Emily Kinney: Life After ‘The Walking Dead’
In honor of her latest music video, “Molly” which was released earlier this week, we’re taking a look at the beautiful Emily Kinney
and her accomplishments after The Walking Dead.
Music has always been a part of Kinney’s life. She even began her singing career with an act of rebellion.
“We lived in Wayne, Nebraska, at the time, and I think I was 7, I saw an ad for a talent show and I told my mom I wanted to sing in it.
She didn’t want me to. But then I filled out the form and sent it in anyway.” – Kinney.
Kinney got her big break in 2007 when she auditioned on Broadway and earned a part in “Spring Awakening” as a replacement for Anna and understudy for Wendla. After that show closed, she joined the cast of “August: Osage County” before landing the role of the tenacious Beth Greene on The Walking Dead.
“I was happy and excited to get the job, but had no idea it would be my life for the next five years… I thought I was just doing a short
recurring role.” – Kinney.
When she was cast, Kinney was already performing her music and her character multiple singing parts as diegetic music on the show, covering three Tom Waits songs, as well as the song “Be Good” by Waxahatchee.
‘The lucky thing is I love Tom Waits, and we kind of established that Beth was a fan as well…That Waxahatchee song is actually one I sent to them. I was like, ‘Hey, have you heard this girl?’ I’m a music fan, and she was someone I had seen and thought this song could be cool. And they liked it.” – Kinney.
Since Beth’s untimely death, Kinney, now 30, has focused more on her music. Her second album, “This is War” was released in October.
“It’s an album about standing up for myself, rather than being sad that some relationships have ended like before,” – Kinney.
Toward the end of the record, there is a confrontation with the semi-real, semi-spectral character named Molly, a sort of pan-seductive figure who could either be real, be a drug, or be both simultaneously.
“I was trying to describe a situation where it wasn’t just the person that was pulling someone I was dating away from me, but it was also, you know, their needs or addictions as well.”
Currently she is working on her third album, which plans to begin recording in May.
“Thematically, I’m looking more at identity this time.” – Kinney.
She has been performing concerts as a part of the food charity WhyHunger’s Artists Against Hunger & Poverty program.
And although Kinney is no longer a part of The Walking Dead, the memories are kept very much alive.
“The space [her apartment] is my guitars and zombie things everywhere, because people still send them to me. I have survival kits everywhere.” – Kinney.
When Beth “grows up” she wants to see her creations appear on the screen and stage. In her free time, Beth blogs about her love of craft beer and writes screenplays. She received her bachelors in journalism from Youngstown State and received her masters in communication from The University of Akron. She is honored to be a part of the FanFest family.
