Speaker 1: It is a zombie apocalypse on my show, and the
Speaker 1: question is will you survive? Hey, guys, welcome to I've
Speaker 1: never said this before with me, Tommy di Dario, I
Speaker 1: am so psyched to have the brilliant Lauren Cohan on
Speaker 1: my show today, who you know and you love. From
Speaker 1: starring in one of the most watched drama series in
Speaker 1: the history of television, The Walking Dead, Lauren now stars
Speaker 1: in the spinoff series The Walking Dead Dead City, which
Speaker 1: season two is out right now, and Lauren continues to
Speaker 1: kill it playing the strong, resilient and very layered character
Speaker 1: of Maggie Green. It is always so special to talk
Speaker 1: to an artist who has lived with the character for
Speaker 1: over a decade, and today you are getting so many
Speaker 1: fresh and new insights into her time throughout this franchise,
Speaker 1: while also learning a little bit more about someone who
Speaker 1: you have been watching create one of the most bad
Speaker 1: ass characters in all of television. So let's see if
Speaker 1: we can get Lauren to say something that she has
Speaker 1: never said before. Lauren, how are you, my friend? It's
Speaker 1: so good to see you.
Speaker 2: You too, Tommy, how you doing.
Speaker 1: I am fantastic. I am so excited for everything going
Speaker 1: on in your world, and I have to tell you
Speaker 1: I am based in New York City. So a few
Speaker 1: weeks ago, I was walking around these streets and like
Speaker 1: zombies were popping up all over the place, and I
Speaker 1: was like, what in the world is going on? And
Speaker 1: then I find out it's for season two of your show.
Speaker 2: Yeah, isn't that funny? When AMC said they were just
Speaker 2: basically laid out the marketing plan that we were going
Speaker 2: to have this year, We're like, Wow, this is the
Speaker 2: biggest most elaborate campaign we've had for not just I
Speaker 2: mean thank for the show and especially for Dead City,
Speaker 2: but it's one of the biggest campaigns. I think we've
Speaker 2: the AMCs that we're done, and we were like, wow,
Speaker 2: every stroke was like what walkers are everywhere? The cover
Speaker 2: of the New York Post taking over a restants, Jeff
Speaker 2: and I throwing the pitch at City. It was a great,
Speaker 2: very very New York. It was pretty cool.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was amazing. It was really well done. And
Speaker 1: I imagine for you that's kind of a pinch me moment, right.
Speaker 1: I saw you at the Empire State Building at City Field,
Speaker 1: and those are such iconic things to get to do,
Speaker 1: all because you guys are leading your own spinoff series.
Speaker 1: How cool is that?
Speaker 2: Yeah? It was really it was epic. I have to
Speaker 2: say going to City Field, I was so oh walking
Speaker 2: onto that field. I'm in a different field, but I
Speaker 2: walked out there and I thought, God, I wonder what
Speaker 2: it's like to be up at bat. The crowd is watching,
Speaker 2: you have to zone it all out. It just put
Speaker 2: me in the mindset of these athletes, and I was like,
Speaker 2: it was a very humbling cool moment. Yeah, m pire
Speaker 2: s building a different humbling cool moment. Scary, Oh my gosh,
Speaker 2: here your stomach flips. It was, But it was all
Speaker 2: the celebration of like the wonder of New York and
Speaker 2: the magic of New York.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and to tie that all you know, into the
Speaker 1: promo of the show is just so great. It was
Speaker 1: such a genius idea. And again it's something that everybody
Speaker 1: should be so proud of. This character. Maggie means so
Speaker 1: much to so many people. You've been playing her for
Speaker 1: well over a decade. Now, what keeps you coming back
Speaker 1: for more?
Speaker 2: Continuing to find real moments and undearth things that the
Speaker 2: show has always been really good at. That this whole
Speaker 2: kind of universe at human moments, relatable moments in a
Speaker 2: heightened atmosphere. And then when we started the new show,
Speaker 2: there were fewer of us, you know, as Jeff and I,
Speaker 2: and then we had a few supporting costs, which all
Speaker 2: meant that it was like a much a lot more
Speaker 2: time on each story. And I think that what it's
Speaker 2: given us is a deeper psychological dive, so, you know,
Speaker 2: for a detailed exploration of Maggie Meegue and a detailed
Speaker 2: exploration of a mother and son, those things. Each season,
Speaker 2: something comes up like that that is like, Okay, yeah,
Speaker 2: it's a character, you know, but do you know her?
Speaker 2: This is to myself, you know, but do I know
Speaker 2: her like this? Do I do I know her in
Speaker 2: this situation? And then I get to unfold and research
Speaker 2: all those that whole lane and you just you just
Speaker 2: keep going in a relationship this long with a character,
Speaker 2: as well as a relationship this long for our audience
Speaker 2: with our show, They're all just opportunities to go deeper.
Speaker 2: It's like a you know, it's like a marriage, it's
Speaker 2: like a long friendship. It's like an area of study
Speaker 2: that you'll never be done with.
