Tonight’s episode of The Walking Dead is focused on The Princess’ (Paola Lazaro) mental state and her point of view of how she was treated upon everyone being stopped at the train yard near The Commonwealth.
Ezekiel (Khary Payton) is also featured in this episode for a lengthly period especially at the twist towards the end. There is a ton in store for what is to come once all of the characters go inside the large city with over 50,000 residents.
Khary Payton sat down with us recently to talk about the episode and what is in store for Ezekiel on the final season of The Walking Dead. We also talked about filming during the pandemic, and his reaction to Steven Yeun receiving his Oscar nomination!
The Knockturnal: We saw the fall of The Kingdom and the destruction of Alexandria. Do you believe that The Commonwealth is the last hope for Ezekiel and the rest of the group?
Khary Payton: “I do not want to say last hope. If I learned anything, life is a journey, Julian. You hope that you can make an omelet without breaking some eggs. You try your best to build something and hope that it stands the test of time. But at the same time, life is an evolution. If The Kingdom and Alexandria could not stand up, I think that means that you have to be aware that all of these places could come down again. But you use them while you got them and you do the best you can with what you got. I feel like this show would not be The Walking Dead if they got to emerald city and everybody is dancing around with different colored horses and not kill the wicked witch. I feel like that we are going to have to still fight a little bit!”
The Knockturnal: What would be Ezekiel’s mindset from being a leader in a normal-sized community to seeing The Commonwealth that is a large city with technology like it was before the apocalypse started?
Khary Payton: “Ezekiel at this point has not sniffed The Commonwealth yet. As far as the comic book is concerned, Ezekiel was dead long before this point (Issue #144). He can go a lot of different ways and he could decide to open a bakery on the upper west side. Or he might run for public office! I am excited to know which way he would go myself!”
The Knockturnal: What are some of your favorite memories working with Paola Lazaro on this episode (Splinter)
Khary Payton: “Dancing! She plays the music and she starts to dance and I dance with her. She has an infectious personality and there is a happiness about her. She is grateful to be working and to be on the show. She brings a different energy and point of view to the show and it is very unique to Paola. When you are working long hours, it makes life so much easier when you have beautiful spirits working with you. And Paola is one of those beautiful spirits.”
The Knockturnal: What were some challenges that you and everyone in this episode had to endure while this episode was filmed last fall during the pandemic?
Khary Payton: “Fortunate for me, I had Paola to hang out with. For the most part, we had to stay away from everybody. Shooting the show is a very intimate affair. We’re all very much in each other’s faces. One of the things that makes these long hours bearable, is that you’re able to be close to people you come to love and enjoy. Because of COVID, we were not able to have that community feeling that we are normally able to do. That was the hardest part for me. Not being able to wrap my arms around anybody.”
Khary Payton as Ezekiel – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 20 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC
The Knockturnal: Steven Yeun just received his Oscar nomination this week. Even though you two never shot a scene together, The Walking Dead Family are always supportive of each other. How did you react when this news broke?
Khary Payton: “That is so awesome! One of the things I love about this job is that you never know where the stories you are going to tell will lead you. Back in the day, he finished his work on The Walking Dead the episode before I started. I know that he was torn up about not being able to go on without the show. The beautiful thing about the show is that it lead him to do more projects and I am so excited that the story lead him to the place he is now and it is pretty awesome to see.”
The Knockturnal: Since the final season began filming a few weeks ago, what are some things that you want to see developed for Ezekiel?
Khary Payton: “I hope that he finds more light in the darkness. I feel like the journey of Ezekiel from the very beginning from when he built The Kingdom, he wanted to show that this world could be a bright and happy place that is filled with hope and not filled with darkness. He wanted to live a life that was full of enjoyment. I hope that he comes to find that again and I feel like it has been a long time since he was able to lean into that. At the end of the day, that’s what I would hope for Ezekiel”.
