The fifth episode of Fear The Walking Dead’s seventh season featured Aisha Tyler’s on-camera debut in the series. Aisha Tyler played as Mickey, the former wrestler turned celebrity. It was the first time that a former celebrity has been a featured character on an episode of Fear. Even Dwight (Austin Amelio) recognized Mickey as he used to be a fan of professional wrestling.
During the episode, there was a walker killing sequence that happened inside the wrestling ring that has received praise by wrestling fans and Walking Dead fans. Here to talk about everything that went down on this episode is Mickey herself Aisha Tyler in this exclusive interview.
The Knockturnal:The last time we spoke, it was you directing an episode and now this time we are speaking, you are in the episode. So how does a fit of actually play a wrestler on this episode, especially since the character Dwight recognize you as a wrestler?
AT: “This was just such an incredible experience. I mean, obviously we’ve spoken before. You know how much I loved The Walking Dead universe, and this role was just the best combination that she’s a wrestler in the western setting where I get to ride and I get to fight. And then this big emotional arc for Mickey, that was really beautiful and unexpected. I think when they asked me to guest on the show, I was like, ‘Guys, I don’t know. I love you guys so much and I definitely want to come.’ And then I read the script and I was like, ‘I’m going to cancel my whole summer to get down to Austin, TX and play Mickey.’ She was everything all at once. It was at my middle-school where I dreamed to play as a wrestler.”
The Knockturnal: The whole sequence where Mickey, Dwight, and Sherry were killing walkers inside a wrestling ring gave me flashbacks to WWE since I am also a wrestling fan. Tell me about the process of bringing that sequence together.
AT: “What was really interesting about that is I’ve never done any professional wrestling before. So we had a lot to learn. And that was such an interesting combination of elements in that scene because I’ve just lost my partner who I’ve been looking for a very long time. So there’s this big emotion. And then immediately we’re surrounded by walkers and we have to fight our way out. So to make that big transition from being devastated emotionally to having to fight our way out of this, what looks like an impossible situation was physically challenging. It was also 1000 degrees that day. it’s literally a nuclear apocalypse. So we’ve got all those clothes on. I had that armor on and I really would love to tell you that I’m a natural born wrestler. But i’m not. I felt like I had to push myself quite a bit. I was telling these guys I got old knees. I know I look young, but my knees are old. The stunt team on Fear were really patient with me and working with Christine and Austin was so great. It really was a dream come true. I mean, you know, speaking as a wrestling fan, it was a delight and and it was everything all at once because I was excited to kill Walkers, but I got to kill them in a different way because I got the kill them in wrestling style. So that was really awesome.”
The Knockturnal: I felt bad for your knees once you did a tombstone to that walker because WWE SuperstarThe Undertaker did that move for so many years and his knees got blown out. Were your knees okay after doing that move several times in between filming?
AT: “I want to tell you that it was easy. I pushed myself for the role. I was well protected and practiced very well. It was very safe. I would have loved to be able to do it 100 times. I feel like I’ve got five of these and that is that it was. It was a blast. one of the great things about being an actor is to put yourself in lots of different ways physically, emotionally, and mentally. And it was really fun to do that. I’m definitely not itching to get into the ring professionally!