Speaker 1: And so interesting too, because I think at least in
Speaker 1: my opinion, So much of what we enjoy as viewers
Speaker 1: is we get to see these characters in these really
Speaker 1: kind of like gray areas. You know, everything feels like
Speaker 1: it's in the name of survival, And can you really
Speaker 1: judge someone for what they do in those circumstances. Maybe yes,
Speaker 1: maybe no, But I imagine as an artist that's a
Speaker 1: really interesting thing for you to dive into.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and just making assessments of how we react and
Speaker 2: how we behave I mean, that is always alive and
Speaker 2: in me in the show too, because I have to
Speaker 2: wind myself back to Maggie's experiences and understand trauma and
Speaker 2: understand the sort of the toolbox that they're working with.
Speaker 2: And I think what I love about this season is
Speaker 2: saying we've operated this way and we've made decisions from
Speaker 2: this place, and something really, really a big curve ball
Speaker 2: comes in this year where it's like your tools don't
Speaker 2: work anymore, you know, And this is like this is
Speaker 2: all within the context of how she and Need and
Speaker 2: interact and how Herschel and she interact. But it's like,
Speaker 2: after all this time, the thing that's kept you alive,
Speaker 2: it's not about surviving in that way anymore. It's about surviving,
Speaker 2: and that survival is going to require a whole new
Speaker 2: skill set of internal of an internal relationship that was
Speaker 2: very abstract, but.
Speaker 1: I get what you mean. I mean it's emotionally it's
Speaker 1: such a journey that you take us all on. And
Speaker 1: that's what's so interesting about a character that has been
Speaker 1: around for a while now and your character. She's been
Speaker 1: a part of some of the biggest storylines in the
Speaker 1: franchise and continues to be in the spin off series.
Speaker 1: Is there something you look back on and you're like, man,
Speaker 1: that was a hard one, Like that was a hard
Speaker 1: day of work for me, and I'm even surprised that
Speaker 1: I got through it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it was. I think it's largely just
Speaker 2: like letting it go and not letting it go like
Speaker 2: the process of it, but like looking back and saying, oh,
Speaker 2: there's a million ways that I could have done this
Speaker 2: as an actor or whatever. And so the battle with
Speaker 2: yourself of saying, like, Okay, cool, this is what we did.
Speaker 2: Leave it on the downs floor. And then the physically
Speaker 2: hardest and emotionally hardest moments that were in the show
Speaker 2: were We're definitely those days where you know, the episode
Speaker 2: that we all know about. We shot that for a
Speaker 2: long time, and then we had a summer off and
Speaker 2: we had to come back and pick up where we
Speaker 2: left off. And you just don't want to. You just
Speaker 2: don't want to go there. You don't want to do it.
Speaker 2: But then this this weird little surrender and you're all
Speaker 2: doing it together, and you just kind of like jump
Speaker 2: in the pit, and you're doing everybody a disservice by
Speaker 2: not letting it, letting it happen.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, but I get wanting to probably protect yourself
Speaker 1: in a weird way. I mean, it's obviously you're showing
Speaker 1: up and you have a job to do, but yeah,
Speaker 1: I allow yourself to have to go to some of
Speaker 1: those darker moments or relive trauma or anything like that.
Speaker 1: I imagine that can be quite a lot at the
Speaker 1: end of a long day.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, and you just you want like a different context.
Speaker 2: It's like you spend time and you don't want to
Speaker 2: go too far away from any of it because it
Speaker 2: makes your job harder to shift back into it. But
Speaker 2: you also can't really wrench yourself to like a popcorn
Speaker 2: rom com chill out mode, like your brain, you know,
Speaker 2: when you get that sort of like tired wired. There's
Speaker 2: a sense of that that sustains for the months of
Speaker 2: filming that I know many actors in whatever zone they
Speaker 2: have to inhabit, can attest to. And but that's why,
Speaker 2: that's why we get to make indelible things and we
Speaker 2: all get to be so connected through them because we're
Speaker 2: like they're impacting us.
Speaker 1: And they're impacting the audiences. I mean, these moments and
Speaker 1: these scenes are impacting the audiences, as you know. I'm
Speaker 1: sure you've seen right and heard from many fans. You know,
Speaker 1: when your character lost her partner or lost Glenn, it
Speaker 1: was like it was like the world ended for so
Speaker 1: many people. Did you feel that too?
Speaker 2: I did, and I think and that's kind of like
Speaker 2: what I mean is it's like we are all in
Speaker 2: the conversation together, you know, our audience and us, and
Speaker 2: the fact that you and I can talk about it
Speaker 2: as like a moment we all remember, you know what
Speaker 2: I mean, And I feel I get it. I mean,
Speaker 2: I just I get it. I meet people all the
Speaker 2: time that are like they remember that moment. And it
Speaker 2: was also at a time when TV was like we
Speaker 2: were all watching one thing, you know, and it was
Speaker 2: part of a there was less competition for our attention
Speaker 2: just in terms of like all the things to watch,
Speaker 2: and I feel, I feel really grateful that I was
Speaker 2: part of a show that was meaningful to that many
Speaker 2: people at a time when things were meaningful to that
Speaker 2: many people because there were fewer things. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's what led to this incredible spinoff series,
Speaker 1: Dead City that people are just loving and enjoying and
Speaker 1: are so excited it's back for this amazing season. Did
Speaker 1: you have any inclination that a spinoff was coming when
Speaker 1: this was offered to you.
