, you have to be involved, you have to sacrifice and take the risk...Abraham was right there at the brink of that decision."

"I got sentenced to prison, sorry, if you haven't seen episode two," Martin-Green said, "But I got to play two characters who are on a path to true strength."

The moderator asks Gilliam how he approaches Father Gabriel.

"I memorize the lines," Gilliam said, "and then I stand where they tell me to stand and I try to look as deep and introspective as possible."

"I think with any character you play you just try to stay true to what the character wants," Gilliam said. "Knowing what you want is very specific to each moment that comes through."

Tom Payne opens up about his Paul "Jesus" Rovia character...

"He's a pretty decent guy and has a pretty good moral code," Payne said. He teases moments coming up which will force Jesus to decide where he stands morally. "When I first met Rick and Daryl they were let's shoot first ask questions later," Payne said. "I could've shot both of them and taken the truck anyway! That's the world that we live in. The war that we're in now, we're killing a bunch of people indiscriminately. We went into the satellite base and killed a bunch of people in their sleep. It's nice to have a character who considers things a bit more. It's an interesting position to be in for the war."

Do people merge actors and characters?

"Yes," Gilliam proclaims.

How does Marquand approach scenes which involve killing?

"Much like Morgan and Jesus, Morgan different times throughout his path, but they always look for the more diplomatic approach," Marquand said. "I think both Jesus and Aaron have realized there is no diplomatic approach with the Saviors."

The moderator questions Park on Cyndie's intentions within the Oceanside community.

"Cyndie experienced a lot of violence. Her family was killed right in front of her. Her grandmother, the leader, is so hearted by the hurt she's experienced in her life…She is trying to just be decent," Park said. "She's conflicted, for sure, and it backfires on her. At the end of the day, she was just trying to be decent…That's difficult. It's challenging playing her but at the same time I think people can relate to so much, just trying to be the best."

How much Cyndie will we see?

"Y'all gonna have to see," Park said. "Just keep watching!"

A fan asks if we will see more of Aaron in The Walking Dead Season 8...

"You'll definitely see Aaron step up in a big way," Marquand said. "It's safe to say, I don't think AMC will be mad at this, but we've really stepped up as lieutenants in Rick's army...there's different factions and battles being waged against the Saviors."

Martin-Green then tells a story about the difficulties of being a colored woman in the entertainment industry. While it has improved, there are elements she struggles with and continues to fight, the top beat being "definition." She was once asked to be "angry" in a scene as to avoid portraying a stereotypical "angry black woman" but insisted the emotion was what the scene called for. These moments happen from time to time.

Why does Gabriel have so much faith in Rick?

"Father Gabriel recognizes Rick is a very dangerous and potentially unhinged man," Gilliam said. "Therefore, he is going to speak as highly as he can about him whenever he is within ear shot. He was just standing there, singing his praises."

What other part would they want to play?

"Shiva!" Marquand yells. "I don't know who they have as the CGI actor in that but nah... Nah... I would bring so much more."

Favorite impression Marquand can do?

"I think it's the tiger," Gilliam said. "Seeing as how we have seen Ross' impressions and how good they are, I don't think any of us would venture to try to top him."

"He's being very bashful because he is one of the best singers I've ever heard," Marquand said. "My impressions are a parlor trick. You should hear him sing something."

What would you take with you in the apocalypse which has sentimental value?

"I think my character Cyndie, she has these sea shells that represent her father, her mother, her bother," Park said. "She gives it to Tara."

A fan asks Martin-Green how she balances being two races on Star Trek.

"I'm 100% human," Martin-Green said. "But I was raised on Vulcan...Spock is my surrogate brother...I would say the toughest part is exactly that. The battle between emotion and logic...I'm just all human with this Vulcan indoctrination. It is very hard ,for me, as Michael, to be this. My life has been aspiring to it, believing I have met it and been very successful at it, bur always having my humanity just roaring inside."

Most memorable moment on set?

"Having a sweaty Norman Reedus chase me around a field," PAane said.

"Shooting on Jekyll island," Park said.

Martin-Green says her last days were the most memorable. The coffin scenes were the last scenes she was shooting. "It was a bit weird though," Payne points out. "We were all in the studio and you were in a black box. Crying in a black box." Martin-Green was glad to have the entire Walking Dead family with her but she did have a problem timing the headphone falling out.

Which scene was the most fun to shoot?

"7x08 or 7x09, I shot the sequence with Andy in the lake," Marquand said. "We get there and the animal wrangler's like, 'We came through here earlier. Most the snakes are out of here. There's some gators in the area but not in this lake. The biggest thing you have to worry about is the snapping turtle 'cause they'll rip your toes off.'"

"I think the first episode back, I think the first scene this season, everyone was so pumped to be back," Payne said. "[Andrew Lincoln] was so happy, he was shooting his gun even when he didn't even need to be...We're all dodging each other's shellcasings and one of Khary's casings hit me in the forehead."

Why did Gabriel help Gregory?

"Father Gabriel, though he has killed at this point, still sees all life as being valuable and they had a plan and he's trying to stick to the plan which was, in the first leg of it, that no one was to be seriously hurt," Gilliam said. "Rick kind of deviated from that plan a little bit and Gabriel helped remind him what phase one was all about. I think Gabriel can definitely recognize in Gregory the kind of lost soul that he was for a while and has some sort of empathy for him. It doesn't work out for him but I don't know that he wouldn't do it again if that situation came up."

Which character would they bring back from the dead?

Park votes Glenn, quickly.

"What would Shane be doing right now? I would love to see him right now. He'd be running this."

Gilliam votes for Tyreese. Payne wants to see the well-walker return.

Would Gabriel of the past have helped Gregory?

"I think previously, Father Gabriel would've run," Gilliam said. "I think he's turned a corner in trying to be a man of God in service of God, to be as useful as he possibly can be, even if that puts his own life in danger or in the line of fire. I don't think he was there before when he tried suicide by Sasha, let's say, I think he was in a different place. That man probably would not have even showed up with a weapon to the fight. Gabriel would've been off somewhere digging his way to China."

What's their favorite TV show?

Gilliam says Six Million Dollar Man. Payne loved Quantum Leap. Marquand has always been a Magnum P.I. fan.

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