Interview: Director Larry Teng talks The Walking Dead 906

The Walking Dead “Who Are You Now” ushered in a new era for the show. Undead Walking had a chance to break it all down with the episode’s director, Larry Teng.

The Walking Dead Family was introduced to a whole new world in episode 906, “Who Are You Now?” Episode 906 will forever be known as the first episode without Rick Grimes as well as the first episode to ring in the six-year time jump. Undead Walking had an opportunity to chat with Larry Teng, the director who brought Eddie Guzelian’s epic script to life.

Teng is no stranger to The Walking Dead. He was behind the camera for the season 8 episode “Time For After,” which took place at the height of All Out War. Coming to episode 906 was a big change because nothing is as it once was. He has directed episodes of several other series including The Good Doctor, Supergirl, Criminal Minds and Lethal Weapon, to name a few.

Undead Walking: What were your thoughts upon finding out that you would not only be directing the first post-Rick Grimes episode but also the first episode that takes place six years after his loss?

Larry Teng: Honored, really. When I was booked into the six slot, I was told that it would be a significant episode without any detail so that alone got me excited. When I arrived to work and found out that it was the first episode post-Rick, I was even more excited. It almost felt like shooting a mini pilot with all the new faces and storylines and all.

“Who Are You Now” features a brilliant script from Eddie Guzelian. The episode packs a ton of action into a supersized episode. What are the challenges you encounter when working on such a big script with so many people and so many moving parts?

The main challenge is time. There’s only so many hours in a day to shoot and only so many days that you can shoot per episode. So in prep, the logistics of how it all goes together becomes critical. We identified early on what our main set pieces were and built off of that. We knew that we needed a lot of time to set up New Alexandria. We also had a daily time allowance with Cailey Fleming because she’s a minor (and a fabulous one at that) so that was another scheduling factor. A big tip of the hat to my First AD Matthew Goodwin, Producer Christian Agypt and the fabulous Tom Luse.

Can you talk about your vision for shooting this episode? The establishing shots were absolutely beautiful, like the moment the new group enters Alexandria and the camera pans from their viewpoint up and out over the community.

We wanted to set this up like a classic Western. Big sweeping shots to show how things have changed over the years. The environment is very a much a character in the Walking Dead universe. Regarding the moment when the New Survivors first get to Alexandria, I wanted to try and create a visual experience from their point of view; majestic, flourishing, abundant and a representation of a life and salvation that they’ve been talking about finding.

There are moments when characters make references to things that happened in the past but haven’t been revealed to viewers yet, presumably because they play out in future episodes. The situation at the Hilltop and the fallen Sanctuary are good examples. What are the challenges as a director to tell a story about what’s happening now knowing that the audience is only now learning about life six years after losing Rick?

The biggest challenge is to remind the actors that there’s six years of history that they’ve all lived thru. There were some big events that happened during that time span that have now affected and shaped their current point of views. They needed to develop evolved characterization without story specifics at the time of filming which is a kudos to them for being able to do that.

“Who Are You Now” has a ton of great moments, and powerful moments, and great dialogue between characters. What are the moments that really stand out for you in this episode?

I absolutely love the beginning of the episode. With Michonne addressing us the audience only to find out that she’s talking to Rick. Intercutting between Michonne, Carol and Daryl and then ending with the reveal of the bridge brings this time jump full circle. It was a very deliberate sequence in regards to how it was shot. Specific in its editing and rhythm. My Editor, Dan Liu, did a wonderful job cutting that together. I also have a strong affinity for the town hall scene when the New Survivors are on trial as well as Carol’s bad ass walk away after torching the Jed and the Scavengers.

Carol made a huge move when she killed the Saviors. What do you think this says about where Carol is in her life? What was it like to film the scene where she sets the Saviors on fire?

I think Carol is in a place where her moral compass is extremely strong. She seems wiser to me. A little hardened now six years later but still maternal. Her instincts to protect without hesitation is something else I noticed. If you look at Carol from Season One to now, what a wonderful arc  she’s has taken. You really see how she has become who she is in 906.

When she sets the Scavengers on fire I knew that it had to be badass and indicative of who she currently is. Walking away with the structure burning behind her, emotionless, not looking back shows zero remorse for those guys which is a huge statement. Because we were dealing with real fire, safety is a huge concern but between the amazing special effects department, stunt team, and VFX team it came out beautifully.

Cailey Fleming has already won our hearts. What was it like working with her and filming her scenes? Can you talk a little bit about her scene with Negan and what that means both for Judith and Negan? It seems like Negan has an avuncular relationship with her, like he’s the cool uncle you love to hang out with at Thanksgiving.

She’s one of the most talented kids I’ve ever had the pleasure of directing. She’s not just book smart but emotionally smart which is rare for a kid her age. I was able to direct her like directing an adult. She understood all the moments as well as the weight of everything around her. I find her to be full of gravitas and spunk and I know that I’m rooting for her every week.

Clearly she’s grown up around Negan without any of the biases that everyone else knows. She respects the fact that she isn’t supposed to be talking to him but isn’t threatened by him. In fact, her relationship with him to me seems very mature in its existence. He never did her wrong and she passes no judgement per se against him. I think it’s a wonderful dynamic they have.

The juxtaposition of Magna’s group and the council was incredibly powerful. The newcomers are overwhelmed by Alexandria and want to stay and yet they are being met with Michonne’s open hostility. (And again that nod to things that happened in the past that we don’t know about yet) What was your approach in bringing this scene to life?

In my mind the actual trial itself was longer than the scene actually played on TV… I wanted to indicate a passage of time during this process because I felt that they would’ve vetted the New Survivors thoroughly before making a decision. I think there’s a Salem-esque nature to the way it was set up which I liked because it created immediate tension. The court of public opinion is a powerful thing, something that Michonne is well aware of and I thought Danai set up the turn of the scene beautifully. It’s a bait and switch… she’s quiet during this whole question and answer session, and then as the others on the dais become more sympathetic to the new people, she makes an example of their naiveté by revealing Magna’s hidden knife. It’s a very powerful moment in the show. The scene only exists because there’s conflict between Aaron and Gabriel and Michonne and her hardlined stance. Being able to explore the idea of isolationist thinking within a society lends itself well here. This is an aspect to TWD that they’ve always done so well; drawing parallels to the development of a governing society.

This is the first time we see Aaron since he lost his arm. Is it me or has he gone full Jaime Lannister with his medieval-looking bionic arm?

What you see is right 😉

Are there any fun stories you can share from the set while working on this episode?

Not that I can think of other than it was hot hot hot as usual 🙂

We want to thank Larry Teng for taking the time to chat with us, as well as for bringing this important moment in The Walking Dead to life in such a masterful way!