Andrew Lincoln: AMC nixed racy Rick Grimes – Walking Dead scene
On this past episode, we saw a scene in which Rick engaged in an epic battle scene at the home of the Scavengers, one where he was forced to do much of his punching, kicking, and escaping in nothing other than boots and some boxer shorts. It’s not often that you see a performer pleading to have less clothing on during a scene, but that seems to be precisely what Lincoln wanted for this scene.
In a new behind-the-scenes video for The Walking Dead for season 8 episode 7, Lincoln (a candidate for Top Actor at the CarterMatt Awards this year) made it clear that he wanted to strip down to take on the Scavengers and a walker in the midst of some chaos.
“I was desperate to be naked, [but] they wouldn’t let me be … I said, ‘One take,’ I said, ‘Please, with just the cowboy boots. Let’s do that,’ and for some reason, AMC weren’t completely comfortable.”
There is something extremely humorous to us about seeing Lincoln playfully shade AMC in a video put out by AMC, especially since it’s something related to content on a show that already has a TV-MA rating. This also does show more of the ridiculous standards of what is safe to show on cable TV and what isn’t in America. For example, you can watch Negan beat someone to death with a baseball bat and that’s totally suitable for TV; yet, for whatever reason seeing Rick Grimes in the buff is a step beyond the pale. It’s ridiculous and we feel like, subversively, this is what Lincoln is really pointing out here. Story-wise, it actually makes a little bit of sense — given that the Scavengers are not exactly a group of people specializing in dignity, why in the world are they letting Rick keep his boxers and boots on? What in the world do they actually gain from this? It’s mostly a move to keep the show told through the same lens that it’s been told over the past seven seasons.
We do think that a naked Rick running around would have generated more attention for The Walking Dead at a time in which viewership is falling — this past episode did generate the lowest 18-49 rating in years in just a 3.3 to go along with over 7 million viewers. Yet, AMC doesn’t seem to want nudity to be the impetus in which the show turns its ratings around or generates more buzz. They want it to be more in the traditional The Walking Dead way, one that probably means either a dramatic death or an epic story twist that lights up social media.
Do you think AMC should’ve went along with Lincoln’s request?
Or, do you think that an in-the-buff Rick probably would’ve been too much for some of the series’ more conservative viewers? Share in the comments!
Also, head over here to preview the midseason finale of The Walking Dead and like CarterMatt on Facebook to get some additional news. (Photo: AMC.)