Spoiler alert: Read on only if you have already watched Sundays episode ofFear the Walking Dead, Weak.
The character of Strand was once again nowhere to be seen in the latest installment ofFear the Walking Dead.
But the man who plays him was plenty busy.
Ryan Green/AMC
And I thought, I think youre right.
And I think Im ready for it.
And then everyone was on board with me directing an episode this season.
Ryan Green/AMC
By the time we got to my episode, I was ready.
Am I going to ruin the show?
But everyone put in their absolute best and gave it their all.
I think we all turned in our best work.
And I hope I was a good, inspiring facilitator.
Are you kidding me?
But theyre such pros.
I want you trust me.
Thats all I want.
Were there any scenes you were especially focused on or worried about?Yes.
I have the stunts on the cow-catcher with the woman who had no legs and was attached to it.
I thought, How are we going to do this?
We have the stunts with Jenna and Maggie, the car chase and turning out.
And the one with the cow-catcher?
I feel like we had 300 emails about that because of the safety of the human being.
How are we going to get it?
Were driving in a very small lane.
And how are we going to get the camera car to follow?
There were a lot of variables that could go wrong at any moment.
We actually made the impossible because we only had seven days to shoot instead of the normal eight days.
Was that green screen, practical, or a mix?That was all practical.
Every ounce of that was practical.
So this guy was in this coagulant thats found in milkshakes or something, something really gross.
So hes in there.
I gotta give it up to him.
He was in therefor hours.
I love this idea of this fight for their lives.
And then the jack falling on his head.
None of that was there.
You were working a lot with Jenna Elfman in this episode.
A lot of heads were turned when she was cast because everyone thought of her as a sitcom actress.
And I think a lot of comedians make the best dramatic actresses because they have a facility.
Theyre very open, like clowns.
The best of comedians are such open spirits.
Theyre big, open, wounded hearts, actually.
Shes just someone who says, Yes.
And theres no ego about it.
Her ego is out of the door.
The whole point of it is trying something.
We have to try the things that may even be wrong to get to the right choice.
She starts to walk away.
June starts to drive away and then Al sort of pumps the gun and goes with her.
What makes her change her mind?I love that moment.
Thats actually one of my favorite moments of the episode.
Im glad you talked about it.
She was in the fight with the walker.
She had sort of a come-to-Jesus conversation with June.
Shes just made a great comrade that demands her of her truth.
Maybe they can make more of this together.
And so she shoots the gun and heads back.
What can you tell us about this character?The character is called Filthy Woman.
Thats the title of her character.
We dont know her name yet.
For whatever reason it is, shes doing some dastardly things like, you know, poisoning the water.
Shes writing on peoples heads with this incredible penmanship.
Why is this her endgame?
And I gotta ask you, whats up with Strand?
We havent seen this dude since the storm broke out.
Whats he been doing?
Strand is someone, as youve noticed, that each season he may take a moment to go away.
I think that Strand is a thinker, and hes going to reassemble and come out again.
Hes like a cat with nine lives.
Hes working on his 20th right now?
So I think hes just reassessing everything and coming out brand-new again.
Hes like a butterfly that goes back into his cocoon and then comes back again as a different butterfly.
Some elements of them are coming back together, and then its going to be challenged another time.
We actually just sealed the deal that Im going to direct another episode next season.
And also, Im interested in directing for some other shows.
For moreFear the Walking Deadscoop, follow Dalton on Twitter@DaltonRoss.
