Fan Fest News

News for Fans, By Fans!

Danay Garcia Talks Luciana and the Ladies of ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ (Interview)

Fear The Walking Dead season 4 airs this Sunday, and we had the opportunity to chat with the wonderful Danay Garcia, who plays Luciana on the show. Those familiar with the world of the dead know that it’s a huge weekend for both sister shows, The Walking Dead and Fear. The crossover event is happening, which will bridge the two together. Danay Garcia is back as Luciana and we got to talk all things coming up this season. She got us SO excited for Sunday!

 


Danay Garcia Talks Luciana and the Ladies of 'Fear The Walking Dead' (Interview)
Danay Garcia as Luciana, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark, Colman Domingo as Victor Strand – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 4, Episode 3 – Photo Credit: Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC
Thank you so much for chatting with us today! We are so excited for Fear The Walking Dead to start, I bet things are crazy for you!

Danay: I’m happy we’re here. Believe me I’ve been waiting for this moment! I can’t wait to start talking about it!

Let’s jump into last season, can you give us some insight as to why Luciana left Nick behind at the ranch? Was it that she didn’t believe him? Or was it that she loves him so much that she didn’t want to force him to choose? What was going through her head?

Danay: Well, Two things. It’s a question with two answers! First of all, she left the ranch because she doesn’t agree with the structure of that place. It goes against her values. These people killed her family, they were part of the ambush.They took everything away from me-everything that belonged to me-my entire being. My family, my friends. They’re dead, nobody survived, just me. I can’t fight for these people. So that’s one part of the answer. Another part is that she left Nick because for the first time she understands what a family it is, after reuniting with them for the first time. The first time I met him with his mom with, his sister, and there’s a unit and there’s love, naturally. So it was very hard for me to make him choose me and my feelings and my values over his family. So it was one of those things that it’s a person you love so much that you don’t want him to choose.

But at the same time, I don’t know if you remember, I left a note over there. It never said what it says in the note, but I wrote, “I’ll see you soon.” He knows that I was heading towards Mexicali. Mexicali’s huge, but he knows where I am right? So for me it was not over. I was not splitting up with him, I just couldn’t live in that place. But I didn’t want him to choose. So it was two things.

Danay Garcia Talks Luciana and the Ladies of 'Fear The Walking Dead' (Interview)
Frank Dillane as Nick Clark, Danay Garcia as Luciana – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 2, Episode 15 – Photo Credit: Peter Iovino/AMC
Both Nick and Luciana are both strong will characters, how will Nick and Luciana’s love for each other survive this season and going forward?

Danay: The reason people resonate so much with Luciana and Nick and that relationship-the way I played it-if you fall in love in the apocalypse you really are for good. Little things don’t break you. They really don’t, because you’re in life or death. You fall in love with somebody, and you’re with that person no matter what. You trust that person will fight for you. It’s not like “Ohhh you love me.” It’s, “Oh no of course I love you, that’s why I’m here.” It’s hard for two people to survive in the apocalypse it’s really difficult, and you go however you can.

The reason why that love survives is because it started so strong with trust. It starts so strong.These two people are for good. That’s how I played it at the beginning. She was kind of in a good place, Luciana. And he was looking for himself to some extent. He chose to be on his own, and I was too, so we kind of had a lot in common in terms of coming out of his pain of being lost souls and all that. And we found each other’s match, and that is what kept us going. And still today.

I love them together, I have faith.

Danay: Yeah, I played it because I wanted the audience to root for these two. Because you know, they’re so different, but they’re still meant for each other and those are the kinds of relationships I love. I don’t like playing “Oh she’s an intellect and he’s also an intellect of of course they’re together!” No, you want two people who when they’re together, people are like “OH yes. They’re meant to be together.” So that’s what I love.

We’ve seen some pretty sweet pictures and some clips of Luciana from season 4, but what can we expect from her this season?

Danay: You know how much of a fighter she was before? And how intense and vulnerable she is before? We’re taking it a step higher, she’s more brutile now and more fragile at the same time. And she’s more intense in a way that-she has an objective. She’s not gonna let it go. Whatever it takes she’s not going to let it go. I’m telling you right now. Whatever she says she will do, she will not change her mind. She’s gonna make it happen. She knows what she wants.

