The Walking Dead: Lynn Collins Breaks Down Midseason Finale’s Biggest

Lynn Collins started her journey as Leah during The Walking Dead Season 10, and it came to a grinding halt during The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 16.

TV Fanatic got the chance to chat with Collins about her character’s demise, whether Leah would have killed Daryl and more.

Scroll down to get up to speed.

TV Fanatic: Leah had a great run. I was surprised how her arc ended. Did you know how it would play out before you signed up for the show?

Lynn: I knew her demise would be the end of the second section, so to speak, of the final season.

Talking to the writers, we would have loved to extend it, but it’s just such a big task. It’s such a huge ensemble, and they had to prioritize. So as much as we probably all would’ve liked for it to go on, it kind of had to conclude.

Leah’s character, in my opinion, was there to enrich the Daryl character. And it says so much about him, the way that it all wraps up. It says so much about his loyalty to the group that the show is based around. When you’re serving a story, you can’t get too attached to wanting more.

Leah had lost all of her allies and was essentially a free agent. Do you think she could have put all of that aside and worked with Lance more permanently?

I think she just got to a place at the end, this idea of an eye for an eye. It’s like the blind rage, so to speak, and desire for when you feel pain, and someone’s hurt, and you’re like, well, you want that person to feel as bad as you felt.

That’s where she was at, and I think there was only one way for her to go after just multiple betrayals. And I don’t think she cares. She’s lost everything.

The fight scene with Leah and Maggie was brutal. What was that like to film?

It was incredibly fun but also exhausting, mentally and emotionally. Lauren’s just incredibly dedicated and committed. So the work was so rewarding because of that.

You really can just lose yourself in the elements and the world that was created. I definitely didn’t want to hurt her. She didn’t want to hurt me. So at first, we thought the stuntwomen were going to do most of it. But what ended up happening is that we were so engaged in the show.

We so enjoyed each other that we both were like, “okay, now we’re going to do it.” And we learned it, and we did everything we could to make sure that they were getting awesome shots.

It came across very well. You both did a great job.

Ultimately, Leah was killed by her one-time love, Daryl. Could you speak a bit about whether you think Leah would have killed Daryl if she had the chance?

I don’t know. This is a tough question. He let her go, so there’s an element to it that’s like they kept letting each other go. They kept protecting each other in that way. So, no, I don’t think she would have, but it says so much that he would protect Maggie to that degree that he kills her, you know?

It feels like there’s still so much we don’t know about Leah and even the Reapers. Would you be interested in exploring that backstory in an episode of Tales of the Walking Dead?

I would love to do that. I would hope that they want more. I would love to see what happens when Daryl leaves and Leah’s there. What’s the next step? How did they find her when they did find her? So many questions!

Going into the show, were there any characters you wanted Leah to share the screen with?

I would have loved to have been able to work with Melissa, who plays Carol. I am a huge fan of hers. I was a huge fan of the show, to begin with.

I really have had the most excellent time doing this show, but if there was one disappointment, it would be that we weren’t able to work together. 

Because of the COVID situation, things had to be separated. There were certain groups that we weren’t even allowed to like mingle and mix outside of work. They asked us not to do that.

It was a disappointment that there wasn’t anything that we could do together because I would have loved to. What would Carol’s take on Leah be? It was very interesting to think about that, you know? And how would Leah feel about Carol?

Leah made such an impact on the show in a short time. What did you enjoy the most about playing her?

I love Leah. Leah has an extraordinary arc, in my opinion, so multi-faceted, so layered, and it’s been wonderful to experience that kind of character development.

That’s one of the strengths of the show, the character development. Because they’ve had time to do it as well, it’s very rewarding.

What will you miss the most about being on the show?

I really adore Norman. Working with him was super fun. He and Lauren both are just so generous.

Personally, playing such a strong female is always super great because I’m a mom. I have a young child, and that part of myself doesn’t get much expression, except when I’m cast in these kinds of characters. So there’s something incredibly cathartic about being able to express a part of myself that, in my real life, I don’t really have access to.

Are you working on any other projects at the moment?

I’m working on a bunch of different things. I started a business in 2017 and in 2020, because the acting industry shut down, I really started working hard at it.

I’m a life coach. I also have clairvoyant gifts too. And so I’m able to help people like make decisions, sort of like a spiritual life coach. That’s been ongoing, and I’m also developing flower essences and sacred perfume oils for that company.

Acting-wise, I officially wrapped the show in January, so I’m trying to figure out what comes next. I would love to be able to stay in Georgia, so the question is, what jobs do I take to make that happen?

I have to be selective, but there’s a lot of exciting stuff in the works.

Thanks, Lynn. I really enjoyed Leah’s arc. I hope we get to see more on Tales of the Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead continues later this year on AMC.

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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

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