The Walking Dead season 8 exclusive: Lennie James on episode 1 'Mercy'

The Walking Dead has returned for an eighth season with an episode - its 100th ever - that evened the playing field in the battle between Rick Grimes and Negan.

We spoke with actor Lennie James, who stars in the show as Morgan Jones, about the episode's events including Rick's climactic speech and Gregory's betrayal - as well as the one thing that's more threatening than the Saviours in the forthcoming episodes.

James also shared his view on whether the group could survive without Grimes amid intensifying concern that Andrew Lincoln's character will be stepping down as leader following the cryptic flash-forward scenes featured in the episode.

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Fans were treated to an optimistic season premiere culminating in Rick’s fist-pumping speech declaring, “We will win.” Do you believe him?

Do I, Lennie or does he, Morgan?

Let’s go with both

Do I, Lennie? Yes, I do. I don’t think you can go into war without believing that you stand a chance of winning. I think it’s going to be messy, but I think ultimately - and hopefully - the side that my character stands on will prevail. As far as my character is concerned, I don’t know how much he’s concerned with winning or losing. I think in the middle of this war that he’s slightly been forced to take part in, he has a battle that’s just about him and I don’t think he thinks about it in terms of winning or losing. I think he thinks about it in terms of getting to the other side.

In that respect would you describe Morgan as a law unto himself?

I think there are a number of people who are laws unto themselves. What starts to become apparent in the first episode - and as you’ll see during the season - different people are going to play a part in this war that sometimes is going to be self-serving and sometimes is going to be because they have a slightly different perspective on how to get the job done. Is Morgan a law unto himself? Yeah. But I don’t think it’s necessarily as simple as that because that makes it feel like he doesn’t give a crap about anyone else - that’s not the case. He has something burning inside of him and has a place that he desires to get back to - he’ll do whatever he has to in order to get there. That’s a good thing and a bad thing - part of the bad thing, as far as he’s concerned, is trying to navigate how to protect the people that he cares about and still save himself.

It’s been widely speculated that Rick could die. Do you think the group could survive without him?

Yes. I do. I think that anything is possible as this show’s proven over and over again. It’s managed to carry on without Glenn. It’s managed to carry on without Abraham. It’s managed to carry on without a number of characters you thought the show couldn’t survive without, so it’s possible, yes. Do I think it’s something I would necessarily like to see? Absolutely not.

Last season, characters were very much in their own sector but episode one has shown season eight will be far more immersive. Does Morgan get to interact with any characters you as an actor have been yearning to spend screen time with?

Well, I always enjoyed working with Melissa [McBride] and that relationship, that grouping is still happening and dotted throughout this season. I’m glad that I’ve got to do more interactions with Andy because I always enjoy them, but also this season it’s kind of spread out a bit more. I get to work with Alanna Masterson [Tara] who I’ve never had a chance to work with before and has been enjoyable. Also with Tom Payne who plays Jesus. it’s kind of spread out all over, different characters that were a bit more peripheral last season are coming a bit more into the centre of things. But as for the first four episodes this season, everything is on the move. Everything is in preparation for battle or in the middle of a battle or in the aftermath of a battle, but it’s all ongoing. My character gets fleeting moments and some longer moments that pass by a good number of people that he’s not interacted with. Never in the whole time - considering how long both of us have both been associated with this show - have I ever done a scene with Lauren Cohan who plays Maggie. It’s been fun.

Are you hopeful for a Morgan-Negan moment?

Yeah, I said on The Talking Dead that it’d be a lot of fun because Jeffrey is a cracking actor and I’d love to do a scene with him but I’d worry for my character in any scene that he might be in with Jeffrey, because two people may go into one but, as invariably happens, only one person walks out. I look forward to it but in that way you look forward to a horror film.

Eugene defected last season and now Gregory has jumped over to Negan’s side. Is anyone else in danger of betraying the group?

There’s always a possibility. I couldn’t possibly comment.

Are you surprised this is where Gregory’s story went?

Right from the beginning, Gregory is someone who’s always been trying to play both ends off against each other. He is on one level an archetypal self-survivor - despite being the leader of a group, the person he’s most concerned with is himself. That’s a stark comparison to both Maggie and Rick who will put their groups before themselves. We knew that he had gotten to be the leader when he wasn’t necessarily the best example right from when he was hoarding the whiskey and in his chats with Jesus and the other Hilltoppers. On one level, he’s just proven to be who he always was.

And, of course, the walkers remain a dormant threat - should we be forgetting about them?

No, we really shouldn’t. One of the things that’s most exciting about this season is the danger of the walkers - it’s forthright front and centre all over again. There are some fantastic walker encounters. They’re used as a weapon a lot in the battles. They’ve much not been ignored in season eight and on a number of occasions they are the difference between winning and losing.

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