Speaker 2: I mean when I came back to the show in
Speaker 2: season at the end of season ten, I signed for
Speaker 2: four years. I think it was four years that I
Speaker 2: signed for, And I thought that what they originally wanted
Speaker 2: to do was they knew that Andy was lead, with
Speaker 2: that Rick was leaving. Andy was leaving, and Jeff and
Speaker 2: I were kind of going to take over the original show,
Speaker 2: so we knew that our storyline would sort of like
Speaker 2: narrow and magnify. But then they decided to end the
Speaker 2: show and then create these three spinoffs. So while we
Speaker 2: were still in the show, we knew that, and it
Speaker 2: took away some of the grief or preparing for the
Speaker 2: degree mid ending, you still had the goodbye to your
Speaker 2: friends that you couldn't totally conceptualize. You know, we lost
Speaker 2: people throughout the course of the show, always in surprising ways,
Speaker 2: that a major character would get killed off, and that
Speaker 2: was it was. We all felt it so much. But
Speaker 2: then the group loss of the show ending was sort
Speaker 2: of circumvented by Jeff and I knowing, Okay, well, don't
Speaker 2: get to we got this thing. They got to gear up,
Speaker 2: and it almost like, yeah, it was weird. You were
Speaker 2: saying goodbye to something, but busy getting ready for this
Speaker 2: other thing. So so it was it was exciting to
Speaker 2: know that there was an appetite for it and that
Speaker 2: the network wanted to do it, and there were many
Speaker 2: iterations of how it could have gone. They talked about
Speaker 2: doing something with Maggie and with home the whole new
Speaker 2: group of people. They talked about doing something with Meagan's
Speaker 2: character and some whole group of people, and then they
Speaker 2: talked about the iteration of Maggie and Megan, and then
Speaker 2: talk to our show runner Eli Journet, and his ideas
Speaker 2: for the show were very exciting to them. So that
Speaker 2: was the direction that we went in and so I
Speaker 2: was somewhat prepared for it, but it doesn't make it
Speaker 2: any less like exciting and novel that it's actually happening,
Speaker 2: and they were going to move to New York and
Speaker 2: we're going to tell this story in any way, there's
Speaker 2: going to be a bit of a time jump and
Speaker 2: you'll see and then tonally that we were going to
Speaker 2: do something different. So you were like, wow, what what
Speaker 2: I feel like? You know, like we think we know
Speaker 2: these characters, and now it's going to be a new context,
Speaker 2: you know, like bring it, let me open that book.
Speaker 2: I want to read it.
Speaker 1: And of course you and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, you guys
Speaker 1: together are flawless. I mean, people love watching the two
Speaker 1: of you and all the adventures you go on. What's
Speaker 1: been the most surprising thing about getting to know him
Speaker 1: better and working with him?
Speaker 2: I mean, the most surprising thing that we always laugh
Speaker 2: about is like the uniqueness of putting these two not rivals,
Speaker 2: but these two enemies in a show together. You don't
Speaker 2: it doesn't happen very often in terms of the storyline,
Speaker 2: and then it obviously couldn't be more different for us
Speaker 2: in real life. It's just it's fun. Jeffrey and I
Speaker 2: had worked together years before Working Dead. I was on
Speaker 2: Working Dead already, I think for a season or so,
Speaker 2: and we worked together on Batman Versus Superman, which was
Speaker 2: Zack Snyder's film, and jeff was so intrigued by the
Speaker 2: Working Dead and was asking Pepperingman with loads of questions
Speaker 2: about it. And then lo and behold, you know, a
Speaker 2: few years later we're working together on this show. And
Speaker 2: then we had both been on Supernatural, so we had
Speaker 2: kind of had all these like crossed possible paths and whatnot.
Speaker 2: But Jeffrey's just like he's just been partner in crime.
Speaker 2: It's really fun to go there, and he brings humor
Speaker 2: and lightness and depth and sincerity and analysis. It's just
Speaker 2: it's great. I feel really lucky. You know, you never
Speaker 2: know who you're gonna end up with, and I don't
Speaker 2: think these long roads lost when you don't get along.
Speaker 2: It's just too hard.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it always makes it better when you feel like
Speaker 1: the on screen chemistry translates to off screen, because I
Speaker 1: do feel like as an audience member, you feel it
Speaker 1: and you can see it. Yeah, to enjoy your co
Speaker 1: workers in any industry, you're in as ohways a bonus.
Speaker 2: Totally and you get to I mean this season, at
Speaker 2: the beginning of the season, we obviously Sow Maggie Nigan
Speaker 2: were in different places and they were sort of both
Speaker 2: both prisoners of sorts of these different groups. And then
Speaker 2: we do finally get together in episode four, I think,
Speaker 2: and and the way that they play off each other
Speaker 2: is like it was fun for Jeff and I because
Speaker 2: we've had this time. We're like, oh, we can't wait
Speaker 2: till our episodes together, and it's like, ah, here we go,
Speaker 2: you know, just like the things that happened, the bristle
Speaker 2: that happens between between us, We're just like, this is great.
