‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Star Karen David Reacts to Grace’s Journey on AMC Series (Exclusive)

Fear the Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 5 spoilers ahead. The latest episode of Fear the Walking Dead saw the death of Grace (Karen David). And while it was sad to see Grace succumb to her injuries after being bitten by a walker, David saw this coming before anyone else did. PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to David, who said she wasn’t surprised by Grace’s death because of her journey on the series. 

“I always knew the trajectory of Grace’s journey right from the moment I joined the show,” David exclusively told PopCulture. “I was actually checking in because normally at the beginning of a season when we’re starting to film or halfway through, we always get a rough sketch of where the trajectory of the storyline’s going to go for each of our characters for each season. So at the end of each season, Ian [Goldberg] and Andrew [Chambliss] would say, ‘And so this is what we’re thinking and this is what happens.’ And then I would end it and say, ‘And then Grace dies.’ And they’re like, ‘Why would you say that? Why would you say that?’ I said, ‘Well because she’s been exposed to copious amounts of radiation. At some point, it’s going to catch up to us. And you guys told me that this was going to be inevitable.’” 

Grace was bit by the walker in Episode 4 right before she told Morgan (Lennie James) she has cancer. Grace and Morgan have been through thick and thin together for the last four seasons, which had led to David having a lot of love and respect for James who has been with The Walking Dead franchise since the beginning. 

“Well, working with Lennie James has totally ruined me for life. Ruined me,” David said jokingly. “He’s one of those stupendous actors that are so humble and so graceful and so kind and so incredibly giving. He’s such an inspiration. I remember the first day on set, I was really nervous, thank God I was wearing a hazmat suit. My legs were shaking. I was so nervous because you’re working with someone whose work I’ve revered for so long and been such a huge fan of. And to have that honor to work with someone that good, who just makes you look good and brings out the best in you both as an actor and as a human being.”

David continued: “I remember the last day on set, I really cried. A lot of these moments in this episode that I was filming, a lot of it I didn’t even need to act. Because I knew that these were my final moments with Lennie, being on that boat. And when Morgan says, ‘I’ll see you soon,’ just thinking about it makes me choked up a bit. I said to Lennie after we shot that scene, I said, ‘My God, this is our final scene for our characters being together where they see each other.’ Because thereafter it’s on the walkie. But every moment was really big for both of us in that last episode for Grace.”

When Grace died near the end of Episode 5, she turned into a walker, which is something David didn’t enjoy. “I hated it. I hated it so much,” David said about becoming a zombie. “It was so funny because that’s where the girly-girliness comes out of me. And it’s hats off to our incredible VFX. They’re so talented, as you guys all well know. I remember when, oh my gosh … John Wrightson was doing my zombie makeup along with the other guys too. And they kept asking me in between, ‘Do you want a picture?’ ‘Nope.’”