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This interview contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere.

The dust has settled from the season premiere of The Walking Dead, which saw Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Glenn (Steven Yeun) brutally beaten to death by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in the most harrowing and disturbing episode in the show's history.

Some fans are threatening to quit watching in response to the premiere, but since the rest of us are soldiering on, star Andrew Lincoln, who plays the embattled Rick Grimes, has some good news -- there may be a glimmer of light in the darkness as the season goes on.

Below, Lincoln opens up about losing Glenn and Abraham, Rick's relationship with Michonne, and the show's similarities with a certain epic fantasy franchise.

How challenging was it to occupy Rick's headspace in the midst of such a dark episode?

The funny thing was, a very dear friend who’s worked on the show for a long time, Drew, he’s a PA, he said it was so strange, that episode, because everybody was so zoned into it and it was very difficult to communicate. A lot of the crew just left us alone for it. The crew are magnificent on this show because they realize that you do your homework, you learn your lines, you look the other actor deep, square in the eyes, hold their hands and jump and see what happens. Fortunately, I’ve been doing it with the same crew for so long that they probably think I’m clinically insane anyway, so I don’t have any fear of looking like a fool anymore. They’re sort of used to me doing weird things, so they leave me well alone.

It was strange, a couple of times we did the -- I liked to call it the "Isaac and Abraham" scene, with the ax and the kid -- there were a couple of times where grown men, with beards and tattoos, that move heavy equipment, had to walk away from set shaking their heads and couldn’t make eye contact with me. At that point you know that we’re in the ballpark of what’s necessary to tell the story.

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You guys have all been living with these deaths for so long, how liberating does it feel to actually be able to discuss them openly?

It’s so true, it’s been very difficult. Homeland Security have said, “you’re not coming into the country unless you tell us,” so it’s not been without its problems. [Laughs.] But the relief – we can exhale now, as a crew, as a cast. It’s such a horrific, brutal and harrowing episode, but what I’m particularly happy about is that Steven and Mikey can get on with it.

It’s a very strange experience because you want to celebrate their service to the show and their commitment, and just who they are as actors and as people and as friends and family, but we haven’t been allowed to do it because of the nature of our show. It’s interesting, because some of the finest acting I’ve ever seen has not been on screen – although it’s been really good acting on the show – it’s been at conventions and Comic-Cons. These people have to bite their tongue and pretend that they’re not off the show; this show that they love dearly. If we can’t get an Emmy for [the show], they deserve one for the panels we do at Comic-Con.

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We’ve all been focused on the inevitability of someone dying in the premiere, but not really what comes afterwards – how is Rick adjusting to the new status quo when we next see him?

This is the lowest in a rolodex of bad days in the Rick Grimes household, this counts as his worst, his darkest hour. And I think for everybody you’re going to see the fallout from this horrific night in very individual ways. Also, it’s a bit glib and it’s a bit advertising – I think my true vocation should’ve been advertising, because I worked out that this season is more Lord of the Ringsthan Lord of the Flies. That’s my little witty, glib, “I can’t actually tell you anything, but I’m gonna tell you that.”

Glenn has been with Rick since the beginning, and he was often the show’s moral compass – how is that loss going to manifest itself for Rick in particular?

I think it changes him; more than any other death, the loss of Glenn is seismic. We felt it enormously as a crew, losing both those guys, because they’re so funny, they’re leaders in their own right, but Steven in particular was like the social secretary for the youngsters. I’ve said it before, the relationship between Rick and Glenn is, he’s the younger, better looking, smarter and funnier younger brother that he never had, and that’s exactly my relationship with Steven. I love the guy; he’s one of my best friends, and this show and the experience of making the show is less, because of his absence.

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Rick seemed truly broken by Negan by the end of the episode, but Maggie still had that defiance and thirst for vengeance in the aftermath. Will her grief put her at odds with Rick, or are they bonded more closely by the loss?

I think that there is a bumpy road to navigate. It’s very, in my opinion, beautifully written this season, it’s a different show, is all I’m gonna say. And the way that the individual characters in the family process this trauma is unique to them. But the thing that I love about this show and continue to love about the show is these moments, these pockets of unity, and certainly “he’s our family too” is the tiniest glimmer of light in a very, very, very dark night, and I think that gives the tiniest flame that hopefully is going to burn brighter and brighter and brighter as the season [continues].

Michonne tried to be the voice of reason to Negan in the premiere – how much of an anchor is she for Rick from this point on?

All I will say is one word: Key.

Scott Gimple described episode 2 as funny, which isn’t a word you hear often in relation to The Walking Dead– what can you preview?

All I will say is, we’ve got a fucking tiger! I think that’s all we need to know. I don’t watch the show, but the one thing I have been watching, whenever I’m feeling a bit down or upset or exhausted, I lean over to Victor, who’s the visual effects supervisor, and I just say “Show me the tiger,” and he’ll show me a pass of the tiger. This tiger is award-winning, it’s amazing. I think we’ve just stolen the one from Life of Pi and spray painted it, it’s absolutely awesome. This season, it is Lord of the Rings, that’s all I’m going to say.

The Walking Deadairs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.

TopicsThe Walking Dead