After months of contract negotiations, actress Lauren Cohan agreed to return to The Walking Dead for six episodes in season nine (and maybe more after that), but she also landed a lead role on the ABC action-drama Whiskey Cavalier, where she plays the delightfully-named CIA operative Frankie Trowbridge. Is that why she (along with co-star Andrew Lincoln) is leaving the hit zombie show? Yes and no. A potentially extremely lucrative part on a network television series is tough to turn down, especially when you’ve been covered in blood and guts and Georgia sweat for years now, but it’s more complicated than that.
In an interview with the Associated Press, the Mile 22 star explained that she’s exiting because she felt too “comfortable” playing Maggie. “Eight years is a really long time to be in those emotional depths,” she said, “and it’s really fun for me because I never thought about drama as much when I started this career and I always kind of assumed I’d do like light fare.” (Fans of direct-to-video-quality comedies will recognize her in the Van Wilder sequel, The Rise of Taj.)
Cohan, 36, will appear in the first half of season nine, premiering in October. She considers the offer to return “a gift… There’s a chance for me to still explore the Maggie character and it’s going to be fun to see if that can be done.” (Via)
Even with the lengthy time jump, even though she’s leaving, even though she might return seasons down the line, Maggie will still probably be forever-pregnant. The Walking Dead season nine premieres on October 7.
(Via the Associated Press)