Speaker 2: You know, as actress is what you always want.
Speaker 1: And you get to keep doing really interesting things and
Speaker 1: pushing yourself as an actress and as an artist, including
Speaker 1: your directorial debut. Yeah, episode six it just aired. How
Speaker 1: has that been for you?
Speaker 2: It's funny, It's I you know, you prepare yourself for
Speaker 2: a situation and then you'll always be surprised. And I
Speaker 2: came away with it with a gratitude. I came away
Speaker 2: having actually been able to say sit with this for
Speaker 2: a second, just like let let yourself know that you're
Speaker 2: here and enjoy and celebrate it. It was a hard
Speaker 2: thing to do, and we did it, and we we
Speaker 2: a choose something that we're all really proud of, and
Speaker 2: I mean the whole season as well. And then I
Speaker 2: felt sort of awakened to lots of things that I
Speaker 2: want to know more about, lots of things about my
Speaker 2: own working process, both as an actor and aside and
Speaker 2: as a direct A best way you can learn about anything,
Speaker 2: I think, is to go put yourself in someone else's shoes.
Speaker 2: And as a director, you're in everybody. You're standing next
Speaker 2: to everybody's shoes at different moments in the process, and
Speaker 2: it's so exciting. I mean, the concert of creativity on
Speaker 2: a production is a really beautiful thing. And you get
Speaker 2: to observe and participate in the talents in all these
Speaker 2: different domains of production design and costume design and just
Speaker 2: just enjoy people bringing their best and enjoy people doing
Speaker 2: the thing that they do so well. And then you know,
Speaker 2: in directing the episode, I just felt like I got
Speaker 2: to sort of like be a little bit of like
Speaker 2: a sticky glue between everybody and a little bit of
Speaker 2: a spider web, and and I enjoyed enjoy the process.
Speaker 2: It was very challenging at times because it was, you know,
Speaker 2: shifting between acting and directing and being intimidated sometimes to
Speaker 2: work with actors who I admire so much and give
Speaker 2: them direction and not just sort of like just feel
Speaker 2: over my head with what could I possibly offer somebody
Speaker 2: who I had like worship. But it was really really
Speaker 2: ready great experience.
Speaker 1: Did you always want to direct? Or did your interests
Speaker 1: get peeked through doing The Walking Dead Over the years.
Speaker 2: The entire like machinations that were action are so beautiful
Speaker 2: because it's a it's a giant thing, but it's a
Speaker 2: collection of so many small things and you only ever
Speaker 2: have to be doing like one of those things at once.
Speaker 2: And so as a life lesson and as a pursuit,
Speaker 2: you're like, Okay, cool, I just how do I navigate
Speaker 2: through this and not be overwhelmed and just be present,
Speaker 2: be present like a million times in a million ways successively.
Speaker 2: So when directing, when the desire to try it became
Speaker 2: stronger for me, I tried to just go in with
Speaker 2: that curiosity of how will this experience? Let me let
Speaker 2: this experience show itself to me and decide if I
Speaker 2: like it decide if I want to pursue it. But
Speaker 2: I knew I was equipped to do a solid enough
Speaker 2: job because I was prepared and I have respect and
Speaker 2: appreciation for what I don't know and how much of
Speaker 2: a team effort it is. And so I think go
Speaker 2: into it with open arms and open eyes and an
Speaker 2: open heart is something that I'm glad of. And it
Speaker 2: just showed me. It just showed me possibilities and from
Speaker 2: there I make more choices. So yeah, it was a
Speaker 2: bit of a roundabout answer, but that's I guess what
Speaker 2: the experience was.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, it's so cool. It's so cool that you
Speaker 1: can now play in this field and arena, and you know,
Speaker 1: for a show that has meant so much to you.
Speaker 1: You get to keep growing and expanding and learning, which
Speaker 1: is something that hopefully many of us want to keep
Speaker 1: doing in our lives in our careers. It's very easy, though,
Speaker 1: to feel like you have imposter syndrome when you walk
Speaker 1: into a situation and you don't feel like you know
Speaker 1: everything and you're kind of maybe learning some things on
Speaker 1: the go, or like you said, you're working with people
Speaker 1: who you're like, oh my god, I can't believe I'm
Speaker 1: the one kind of directing them or giving them orders
Speaker 1: or I'm the boss in this room, So how did
Speaker 1: you not let that get in your head and you just.
Speaker 2: Did your jobs? Such a great question because I I
Speaker 2: know that what people are going to do is going
Speaker 2: to be great, and maybe we're going to say, oh cool,
Speaker 2: you know, should we think about or what you should
Speaker 2: think about? But what if there's this factor that is
Speaker 2: also a play, or if we tried it this way
Speaker 2: or something, But you're never thinking of like you're never
Speaker 2: thinking of controlling anything like the control piece would have
Speaker 2: been coming out of fear. And don't get me wrong,
Speaker 2: I had to fight that need to control or direct
Speaker 2: quote unquote, and I think that you wouldn't because I
Speaker 2: was lucky enough to be somewhere where everybody is so good.
