The Walking Dead’s Michael Cudlitz Resurrects His Love For Abraham at Fan Fest Chicago
Michael Cudlitz was obviously at ease onstage at Fan Fest Chicago. Although there was a moderator onstage with him, it was clear Cudlitz was running the show.
From sarcastic jokes, to rephrasing the questions back to the audience, Michael Cudlitz never really missed a beat — even when it meant sacrificing the Cleary kids to the zombie apocalypse.
Right off the bat, Cudlitz specified he wasn’t interested in answering any question about hypothetical zombie invasions that may happen in the near future.
“There is not going to be a zombie apocalypse. Someone is going to get up and go, ‘if there is ever a real zombie apocalypse.’ You would be the first to go because you think there could be a zombie apocalypse,” he joked.
This resulted in a good laugh from the audience and freed up some space for a few more valid questions about The Walking Dead and The Kids Are Alright.
Interestingly enough, some creative thinkers were able to combine the worlds of these two shows together into a single question. One of these questions included the possibility of having to sacrifice a Cleary family member to save the rest of the troop.
Cudlitz answered, “It would definitely be one of the kids. It wouldn’t be my wife because she is gonna protect me. She is more badass than me, which is also the case in my life — as well as most men too.”
“Who would I sacrifice? The little one, because I don’t even know him yet. Andy, final answer,” he concluded with a chuckle.
Michael Cudlitz added how he thought his character, Mike, would handle the situation as well. “I think Mike would probably get it all in line and take care of business.”
Then an audience member reversed the situation and put Abraham into the Cleary’s universe.
They wondered aloud how Abraham would react to the clan of Cleary children. Michael Cudlitz delved into the psyche of the character he played, delivering a well-thought-out answer.
“In the graphic novels, Abraham talks in retrospect that he never was a good father or a good husband. That is why he harbored so much guilt when he went back to get them, and he wasn’t able to save them,” Cudlitz said.
He then tied it back into the show by saying, “I feel like he was trying to make up for what he never was. He grew as a man, as a father, through the series, after his family passed. He learned what it was like to be responsible in that way.”
He ended the subject by adding, “If it was near the end, he probably would have taken care of them.”
It was interesting to see how connected Michael Cudlitz became to the character he played. It shows that he really did his homework and got to know the project inside and out.
After that subject was put to rest, questions popped up about the possibilities of Michael Cudlitz coming back to The Walking Dead.
“I was fortunate enough to go back last year and direct. I’m going to go back again this year,” he said to the cheers of multiple audience members.
He then dove into some of his experiences in the director’s chair.
“As an actor, I’m looking out for my job. I’m not looking at the other scenes and wondering how they are going to do what they are going to do. As a director, you are connecting all the scenes and tying everything in — seeing how you are going to transition one scene to the next.”
Cudlitz summed it up by saying, “It is a pretty intense process.”
Not satisfied with that answer, another audience member specified if Cudlitz would ever actually return to the show as Abraham. He answered, “I could certainly come back because that is how the show tells stories. They show flashbacks, and they even bring dead people back.”
Cudlitz continued, “We still have two people who are emotionally connected to Abraham. There could definitely be a sort of origin story, or something either one of them feels strongly about could shape whatever moment they are dealing with now.”
He made sure to add, “It could certainly happen, but there is no plan for it.”
Eventually, the inevitable questions of best and worst moments were approached. Michael Cudlitz couldn’t put his finger directly on a favorite moment though.
“I’ve had great experiences on the show. I don’t think I can really pick out one specific thing,” he said almost immediately.
After a few minutes of thought, he thought of one. “One of my favorite, favorite moments was saying goodbye to Josh. Saying goodbye to him was great because it was actually me really saying goodbye to Josh.”
The Walking Dead _ Season 7, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
As for least favorite moments, Cudlitz didn’t have to think as hard. “My least favorite memory is of Abraham treating Rosita like crap.”
“There was this great scene that was written in, where he admits he didn’t handle it well at all — then they cut it out and scrapped it,” Michael Cudlitz said with a twinge of a broken heart.
He then shrugged his shoulders and said, “Life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to.”
While that sudden sad moment still hung in the air, a fan asked Cudlitz about his reaction to Abraham’s death. “I kind of knew it was coming,” he said.
“When I came on the show, they told me they were going to get a little closer to the comic then they had been. I knew we were getting there, and I was fine with it,” he continued.
“I had a great time on the show, a great story arc, and a lot of fun with the people there — but it was time,” Cudlitz told the audience.
On a more positive note, a trio of children wondered who he shipped on the show. He first specified a ship he didn’t want any part of.
“Not Daryl and Carol. That would just be so weird. They just love each other — they are family,” Cudlitz said.
He laughed before pointing out, “Do you want to know how to piss somebody off? Tell them who they can’t ship. Go on social media and go, ‘that’s disgusting.’ And then you find there are 14 million people who think that should be a thing.”
He then rounded off into his answer, “Maybe Eugene and Rosita because that would be weird and awesome. That would be undying love.”
This made the audience erupt into a slew of their own opinions about who belongs together and who doesn’t. Among the good-natured arguments and bickering, it was clear to see, that the fans had an undying love of their own. A love for one of their favorite characters, on one of their favorite shows.
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Would you want to see Abraham back on the show? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC. The Kids Are Alright airs Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC.
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Charles E Henning
Charles E. Henning lives in a quaint town of Illinois with his ever-loving wife since 1998. He is new to writing reviews, but has over thirty years of fictitious writing for his own personal fulfillment. His interests range from science fiction to character-based dramas, but he is a sucker for anyone in a cape.