Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie on AMC’s The Walking Dead, talked about the character’s decision to spare Negan in a recent interview.
Maggie, the main character in The Walking Dead TV series, has been a popular figure on social media. Lauren Cohan, the actress who plays her, has explained why she doesn’t kill Negan during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Lauren Cohan reveals why Maggie hasn’t killed Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) despite his almost pushing her too far at the beginning of Season 11 of The Walking Dead. TWD Season 11 Episode 1: “Acheron: Part 1” contains spoilers. When the Alexandrians set out to reclaim Meridian, where Maggie resided with the Wardens before the Reapers took their house, Negan leads the route through the D.C. metro. Negan thinks Maggie is leading him into a trap to die as their quest to rescue a hungry Alexandria takes a detour into walker-infested subway tunnels, and his mouth nearly gets him murdered with a brave Glenn comment about being put down “like a dog.”
“I feel like she’s trying to prioritize the needs of the many above the needs of the few… the few being herself,” Cohan said of Maggie’s collaboration with Negan to rescue Alexandria on the AMC Blog. “And it’s not so much about her wants as it is about her hopes of avoiding him since he’s either dead or not around any more. Because so much is brought up for her in this episode, I believe she’s striking a bargain with the devil.”
Maggie was inspired to leave Alexandria by Negan in Season 9’s “What Comes After,” but it was the Reapers who forced her to return in Season 10’s “Home Sweet Home.” Maggie informed Daryl (Norman Reedus) that if it meant having a safe home for her son Hershel (Kien Michael Spiller), she would deal with Negan, but when pushed by Negan in the subway, she says: “The lady who left six years ago is no longer in charge of you. Only a sliver of her remains in me, and that sliver is the only thing keeping you alive. But I’m not sure how long it will continue. So, Negan, keep pushing me. Please.”
“It entails people in a variety of ways plunging into the depths of their own hearts… She needs to keep Negan alive in order to keep the part of herself that doesn’t murder others alive. That part of her that isn’t prone to the ruthless kill-or-be-killed mentality. Perhaps he really have something to give, and she is unaware of what hope lies ahead “Cohan elaborated. “‘The lady who left here isn’t the one who’s standing over you right now,’ she adds. She doesn’t say it, but I believe she is thinking to herself, ‘I truly hope [the lady who left here] returns.’ I’m hoping she hasn’t totally vanished. I need to attempt things that will bring her back, and one of them isn’t murdering you. I’m not going to let you turn me into that person. I’m not going to let you get that out of me. You may disrespect my spouse all you want, but I’m not going to become that person.’ So it’s really gloomy, but in a strange sense, it’s also optimistic.”
Maggie is still inspired by the memories of Glenn (Steven Yeun) and her father Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) years after their deaths. “But I also believe it’s a reflection of who she is as a person,” Cohan said.
“Maggie’s strategy is ‘You can’t wait.’ It’s Maggie and Glenn’s first encounter [in Season 2 episode ‘Save the Last One.’] You’ve got to find a way to make it work.’ It’s one of the first things she says to him, and I believe it’s because they share that viewpoint. It’s one of the ways she pays tribute to him—keeping that memory alive “Cohan elaborated. “It’s a fascinating concept. When you look at your partner and say to yourself, “I want to be the greatest thing you’ve ever seen in me.” I want to keep that person alive, and that’s how I keep you alive, too’… whether they’re here or not, people help you be your best self. In the midst of all this darkness, it’s such a sustaining thing.”
The true test will be what happens if or when Maggie and Negan reconnect after he abandons her in a walker-infested subway tunnel at the conclusion of “Acheron: Part 1.” Season 11 Episode 2, “Acheron: Part 2,” is currently available on AMC+ and will air on AMC on August 29.
For all things TWD Universe, follow the author on Twitter at @CameronBonomolo. Season 11 of The Walking Dead airs on AMC on Sundays at 9/8c.
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