Speaker 2: My only task was really to make sure that it'll
Speaker 2: fit that episode and that moment in the story and
Speaker 2: this point in the narrative. So that starts from the
Speaker 2: prep time you have before the episode begins, before the
Speaker 2: shooting begins, and so it's like, all right, we're in
Speaker 2: the room, we're with the writers, we're saying like cool,
Speaker 2: so same page that this is the aspect of this scene,
Speaker 2: this is the important perspect of this episode. And then
Speaker 2: all you do is sort of like put that, put
Speaker 2: that away in your in your mind and your heart,
Speaker 2: and then go to set and be free knowing that
Speaker 2: you've got the same you've got a shared chacta, and
Speaker 2: that charter is the thing that's going to guide you
Speaker 2: through the episode. And I had very good advice. I
Speaker 2: saw out a lot of advice, and the best advice
Speaker 2: that I really took away was like, you're going to
Speaker 2: be nervous. You're going to be scared the first moment
Speaker 2: you're going to step to this side and it's okay,
Speaker 2: first time you've done it. Just just know that that
Speaker 2: feeling will happen. But secondly, don't pretend to know anything
Speaker 2: that you don't know, and don't be afraid to ask.
Speaker 2: And that is the best life advice I've ever had,
Speaker 2: because you you don't get anywhere pretending that you know,
Speaker 2: and I don't. I don't want to pretend. I'm way
Speaker 2: more interested in the truth. Like it's it's it's hard,
Speaker 2: and it's like uncomfortable, but asking a question and learning
Speaker 2: something from somebody who really knows their department and they
Speaker 2: what they want to do, and that's not hard, that's enlightening,
Speaker 2: And that's the best thing I really took away from
Speaker 2: the experience.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's incredible, and it puts a good appetite, you know,
Speaker 1: in your mouth for wanting to maybe do more of
Speaker 1: that because you did go in with such a healthy
Speaker 1: mindset and you knew that you were there to do
Speaker 1: a job that you were very capable of doing. But
Speaker 1: you also did leave that room for growth. And I
Speaker 1: think that's something that again, we all need to do
Speaker 1: in any career. So it's so applicable to everybody, which
Speaker 1: is really really cool. Was there ever a time over
Speaker 1: the years that you got so maybe overwhelmed or so
Speaker 1: worked up with the work because it is dark sometimes
Speaker 1: and traumatic and intense that you thought, ah, man, I
Speaker 1: don't know if I can do this anymore.
Speaker 2: Yeah, a lot all the time, Like all the time
Speaker 2: I think that, And all the time I think that,
Speaker 2: Like when I do when I have like a day
Speaker 2: where there's like even a lot of interviews, and then
Speaker 2: I look back and I'm like, what did I That's
Speaker 2: not I don't even even think that, Why did I
Speaker 2: say that? And then I'll spin into this place of
Speaker 2: self analysis and self hate and I beat myself up
Speaker 2: and and then I'm like, why do I even do
Speaker 2: this to myself? I just want I just want to
Speaker 2: do a job where this doesn't like And then I
Speaker 2: just think, no, you know what, like we all feel
Speaker 2: like we need to sometimes be so much and achieve
Speaker 2: in every way, and that is not in this job.
Speaker 2: That is in my mind, and that is in the
Speaker 2: mind of any of us, maybe maybe a lot of
Speaker 2: us some at the time. And what can I do, Like,
Speaker 2: what's my what's my best way to show up in
Speaker 2: the world to be like, you know what, I'm a
Speaker 2: freaking human being. Okay, was everything I ever said or
Speaker 2: did ideal and perfect? No, And what's the best thing
Speaker 2: I can do now is like not be lost in myself,
Speaker 2: is like say, okay, cool, I still love you, and
Speaker 2: I'm gonna go see where I'm needed. I'm gonna go
Speaker 2: like connect and find the things that like bring the
Speaker 2: cycle back around. And I don't know, it's just like
Speaker 2: I don't I don't want to be there. I don't
Speaker 2: I don't want to be in that stuff. And I
Speaker 2: just like I know that to show up in life
Speaker 2: as a parent, as a partner, as a friend, as
Speaker 2: a colleague is like anything requires listening and vulnerability and
Speaker 2: and and I like, I like, even when I have
Speaker 2: like hard times with a with a job or whatever,
Speaker 2: I like that I have to keep doing that because
Speaker 2: I know I'm a better person when I do stay
Speaker 2: vulnerable and stay forgiving.
Speaker 1: M Yeah, absolutely, I think that's something important for all
Speaker 1: of us to go through life with. It's not always easy,
Speaker 1: but it's it's definitely an important thing to do. I imagine
Speaker 1: with the success of The Walking Dead and now Dead
Speaker 1: City being so for lack of a better word, exposed
Speaker 1: and out there and having people asking questions and maybe
Speaker 1: even this interview, like, I'm sure it's something you kind
Speaker 1: of have to get used to and settle into a bit, right, Yeah, And.
