How Alicia Witt Got To Star In Her Favorite Show ‘The Walking Dead’


[WARNING: The following contains spoilers from Sunday night’s (March 13) ‘The Same Boat’ episode of The Walking Dead. Read at your own risk.]

Alicia Witt is opening up about how she was lucky enough to play the role of Paula on last night’s episode of The Walking Dead. The actress quickly went from playing in a series of light and cheery roles for several years on the Hallmark Channel to playing one of Negan’s followers and Carol’s mirrored image of herself on the series.

Like many, Alicia Witt was a huge fan of the AMC show long before she got a chance to guest star on it. In case you’re an aspiring actor who wants to audition for The Walking Dead, she told TVGuide.com that she never auditioned for the show before but she has expressed interest on social media and through other avenues. Witt revealed that she first made contact with the head writer and showrunner Scott Gimple on Twitter.

” ‘Wow, that’s cool, the showrunner of The Walking Dead is following me,’ so I followed him back. […] About a week later, this audition came in and I went in and it was not anything that seemed like it was in the world of The Walking Dead. It was a version of the scene where Paula’s talking about the coffee and the carrot. But it was set in a bank during a robbery.”

After she finished her audition, Alicia received a message from her agent saying that she got the part and she had to fly out the next day to film the scene.

“The next day as I was boarding the plane I got the script. I probably said ‘holy s**t” about a million times reading that thing as the plane took off. I was like ‘Are you kidding me? This is what I get to do on this show that I love so much?’ “

On last night’s episode of Talking Dead with host Chris Hardwick, Alicia says that she could not have wished for a better role. She was hoping to get just any role on the show, even if that included being a walker! Alicia added that she was a huge fan of Melissa’s growth in the show from the beginning. She also thought it was weird to see the episode that they filmed several months ago.

“Because obviously as a fan of the show I would know that Carol isn’t religious and she doesn’t care about a crucifix and she’s got something else planned, she’s not terrified and crying and shaking like Carol does in this episode. But as Paula, that didn’t even cross my mind.”

In case you haven’t watched last night’s episode yet, Witt has previously hinted what viewers can expect from Paula.

“I think it’s safe to say she’s very strong. Paula has decided that she’s not going to a victim in this incredibly dangerous and helter-skelter sort of apocalyptic time. She’s decided that she’s not going to stand up to whoever comes her way and she’s going to prove that what could be the end of all things is not going to be her end.”

It was only a week ago that fans first learned about Paula. All the fans do know is that the character is one of Negan’s faithful followers, and has held Maggie and Carol in hostage.

Before coming a constant presence on the Hallmark Channel, Witt starred in the early part of Season 1 of The Sopranos, and also had a role in Justified, playing Michael Rapport’s smart and powerful sister. The singer-songwriter has also guest starred on other big TV series like Cybil, Nashville, Elementary, Friday Night Lights, and House of Lies.

While Jeffrey Dean Morgan has yet to join the cast as “Negan,” fans of both the comic books and the series have been wondering who’s going to die. According to Robert Kirkman’s recent statement, it’s likely that a beloved character is going to die in the season finale.

What are your thoughts on Alicia Witt’s role of Paula in last night’s episode of The Walking Dead? Did you enjoy her character? Or, are you glad to see her gone? Sound off below in the comments section.

[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

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