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‘The Walking Dead’ Alum Chandler Riggs Discusses His Relatable and Impactful Guest Role on ABC’s ‘A Million Little Things’

Just ahead of the show’s season one finale, The Walking Dead alum Chandler Riggs joined ABC’s A Million Little Things in an important guest-starring role.

Riggs appeared on the last two episodes of season one playing the role of PJ, “a young man whom Rome (played by Romany Malco) meets. Like Rome, PJ has had some dark days, and their encounter proves meaningful to both of them in ways each of them doesn’t even fully realize at the time,” as described by TVLine.

While we don’t yet fully know how PJ’s storyline will fit into the bigger pictures of A Million Little Things, taking on the role has had a tremendous impact on Riggs. In an interview with Us Weekly, Riggs said that he instantly fell in love with the character and everything he represents. He said: “I read it and instantly loved it. It was just me. Everything just felt very natural and real about it. Right after I got the audition, I started watching the show and I fell in love with it. I knew I had to be a part of it. It’s so real and so impactful.”

A Million Little Things is Riggs’ first appearance on a television series since his departure from The Walking Dead. The show follows a group of friends who met by chance when their elevator got stuck. After hours of being trapped together and discovering a common bond over their love of the Boston Bruins, they walked away wholly changed and as new best friends. Fast forward to several years later; their friendship is still going strong despite each person having his own struggles. Everything comes to a screeching halt when one of their own unexpectedly and unfathomably commits suicide. The group is then forced to face their realities and to start living their lives to the fullest in honor of their lost friend.

Riggs went on to explain why specifically the role of PJ is so meaningful to him. PJ and Rome bond over a mutual experience with depression, and that’s something that Riggs says he can relate to in his own life. He said:

[row]“That’s something that me and many others in and the world have gone through. It’s something I can relate to pretty strongly and I think that’s kind of the main reason that I wanted to take on PJ. He’s a character that is going through stuff that I’ve gone through before in my life, and I think that it’s really important for people to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, there is life after what you’re going through, that you can get through it. It’s something I really wanted to be a part of and help share a story like that.”[/row]

It would seem that Riggs himself made an impact on the cast and crew of the series. During the show’s season one finale, series creator DJ Nash tweeted asking Riggs to come back in season two. Riggs replied with an enthusiastic, “Yes.”

Hopefully, we’ll get to see much more of Chandler Riggs in season two!

A Million Little Things features a critically-acclaimed ensemble cast led David Giuntoli, Ron Livingston, Romany Malco, and James Roday. The series also stars Stephanie Szostak, Allison Miller, Christina Moses, Grace Park, and Lizzy Greene. DJ Nash is the creator and executive producer; Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, and James Griffiths are executive producers. A Million Little Things is produced by ABC Studios and Kapital Entertainment.

A Million Little Things airs on Thursday nights at 9 pm EST. The series is currently on a break between seasons, and we can’t wait to see what happens in season 2!