Speaker 2: I have hard times so with it sometimes, Like I
Speaker 2: call my parents in the midst of a heavier press
Speaker 2: time and I just was like, you just like lose.
Speaker 2: You feel really prole, and you feel really exposed, and
Speaker 2: you feel not enough, and then you remember that like
Speaker 2: that's not necessarily like your experience is valid, but that's
Speaker 2: not necessarily like nobody's analyzing you as much as you
Speaker 2: think they are. And if they are, or they'll be
Speaker 2: analyzing somebody else and then they won't be analyzing that
Speaker 2: person anymore. And I just think that it's like, you
Speaker 2: gotta let it go, you gotta slow down. The biggest
Speaker 2: thing for me in life lately has just been like
Speaker 2: so down, so down, and don't forget the important. When
Speaker 2: I say the important things, I think of like don't
Speaker 2: put too much stock in any one thing, and definitely
Speaker 2: don't put too much stock in your work at the
Speaker 2: expense of the other things that are important to you,
Speaker 2: you know, whether that's your family, or whether that's your friends,
Speaker 2: or whether that's your creative outlets. I don't know what
Speaker 2: it is. But when I went to when I was
Speaker 2: on Working Dead, our producer at the time said, you know,
Speaker 2: don't forget learned this all Like we were looking around
Speaker 2: the set and he was like, don't forget. This all
Speaker 2: goes away, So don't forget to build the other parts
Speaker 2: of your life. And I'm so ambitious and I will
Speaker 2: work so hard. And it's in the last couple of
Speaker 2: years I've finally taken that advice to heart and thought
Speaker 2: that the all the success doesn't it's notice it's not
Speaker 2: as important as you think it is.
Speaker 1: There's so many secrets and you know, concoctions to why
Speaker 1: this show works and why it's been around, and why
Speaker 1: they're spin offs and why you're leading it and all
Speaker 1: of the things. But I imagine, I think I think
Speaker 1: this is going to be around for years and years
Speaker 1: and years and years and years. Do you think that's
Speaker 1: the case.
Speaker 2: I think you can tell the story for a while,
Speaker 2: and I think I think a couple more years would
Speaker 2: be good, and maybe I want to do more things. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it's come back and you know, but just just step
Speaker 2: away for a bit. It's it's it's somewhat difficult to
Speaker 2: do other stuff while doing the show because you want
Speaker 2: to rest sometimes in between. But there's like a lot
Speaker 2: of I don't know, and sometimes that's just life stuff.
Speaker 2: But I definitely, definitely I'm on the train team. Let's
Speaker 2: let's go somewhere with the story that is, as long
Speaker 2: as it can be special and real and true, then
Speaker 2: I'd like to see it go as long as it could.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, And there will be a point to your
Speaker 1: point where you'll be ready for.
Speaker 2: Something else, yeah yeah, yeah, something.
Speaker 1: That's maybe a Christmas movie or something it's not so
Speaker 1: trauma driven.
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe an ice skating movie. Do you know why
Speaker 2: I said that. I think it's because you said Christmas.
Speaker 1: Well, you know what, here we go, we're manifesting it
Speaker 1: right now for you. Absolutely, yes, But I think there
Speaker 1: should be something in your contract where your character is
Speaker 1: never allowed to die.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I know, I'll leave before that happens. We can.
Speaker 2: I never want to see you. Who knows.
Speaker 1: Look, at this point, I just don't think it would
Speaker 1: be Anything can happen in that world, of course, but
Speaker 1: I think a lot of people would be very.
Speaker 2: Upset by that. Yeah. Yeah, but if the upset was
Speaker 2: like a really really wild, gut wrenching episode that also
Speaker 2: had also had an epic message of love, then that
Speaker 2: would be okay, okay, okay. It has been on the
Speaker 2: Zombie Apocalypse a lot.
Speaker 1: You're like, I need a break from the Apocalypse.
Speaker 2: Yeah. He doesn't all have to be at this level. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I know, I know.
Speaker 1: Well that begs the question, do you know what's coming
Speaker 1: up in the series, Like when you start filming a
Speaker 1: whole new season, do you know everything that's about to
Speaker 1: go down to that season finale and like maybe even
Speaker 1: the following season or how clued in are you?
Speaker 2: Yeah? We're as clude in as we as we like
Speaker 2: to be. We've got a lot of a lot of
Speaker 2: access now to the process, and by access, I just
Speaker 2: mean like we're all in the conversation together. And to me,
Speaker 2: it's the exciting part is knowing that we have writers
Speaker 2: who want to do a different thing and take it
Speaker 2: somewhere new. And then I get to say, this is exciting.
Speaker 2: You guys are amazing at your job, and I dip
Speaker 2: in and dip out and try to make sure that
Speaker 2: I still keep you know, my priority on acting. I
Speaker 2: was the in directing, but in this in this season.
