Fans were not happy when Madison Clark was killed off back on season 4 ofAMC’sFear the Walking Dead.
And they weren’t the only ones.
Or, rather, the bestperson.
Kim Dickens and Colman Domingo on ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.Richard Foreman Jr/AMC
And that person turned out to be a member of the cast.
“Colman Domingo and I have remained really good friends,” explains Dickens.
So how did that conversation go between Dickens and Domingo?
Kim Dickens on ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.Lauren “Lo” Smith/AMC
“He was like, ‘Will you talk to them?'”
“And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll talk to them.
But why do they want to talk to me?
Kim Dickens on ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.Lauren “Lo” Smith/AMC
We broke up!'”
After a hearty chuckle, Dickens adds “No, I said, ‘Of course I will.’
And they pitched me what I thought were really fun, kind of brilliant ideas.”
She will then go back to full cast member status for season 8, which begins filming this summer.
When did the talks to bring Madison back begin?
How did Dickens get over the disappointment she felt when originally let go?
And why are fans to thank for her return?
We spoke to the star about journey back toFear the Walking Dead.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So when did the talks start to get you back on the show?
KIM DICKENS:At this point, the talks started about a year-and-a-half ago.
It started in the pandemic, and it caught me by complete surprise.
The timing was right for me.
it was the pandemic, I was in between things, and I could really commit to it.
They felt like they were really going to write the Madison I knew.
I felt like I had faith in them.
It just seemed kind of good to go back.
I always felt Madison had more stories in her.
Well, like I said, it caught me by surprise.
But yeah, you’re right.
Back when it happened, I was disappointed, and I really was pretty clear about that.
I kind of wore it on my sleeve.
I was honest with the fan base and I said, “Look, I didn’t choose this.
I thought there was more stories to tell.
I’m disappointed.”
Then you got to move on.
That’s our business.
Jobs end and things change.
That’s part of the perseverance required of us as performers is to pick yourself up and move on.
And then when it came back around, by then, I’d let it go.
I didn’t know what they were going to ask me, what they wanted to talk about.
It could have been just one episode.
It could have been something that didn’t interest me.
I just kind of went into it open-minded and I was aware of the fan base and their reaction.
I’d seen that through the years.
and I thought that was really cool.
It made me feel good.
It made me feel like, “Oh good, Madisondidmatter.”
I felt like the fans lit the fire a little bit under that idea.
I don’t know for certain, but I certainly appreciated it.
I had let it go.
just kind of doing my own thing.
I’d remained friends with Colman and Alycia and Danay and the gang.
I would think like, “I don’t know why they don’t bring her back.
It’d be so cool.”
That was kind of my experience.
Did you keep watching the show after you left?
No, I hadn’t continued to watch aside from watching Coleman’s directorial debut.
I didn’t keep up with it.
I started jumping in 6 and got excited to see everyone guns-blazing and great performances.
Because this job is more challenging than others, I tell you.
But in a great way.
That was sort of my preparation.
I was watching it like a fan then as well, and I started to get nervous.
I was like, “Oh wow, I’m on deck.
I’m about to be up to bat.
This is the season!”
I thought the work they were all doing was incredible and just became beyond epic.
I can’t imagine how excited Colman must have been to get you back in the fold.
I think he’s excited.
I mean, that guy is busy, but we are excited.
We kind of are giddy about it.
