Posted in: AMC, Preview, streaming, Trailer, TV, Walking Dead | Tagged: amc, amc plus, michonne, Rick Grimes, the ones who live, The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead: Brandt Posts "The Ones Who Live" Audition Tape Look

Lesley-Ann Brandt shared two images from her AMC's The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live audition tape for the role of Pearl Thorne.

We will readily admit that Lesley-Ann Brandt pulled one over on us. When she gave us the heads-up that something "exclusive" would be dropping on Thursday, we assumed it would be behind-the-scenes looks at how AMC's Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) & Danai Gurira (Michonne)-starring The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live came together. Instead, it turned out to be the release of the final official trailer – one that's blown past 1.5 million views in three days (and that's just the main AMC trailer on YouTube). But Brandt did end up sharing some insights into how she earned the role of Pearl Thorne, posting two images from her audition tape.

"Walking Dead Audition Tape. Picked up a few tricks from the talented makeup artists I've worked with over the years. [The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live] airs February 25th," Brandt wrote as the caption to her Instagram post – which also included two screencaps from the tape:

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Terry O'Quinn on Beale & More

O'Quinn Offers Some Background on Beale: "He is the leader of the Civic Republic military, and it operates pretty independently of the Civic Republic government. So he doesn't really have to deal with them very much. And he's held in high esteem. He's kind of a hero. He has a long military history. He served two terms in Vietnam and went to officer training school. And he's had to make some decisions in terms of who lives and who dies and how to deal with the mass of walking dead," O'Quinn shares during his interview with EW. "He has a big army, but he has about 2,000 of his front liners. They're his elite corps, and they do most of the work – be it dirty or not dirty. He makes decisions based on what he thinks will help his community survive. And it's completely that he's trying to make sure that this city survives, so he makes some tough decisions."

O'Quinn on What Makes Beale Tick: Describing the CRM General as "a hidden guy," O'Quinn sees Beale as a "by any means necessary" person – but unlike past TWD universe big-bads, Beale's not looking to be threatening or malicious in the moves he makes. "He seems like a completely reasonable person, and the decisions he has to make are all explicable to him. He understands why he has to do what he has to do, whether some people agree with it or not. So I think personality-wise, he has a history with all of his troops, and with the Civic Republic, he's sort of a military, George Washington in the eyes of a lot of these people." But once Rick enters the scene and the two are positioned to have to deal with one another, Beale's layers will begin to show. "When he starts dealing with Rick, we don't know exactly what to do with him, or who he is, or what he is. And so he plays coy with Rick a lot, and I think there's a lot to be found out there. So Rick helps discover the heart of the man, I think," O'Quinn added.

With the series set to premiere on February 25, 2024, here's a look at the latest teaser/behind-the-scenes look at The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – followed by a look back at the previously-released New York Comic Con teaser as well as the road taken to the spinoff:

The spinoff series presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were. Rick (Lincoln) and Michonne (Gurira) are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they've ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Victims? Victors? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead? Joining Lincoln & Gurira are Pollyanna McIntosh as CRM Warrant Officer Jadis Stokes, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Pearl Thorne,  Terry O'Quinn as CRM Major General Beale, and Matthew August Jeffers as Nat.

In the following featurette, Lincoln and Gurira discuss what it was like being back to celebrate the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. We get to learn why killing a walker was important for Lincoln during his scenes and how Gurira is viewing her upcoming return to the role as presenting "Michonne 2.0." Here's a look at the complete featurette, Show Me More: The Walking Dead Last Episodes (Behind the Scenes). Thought the entire profile of the show's final run is worth checking out, jump to the 26:10 mark to hear from Lincoln, Gurira, and others about Rick & Michonne's epic return:

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