Steven Yeun and Tyler James Williams Noah’s death on The Walking Dead
By Renee Hansen
Walking Dead actors Steven Yeun and Tyler James Williams participated in The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Comedy Actor Emmy Roundtable with Jason Segel, Mo Amer, and John Mulaney in early May 2023. Yeun and Williams reflected on their time together in The Walking Dead series.
Yeun’s character Glenn is introduced, in voice only, in the pilot episode of The Walking Dead when he says to Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who is trapped inside a military tank, “Hey. Hey you, dumbass. You in the tank. Cozy in there?” He would become a valuable asset to the survivors with his keen sense of right and wrong and his scavenging skills. Many fans claim to have stopped watching the series after his character’s brutal death at the hands of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in season 7.
Williams joined the series in season 5 as Noah, a man who worked at Grady Memorial Hospital and befriended Beth (Emily Kinney). He was a courteous man who was never confident in his abilities to survive in a world thrust upon him. He would meet his demise in a revolving door, as walkers tore him apart as Glenn watched in horror, unable to help him.
The actors talked about this scene and how it affected them. Williams shared that he didn’t want to leave the series and felt ashamed for feeling that, for a an actor, that is part of your life. He stated it was a real struggle.
The Walking Dead: Steven Yeun & Tyler James Williams
Williams: After we shot it, they called cut and I just broke down.
THR: You collapsed?
Williams: Yeah, it was a whole thing. And [Yeun] was a really good guy about it.
Yeun: Dude, the whole scene was you saying, “Don’t let me go.”
Williams: Yeah, you’re in this moment and everything you’ve been feeling all day, you didn’t realize that was the point. The point was to get you right there to that time and not judge it and just let it be what it is [for the scene]. I didn’t realize that until we were out the door.
THR: I’m curious, why do you think that one felt different?
Williams: I think that show, particularly for me, didn’t feel like a transient show. It felt like something where I made real connections with real people.
Yeun: That was a family show.
Be sure to watch the entire interview below; it is very insightful into the lives of all the men featured.
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