The journey’s very rough. It’s not easy, but she gets there. She always gets there. And that’s what I love about her. She’s strong woman that is willing to go through hell and back, and still be a lady and still be vulnerable and has all the layers that define a woman. And that’s what I focus on.

She is an amazing character. And there are several other women on the show as well-now Jenna Elfman and Maggie Grace were added on. I don’t know if you’ve worked closely with them on set yet but can you share with us about your relationships with them on and off screen?
Danay Garcia Talks Luciana and the Ladies of 'Fear The Walking Dead' (Interview)
Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark, Danay Garcia as Luciana – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 4, Episode 3 – Photo Credit: Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC

Danay: Oh my god, well on screen Jenna’s first day, she is the sweetest thing in the world. Jenna has a sense of humor and she’s so funny. She laughs. I mean come on we’re working for so many hours.The walkers, they put lenses in their eyes and they can’t see. They really cannot see at all because their eyes have to be white, you know, they’re dead. And she has such a great sense of humor of the apocalypse. I mean her points of view-she’s so smart. She’s so bright, she’s so experienced. The fact that she’s doing a very dramatic role in a very dramatic universe, you know, coming from the universe of comedy. It’s so brave and it shows the huge range that she has. I appreciate her times ten because not everybody does that! And for her to put herself at the bottom of the bottom of a dramatic series-and when I say bottom -I mean you can’t get more dramatic and harsh. We’re not dealing with heartbreak. We’re dealing with life and death. And so Jenna can go there every day and we’re so grateful for her talent and her cooperation and her sense of humor on top of it. She’s your dream co star! It’s like, oh my gosh, she has it all.

And with Maggie. She’s the cutest thing in the world, she’s done it all too. And she’s so cute she brings such charisma and spice to the show on and off set. We work so many hours a day, and she has this ability to fall asleep any time. It’s like “Okay we have 15 minutes, I’m taking a nap for three minutes.” And she goes to sleep for three minutes! I’m like ‘How do you do that?’ She’s like ‘Oh my god!’ Because she has so much experience she knows what it takes to keep herself going throughout the day. It’s so long. She’s such a lovely lady too.

I mean, the ladies of Fear The Walking Dead, they’re just the best. They really are. Each one of us has something going on.

Can you share with me any special fan interactions you’ve had?

Danay: Last year, everybody kept asking me “Where is Luciana?” She’s in Mexicali. “What is she doing?” Everybody! Everywhere. Non stop. Everybody was so upset that she left Nick and like, “Yeah good for her, she didn’t have to do that!” And there were so many feeling towards that decision that she made of leaving Nick behind. That was like the big thing of last year for me.

This year it’s like “I knew she was gonna come back! I knew it!” They only care that I’m back and that she found her way back.  I think technically we’ve been shooting since November. But I think in February people were like “Oh they’re in Texas.” And they’re like “I knew it you’re back!” I’ve been getting those reactions and I just laugh I can’t say anything. But yeah, I feel very welcome and loved by fans I cannot express my gratitude and appreciation.

Danay Garcia Talks Luciana and the Ladies of 'Fear The Walking Dead' (Interview)
Danay Garcia as Luciana, Colman Domingo as Victor Strand – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 4, Episode 2 – Photo Credit: Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC
What should fans expect from season 4 of fear?

Danay: This year is like no other year. It really is, because we collide with the crossover. This year is like a year of huge transformation of huge growth for each one of the characters. Like how we are gonna deal with this crossover, the mystery that comes with it, and why it happened now. So, this year is like no other year. It’s like, this is it.

This is gonna happen and they cannot miss it. They just cannot miss the crossover. It’s like, not acceptable. (Laughs) It will expand the universe an with that also expand the characters too, to do things they don’t normally do. You don’t think they’d do half of the things they’re doing this year. So, this is a year that I can promise you, you won’t forget.

———————————————-

You heard her. It’s unacceptable to miss this crossover, so be sure to tune in on Sunday night to Fear‘s premiere, following The Walking Dead on AMC.