The Walking Dead: Dead City is about to do something the franchise has never done before: bring back a character who died years ago and show what her life might have been like if the zombie apocalypse had never happened. Emily Kinney is returning as Beth Greene in the upcoming alternate-reality episode of The Walking Dead: Dead City, and the actress recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about stepping back into the role opposite Lauren Cohan’s Maggie.
Beth was killed off in the fifth season of The Walking Dead, when she was shot during the 2014 midseason finale at Grady Memorial Hospital. But in this new Dead City episode, Beth is alive, living in New York City, and pursuing her dreams as a musician.
Kinney admitted she never expected to return to the franchise.
“I never would’ve imagined that I was coming back at all,” the actress told Entertainment Weekly. “Years ago, when The Walking Dead series was still going, I vaguely remember they were like, ‘Oh, maybe in someone’s fever dream, there’d be a thing again.’ And it was gonna be a bunch of characters, but then that never happened. But I never would’ve imagined it, especially because now the main show was over. So I was very surprised. I had no idea. But I was excited.”
The return also gave Kinney the opportunity to reunite with Cohan. The two actresses first worked together when Kinney joined The Walking Dead in season 2, and Kinney says their chemistry came back immediately.
“Yeah, it just felt really natural,” Kinney said. “There are even some of the same people working on Dead City that worked on Walking Dead. Of course, Lauren, but also people on the crew. Vincent, who was the key hair person, worked on the regular Walking Dead. There were a lot of familiar faces. My experience with Walking Dead is maybe just stuck with me, and so then coming back to it was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I fit in here.’ Especially working with Lauren, we’ve always just had a really natural, easy way of working together that I don’t think I’ve encountered anywhere else. Anytime we have to do anything emotional, it’s always very easy.”
That sisterly connection was especially important for an episode centered on Beth and Maggie.
“It was great,” Kinney said of sharing scenes with Cohan again. “I’ve seen Lauren throughout the years. We still have a group that’ll get together in L.A. occasionally, and I’ve seen her at conventions and things. So it was nice to be able to have that on set, and then also get to be Maggie and Beth. There is something with me and Lauren where it has always kind of felt like sisters. Our scenes always feel really like she’s such a good listener and just such a good scene partner. Our first day on set [of The Walking Dead] was together back in season 2.”
One of the most intriguing aspects of the alternate reality story is that Beth isn’t just alive, she has managed to leave the Greene family farm behind and pursue a career in music in New York City. Kinney sees the storyline as a fitting continuation of Beth’s dreams.
“I’m really proud of Beth,” she said. “I feel like in this other timeline if the zombie apocalypse hadn’t happened, the fact that she was able to move on from her life on the farm and follow her dreams is great. And so as an outside observer, I’m proud of her. And I resonate with it. I’m from Nebraska, and I moved to New York City when I was 19 or 20 to do music and acting, so it made sense to me.”
Beth will sing one of Kinney’s own songs, “Reasons to Stay Alive.” According to Kinney, the opportunity came about after the original script called for Beth to perform a folk song.
“The first script that they sent me, it just said: ‘Beth sings a folk song.’ They didn’t know what song. And then we had a meeting to talk with the music supervisor and different people to talk about what song. They were like, ‘Do you have any ideas?’ And I was like, ‘Well, yes, I do!’ [Laughs] The lyrics matched up so perfectly to the events of the episode, so I was like, ‘You guys, I have to pitch my song.’ I played them the song, and then they were like, ‘Yeah, that’s the song!’”
Kinney has also released a new version of “Hold On,” a song she originally performed as Beth during season 3 of The Walking Dead. The song is the first single from her upcoming I Cried When You Died EP, which will consist entirely of songs she performed in character as Beth.
“I literally had this EP ready to go specifically for Walking Dead fans, and then got the offer for Dead City,” Kinney said. “And so it all just lined up!”
The Walking Dead: Dead City follows Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) as they navigate a post-apocalyptic Manhattan that has long been cut off from the mainland. The ruined city has become a dangerous world of its own, populated by walkers and survivors who have established their own communities and rules.
Season 3 finds Maggie and Negan attempting to put their differences aside and build the first thriving community in Manhattan since the apocalypse. However, the chaos surrounding them forces both characters to confront their pasts and question whether they can truly move beyond their old wounds.
The series also stars Jimmi Simpson, Aimee Garcia, and Raúl Castillo.
Now, Dead City is giving fans something completely different with an episode that asks: What if Beth Greene had survived? Emily Kinney’s Beth Greene returns when the alternate-reality episode of The Walking Dead: Dead City airs this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. Will you be watching?