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‘Fear The Walking Dead’: Colman Domingo Says Strand to Become his Better Self (Interview)

Welcome dear readers, I had the honor and pleasure of talking with the one and only Colman Domingo who plays Victor Strand on ‘Fear the Walking Dead‘. With the series premiere just a few days away I was so excited to talk with him about the upcoming season, the new characters, Victor’s relationship with Madison and of course the big story of the season ‘The Walking Dead‘ crossover. We have watched his character Strand grow and change so much since the beginning of the series and I am truly in awe of his acting talents and I am looking forward to seeing how he brings even more edge to his character during this upcoming season of ‘Fear the Walking Dead‘.

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'Fear The Walking Dead': Colman Domingo Says Strand to Become his Better Self (Interview)
Danay Garcia as Luciana, Colman Domingo as Victor Strand – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 4, Episode 2 – Photo Credit: Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC
Rachel Bryant: First we here at Fan Fest are excited to see that Strand has survived the season three finale and ready to see him more of him in the in season 4 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead‘. Thank you for taking time to talk with us today.

Colman Domingo: No problem, it’s great.

RB: We see Strand and Madison talking in the new trailer, she tells him she saved him because she likes him, and she likes him drinking with him. Can you tell me a little bit about their relationship this season?

CD: Strand and Madison (Kim Dickens) are still in recovery of sorts in their relationship from season three. They have become quote-unquote “married” to each other because of circumstance. They have become a blended family because of this apocalypse. So, wrought, uh, you know, all the things that went down in season three also, but the back-door dealings and sort of seeming, backstabbing and killings and all. At the end of the day, they understand each other. It’s all about survival and people just using what they have and what skills they have to move forward. Whether they are trying to think about each other or community or to save themselves it’s all very complex and so I think in season four, we are seeing there is a bit of a time jump in some way. We’re seeing them trying to move forward and trying to become part of the community together and do things together. We build together but there will be some more complications as well, especially as we start to invite more people in and the universe does expand, it does threaten and challenge our main characters.

RB: The two (Kim Dickens) of you work so well together.

CD: I love working with Kim Dickens. She is amazing. When things like that can happen, where a friendship is on screen also echoes what is happening off-screen, it is also amazing. She’s become one of my closest friends.

RB: How do you feel your character Strand has changed since the beginning of the series?

CD: Oh my God, I would never have imagined him going from wearing Ralph Lauren suits and being, you know, a silver tongue to order to this scrappy dude who’s just trying to survive by any means necessary in these times, loses some of the skills that have helped him survive. So, he’s become cagier, or he’s become squirrellier here in some ways. Sometimes he’s a little less confident. I think that’s just the part that’s a great evolution of his character, it deepens him more into who he was. He has had to reveal more of who he was and bring down his armor that this is a sort of like steely a western civilization loving human being from the beginning and now he’s, um, he’s had to adapt just fighting this apocalypse. He thought he had all the skills needed to survive because he had all those, you know, uh, things people prided themselves for money, influence, and power. And then once all of that was deconstructed, stripped from him, he had to find something else. He had to find something else to make him tick. And that’s something else to look for as well. So, I think we’ve seen him stripped down, stripped bare and we’ve seen him have to rebuild and rebuild again and again, and in season 4 we will see more of that evolution. Even in the promos, you can see he becomes more of his warrior self at times but he is also trying to find strength and balance but all the people know of him being a conman and all the people know of his heart and soul is trying to, you know, build those bridges to become something new.

RB: If you could bring back one former character which one would it be and why?

CD: I would bring back Troy ( Daniel Sharman) not only do I think he is a great human being and a dear friend and he is a terrific actor but I also love what he brought to the show. It was a character and a villain that we never really get to see. A villain that was so complexed and so pained in his life because once again people were just doing what they had to just to survive and to make sense of the world. He was a really beautiful, complex and interesting villain.

'Fear The Walking Dead': Colman Domingo Says Strand to Become his Better Self (Interview)
Photo Credit: Kaelan Barowsky
RB: Do you feel ‘The Walking Dead’ Fans should watch the crossover event?

CD: Oh absolutely! I think because it’s just expanding on the themes, of ‘The Walking Dead‘ universe. I think linking up ‘The Walking Dead‘ is a brilliant idea and that’s what the show what our show’s been doing, expansion, going deeper and deeper into the apocalypse. So now it just makes sense for them to see how it expands. Like any other universe does. Like the ‘Marvel‘ universe does. Yeah. I think people are going to lose their minds, I think it’s the first episode in particular or maybe the first two. They are brilliant. I’ll be very honest I was concerned in the beginning. I was concerned if we would keep our authenticity and the way WE tell the story. I think that is what the fans want, they want different stories. It wouldn’t be strong if we were like ‘The Walking Dead’. Even though we are linking, we are still maintaining our autonomy.

RB: There is some awesome new character coming in season 4, how has it been working with Jenna Elfman, Garret Dillahunt and Maggie Grace?

CD: They are FANTASTIC! I am in love with all of them. Our showrunners and directors have been able to bring together are a really solid company. Jenna Elfman is such a pro and she is also kind and gracious so is Maggie Grace. Maggie is a bit shyer but she has such a great sense of humor. Garret Dillahunt, I have been such a huge fan of his for years. He is such an awesome actor and a good human being. It is always great to work with people you can play with. They are like playmates.  Once they realized that we do most of our own stunts they were so game to do their own stunts. They were not used to doing stunts. Jenna was used to doing comedy and now she is doing something completely different and having the time of her life. So, I am having a ball working with them.

RB: I have always loved Jenna in comedy, so I am excited to see her in this new action role.

CD: This role suits her she has a background in dance she is very physical, and she is so game for anything. So is Garret.

RB: If Strand were to cross over to ‘The Walking Dead’ would he be on Team Negan or Team Rick?
CD: I think he would be Team Strand (Laughing). (P.S. I knew he would say that) I think he would pull from the best in both. Strand would use his business skills and would look at the best of both groups and assemble a new group that would be Team Strand. I think Carol would be part of it and Daryl Dixon and maybe even Negan you never know.
RB: What can we expect from Strand in season 4?

CD: You can expect Strand to become more of his better self. They all will become more of their better selves because in season 2 and 3 they have all been deconstructed. They will be opening up their hearts again, they are trying to love again, and Victor Strand will be challenged with all those ideas about love, about community and about being an individual. He will be stepping into a new Victor. All of those things he has learned and that great skill set, he will now put it into motion to be part of the community.

RB: If you had to describe season 4 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ in one word, what would it be?

CD: Fresh

'Fear The Walking Dead': Colman Domingo Says Strand to Become his Better Self (Interview)
Colman Domingo as Victor Strand, Danay Garcia as Luciana, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 4, Episode 3 – Photo Credit: Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC
Again, it was truly an honor and a pleasure to speak with Colman Domingo.  He was so kind and funny and gave wonderful and honest answers. Those things always speak volumes to me when I talk with someone.  He will be in Nashville, TN in May at Walker Stalker Con tickets are on sale now and I would put him on your must meet list.
So, there you have it ‘Fear the Walking Dead‘ fans, a glimpse into season 4 which will premiere this Sunday, April 15th on AMC.