Speaker 2: But yeah, so we know we know stuff. And it's
Speaker 2: funny because sometimes I sort of like, sometimes I missed
Speaker 2: knowing less, just for just for vague moments where I
Speaker 2: was where I wouldn't be, like thinking ahead or in
Speaker 2: a conversation about something, and I was like, oh, I
Speaker 2: like the surprise I looked back at. Don't get me wrong,
Speaker 2: I never want to go back, because it's really really
Speaker 2: fun to collaborate with the writers and to hear, to
Speaker 2: hear the genus of an idea because as an actor,
Speaker 2: you obviously take like the fully formed script and you
Speaker 2: unravel it so that you get your connection to it
Speaker 2: and watching other writers do sort of the reverse process.
Speaker 2: It's really scintillating. But yeah, it's good. There's definitely less
Speaker 2: like hanging around time I'm set. Yeah, yeahs too. I'm sure.
Speaker 1: I'm sure. Was there ever a storyline over all the
Speaker 1: years for your character Maggie that you did not want
Speaker 1: to do and that you maybe said, guys, I love you,
Speaker 1: I respect you, but I got to kill this storyline
Speaker 1: for her.
Speaker 2: There was a storyline when after Maggie has this interaction
Speaker 2: with the governor and it's not a pleasant interaction. It's funny.
Speaker 2: I've never talked about this before. Oh my gosh, I
Speaker 2: just realized the name of your show, and that was
Speaker 2: not intentional. But I didn't think that her and Glenn
Speaker 2: would have this moment of passion that they have afterwards,
Speaker 2: because I felt like it was strange timing and I
Speaker 2: still don't. I don't know how I feel about it,
Speaker 2: but I do know that the scene and Glenn and
Speaker 2: Maggie having that moment I'm very very glad of because
Speaker 2: there's so little tenderness in the show, and there's definitely
Speaker 2: you know, it was like a celebration to see that
Speaker 2: couple be together in that way. And then there's their
Speaker 2: whole storyline falling in love and like the passionate things
Speaker 2: that came with that and everything and who they were.
Speaker 2: But I do remember at the time being like this,
Speaker 2: she just went through this ordeal with the governor. Is
Speaker 2: that where her brain's going to go to having this
Speaker 2: this relation right right with her husband? And yeah, I'm
Speaker 2: just reflecting on it now. But then there were there
Speaker 2: were definitely just times where I had felt dreadful depicting
Speaker 2: the moments of loss that Maggie had. But there are
Speaker 2: obviously the things that are so great about the show.
Speaker 2: You know, the things you dread are when your friends
Speaker 2: get the call and the scene of them dying is
Speaker 2: I know how to do it. And that's a rare
Speaker 2: experience to have. It's a rare experience to feel so
Speaker 2: deeply with people connect and everybody knows our little, our
Speaker 2: little college of our fifteen year college experience.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's it is rare. It is super rare and
Speaker 1: super special. That's why I do imagine it feels like
Speaker 1: a sucker punch, right like when you do lose a
Speaker 1: friend on a show. I imagine when you read the
Speaker 1: script or were told or called that hey, Glenn's going
Speaker 1: to die. It was like, what what?
Speaker 2: Totally and it was I mean, because that one was
Speaker 2: from the comics, you knew it was sort of unavoidable
Speaker 2: that the event would happen. The thing I think about
Speaker 2: a lot too as we go forward into doing this
Speaker 2: new season and is always making character death count, you know,
Speaker 2: whether it's somebody that is awful and is a villain
Speaker 2: and is making a lot of trouble for our heroes,
Speaker 2: or it's somebody that you love. It's just like that
Speaker 2: was always what was what was special about the working day.
Speaker 2: It was so impactful about Game of Thrones. It was
Speaker 2: what I love about sopranos. It's like, you're these these
Speaker 2: death meaning something you know, and that's why we watch.
Speaker 2: I mean, that's what we that's what that's what's thrilling
Speaker 2: and meaningful.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, spoken like an actor but also a director.
Speaker 1: I'm getting a lot of direct director vibes from you.
Speaker 2: I'll talk about good shows, so that helps.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, well that's very very true. I I just
Speaker 1: could talk to you forever, and I so love this
Speaker 1: interview because it's so interesting to gain insight into such
Speaker 1: a beloved character and the work that you do. That
Speaker 1: really resonates and means so much to so many people,
Speaker 1: and also step into this new journey of directing that
Speaker 1: is so exciting to hear about and learn more about
Speaker 1: you as a human, which is the purpose of this show.
Speaker 1: It's to bring on fan favorite artists and celebrate you,
Speaker 1: but also give you a chance that you don't always
Speaker 1: get on a red carpet when you have two minutes
Speaker 1: with somebody, and as you mentioned, you probably go home
Speaker 1: and are like, oh my god, in two minutes, did
Speaker 1: I say everything to make me look professional and polished
Speaker 1: and interesting and fun and creative? And yeah, it's just
Speaker 1: such a weird, unnatural situation, even for me covering them.
Speaker 1: I kind of created the show because I was tired
Speaker 1: of only having those interactions with people, even at a
Speaker 1: junket maybe six minutes if you're lucky, but it's just
Speaker 1: not enough time for real conversation. So that's where the
Speaker 1: title I've Never said this before was born from, and
Speaker 1: I always wrap up every interview with the question based
Speaker 1: off that title, and that question is surprise Surprise, Is
Speaker 1: there any anything you can think of that you've never
Speaker 1: said before, whatever that means to you that you wanted
Speaker 1: to say today.
