Walking Dead: How did Andrew Lincoln get cast as Rick Grimes?
By Ernie Padaon
Before Andrew Lincoln was cast as Rick Grimes for The Walking Dead, had anyone really heard of him? Did anyone know who Andrew Lincoln was? He had a role on the movie Love Actually in 2003, but I can’t say that it was a movie that I had seen. I don’t even know if it was a big role on the show. Now I see Andrew Lincoln and all I can think of is Rick Grimes. He is Rick Grimes.
How did Andrew get cast into that role in 2010?
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We are reaching deep down in the vault for this one. This is from an article in 2010 from Digital Spy. Lincoln shared how he was casted as Rick Grimes on the show and how he had no knowledge of the comic before he was cast.
"“I had no knowledge of the comic book at all. I didn’t even get a script the first time – I got sides, because it was so top-secret. I was really intrigued and put myself on tape. They got back very quickly from Hollywood and gave me the script. That’s when I went to a comic-book store in Camden, and said ‘Have you heard of this comic book?’. The owner showed me this shrine they had to the comic, and said ‘This is our most popular and successful comic, and in my opinion, one of the greatest graphic novels of the last ten years’. That’s when I got into it.” – Digital Spy"
To this day, The Walking Dead tries to keep tight lipped about everything. I am sure that they are pretty tight lipped about Cobalt while they are casting for that series. I want to hear the story from Cliff Curtis on how he got the role for Cobalt. I wonder if he is a fan of the comics.
Lincoln had no idea on the comics before he had tried out for the show. He went out to a comic store because he wanted the role and that is how he got involved. He never actually said if he finished reading the comic series or if he keeps up with it.
"I stopped reading the comic after a while, because I was working from the script, and there are variations in it. But the executives from AMC gave me the comic compendium. I hadn’t signed at this point, but it was very close and they were very enthusiastic about me playing Rick."
Love what Andrew Lincoln has done with the role of Rick Grimes. He has been amazing.