The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon-The Book of Carol made its New York debut at the Tribeca Film Festival this past weekend.
Attendees were able to see the season 2 premier of the series four months ahead of its scheduled air date. After the screening, the cast stayed to answer questions about The Book of Carol during the panel.
We got the chance to speak with Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, and Scott Gimple about The Book of Carol during a private red carpet event that took place before the screening started, as well as moments after their photo shoot.
Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride at the Tribeca Film Festival. Photographer: Julian Cannon
Norman Reedus expressed his enthusiasm about Melissa McBride joining the cast for season 2. He shared that having her on board felt incredibly rewarding. Reedus emphasized the dedication and hard work that has gone into the series, and McBride’s involvement enhances the overall dynamic and quality of the show.
“Se’s (Melissa) in full time,” said Reedus. “It’s a lot about her story trying to find me, a lot of twists and turns and characters that have been on the show in the first season. There’ll be some death, tears, and insane locations. There are a lot of twisted things you wouldn’t expect to happen. It’s kind of the show that I always wanted to make sure we were enjoying.”
Norman Reedus discussed the various challenges and rules he encountered while filming in France. He noted that there were many restrictions, such as not being able to damage historic sites like the catacombs or show people bleeding, even though showing blood was permissible.
Reedus also mentioned the unique experience of filming near iconic locations like the Mona Lisa, which came with its own set of regulations and challenges. Despite these constraints, he appreciated the opportunity to work in such a distinctive and historically rich environment.
As far as The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Reedus did watch it and he liked it. The scenes that stood out to him are the dream sequences between Rick Grimes and Michonne.
“I like the dream scenes at the bench when Rick is flirting with Michonne. Those are my favorites,” said Reedus.
Additionally, Reedus will play Sam Bridges in the video game Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, which has been in development since mid 2020, and was revealed for the first time at The Game Awards in 2022. Reedus’ remarks about Death Stranding 2 were as follows:
“It’s more action packed on the second one. We’ve been working on it for some time now and I’m not sure when it was going to come out,” said Reedus. “Anything Hideo Kojima touches turns into gold.”
Melissa McBride at the Tribeca Film Festival. Photographer: Julian Cannon
Melissa McBride joins the cast of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol starting with this season. We caught up with McBride on the red carpet during the Tribeca Film Festival, where she expressed her excitement about returning to the franchise and her eagerness to explore new storylines with her beloved character.
What did you like the most about France as a cast member of the show as opposed to going there as a tourist?
Mcbride: It’s really interesting to see how the extras and crew work over there. I liked how they tried to capture the authentic and organic setting of France in their eyes. The fact that they care about their locations and preserve historical pieces is also something I like. When we were not filming, I visited the local areas to get a sense of how people interact with each other. It [was important to me to keep that all in mind] every time I returned to the set. Rewatching Daryl Dixon’s first season outside of my scene at the very end, speaking with Norman Reedus, Scott Gimple, and the rest of the crew and staff prepared me to embrace France as a whole.
Are there any standout episodes that fans should look forward to?
Mcbride: (Laughs) I cannot say too much, but episodes 4 and 5 are standouts. But the first episode that is premiering tonight will really set the motion for Carol’s development for the rest of the season.
Being that you were on the main show from the start to now this spinoff, how do you find a right balance between what works for the Carol character and adapting to new ranges of your acting as the time goes by?
Mcbride: It is all me, with the writers, producers, and also the cast that I worked with this whole time. When I read a script, I like to think of how Carol would react and speak with the other characters and also how Carol would visually react to something she sees or hears without any worded dialogue. I think as an actor, I have to evolve with the story or else I would be stuck doing the same thing everytime. That is how I approached the main show each season I was on it and brought that over to this show.
Scott Gimple at the Tribeca Film Festival. Photographer: Julian Cannon
As The Walking Dead: Dead City is currently filming its second season, it’s expected to be released in 2025. We caught up with Scott Gimple to get a better idea of why the filming moved from New Jersey and Wall Street, NY to Boston for the second season.
“There were a few logistical changes that happened when we were in the early stages of the planning of the second season and we felt that the new characters coming in best represent the location change,” said Gimple.
As for revealing which locations from the fictional New York setting were used in real life Boston, Gimple declined to disclose that information.