Speaker 2: Wait, can I say one thing real quick before I
Speaker 2: say that, I really appreciate your interview, this interview with you,
Speaker 2: and I really appreciate your demeanor and your you. This
Speaker 2: was like a very nice conversation, and I feel relaxed,
Speaker 2: and I feel like it's it's rare to to have
Speaker 2: that experience in you know, we're on zoom right now,
Speaker 2: and I totally hear what you're saying about those snippets
Speaker 2: not allowing you to get into something. But but I
Speaker 2: think you're also just very good at this, and I
Speaker 2: just want to I just want to put a light
Speaker 2: on that for a second, because that's one of the
Speaker 2: things I'm I don't know. I guess I noticed. We
Speaker 2: talked about this a little bit before. It's like, you
Speaker 2: can go through you can go through life and not
Speaker 2: stop and smell the roses. And I guess the thing
Speaker 2: I've never said before is I'm going to I'm smelling
Speaker 2: the roses. That sounds like such a strange thing. I
Speaker 2: guess that's the point. Yeah, Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 1: I like that you're smelling the roses. You're stopping more
Speaker 1: in life too. And I got that also from a
Speaker 1: little bit of what you were saying earlier. But to me,
Speaker 1: that means you're kind of taking more time for you,
Speaker 1: for Lauren, not just the artist, the actress, the fill
Speaker 1: in the blank of what everything else wants or expects
Speaker 1: you to be. It seems like you're really stepping into this,
Speaker 1: this era of maybe putting you more front and center.
Speaker 1: Is that right?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know if it's putting me. I think
Speaker 2: it's maybe I'm finding balance and I sort of felt
Speaker 2: ambitious about balance and now I feel balanced about balance.
Speaker 2: And it's not perfect all the time, but I'm more
Speaker 2: open in the truth of it all, right. I just
Speaker 2: I want it. I know it's important. I prioritize it
Speaker 2: and I mean that and I think I meant to
Speaker 2: mean it before and I think now I mean it.
Speaker 2: And maybe that's the thing I never said before. But
Speaker 2: I'm gonna you choose what they never said before. Button
Speaker 2: is in our conversation. I like it all.
Speaker 1: I like it all. I think it's all wonderful and valid,
Speaker 1: and I never when people say share multiple things. I
Speaker 1: like to conclude it all because I think it's your
Speaker 1: truth and I think that's really cool and I'm happy
Speaker 1: to hear. I'm always happy to hear when somebody feels
Speaker 1: like they're reaching that point of, as you say, balance
Speaker 1: of stopping to smell the roses of To me, that
Speaker 1: also means, I guess, for me personally, being better with
Speaker 1: my mental health journey, right, and just making sure I'm
Speaker 1: checking in with myself and being that person for me.
Speaker 1: So I hope that's also what you're doing and checking
Speaker 1: in with yourself.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, totally, totally. Yeah, And let and remember that
Speaker 2: everything is a mirror insofar as like what do you
Speaker 2: want to put out? And when I see something somewhere,
Speaker 2: I need to know that that's that I have a
Speaker 2: big part in how I'm seeing that, and I get
Speaker 2: to I get to lift it up, I get to
Speaker 2: improve it, I get to be gentle with it. And yeah,
Speaker 2: but I like this mental health emphasis.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, Well, Lauren, not only are you a badass
Speaker 1: in The Walking Dead City and everything you do as
Speaker 1: an artist, but you're also a really cool, grounded human
Speaker 1: and that's always rewarding for me when I get to
Speaker 1: have these conversations. I would have loved you in studio,
Speaker 1: and I know timing didn't work out, but even to
Speaker 1: feel that on Zoom is such a pleasure, and I
Speaker 1: just couldn't be happier to hear that you are finding
Speaker 1: the things in life that make you feel good and
Speaker 1: that make you feel grounded and balanced while doing work
Speaker 1: you love and stepping into new zones of directing and
Speaker 1: pushing and challenging yourself. I mean, I feel like it's
Speaker 1: a good time in your life to be you, and
Speaker 1: I'm happy to hear it and see it.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Tommy, this was appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Of course. Thank you. Everybody. Continue watching The Walking Dead.
Speaker 1: It did to city and I hope to see another
Speaker 1: episode directed by you in the near future.
Speaker 2: Yeah, me too.
Speaker 1: Thank you.
Speaker 2: You're welcome.
Speaker 1: I've Never Said This Before is hosted by Me Tommy Dedario.
Speaker 1: This podcast is executive produced by Andrew Puglisi at iHeartRadio
Speaker 1: and by Me Tommy, with editing by Joshua Colaudney. I've
Speaker 1: Never Said This Before is part of the Elvis Duran
Speaker 1: podcast network on iHeart Podcasts. For more, rate review and
Speaker 1: subscribe to our show and if you liked this episode,
Speaker 1: tell your friends. Until next time, I'm Tommy de Dario.