Warning: There are spoilers ahead if you're not caught up with Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead,""The Lost and the Plunderers."
Enid smartly talked her way out of being murdered by the Oceanside crew on Sunday's "The Walking Dead" after murdering their leader.
Though she's leaving the community without any help in the war against Negan, she'll have some bigger problems to deal with when she returns to Maggie at the Hilltop.
Her whole world will change when she learns that one of her closest allies — and apocalypse boyfriend — Carl died after getting himself bit by one of the undead.
INSIDER spoke with Katelyn Nacon, who plays Enid, about her character's decision to stand her ground with Oceanside Sunday, how Carl's death will affect her character moving forward, whether or not Enid could take over Carl's comic role with Negan, and her thoughts on having a female showrunner lead the show into its ninth season.
On Enid's quick thinking Sunday night
Kirsten Acuna: Enid's life is literally on the line. What was going through her mind as she was bargaining for her and Aaron's lives? Is she kind of in JSS ["Just Survive Somehow"] mode?
Katelyn Nacon: I would say so, but I feel like also her version of JSS is changed over the course of time as she's come with the community. I feel like she still goes by "just survive somehow," but it's more like I should just survive somehow but for the right reasons. And I think that's kind of what she's going through right there, she's like, 'Hey, we need to survive, but there's a reason that you should let us survive. You should be doing this because of this, and this and all of these other things.' I think it's, one, her trying to get them out of that situation, but, two, also trying to show the Oceansiders what they're doing wrong and what they could do better.
Acuna: I was actually surprised, but delighted to see that it was Enid and not Aaron who was speaking up to the women of Oceanside after they were captured. What do you make of Enid being the one to bargain with Cyndie instead of Aaron?
Nacon: I think she sees a lot of power in Cyndie and also they're relatively around the same age. I feel like she can go through similar experiences and stuff. Why can't I remember the leader's name before this?
Acuna: Oh, Natania.
Nacon: Natania, yes. I think she was doing a lot wrong and I think that [Enid] saw that Cyndie saw the wrong that her grandmother was doing. And even though [Enid] killed her grandmother, I think she's trying to show her like, 'Hey, you have the ability to be this kind of person, and to do the right thing now,' especially with her out of the way, you can do the right thing.
I think that's what she kind of trying to do there. And I think she can connect more with them being a young female than Aaron necessarily could.
Why Enid doesn't apologize for killing the Oceanside leader
Acuna: I noticed Enid never apologizes or says sorry for killing Cyndie's grandmother. Why is that?
Nacon: Well, because she knew she had to do it. She didn't have an option really. If she didn't kill Natania, then Aaron would be dead. And she cared about Aaron and wasn't going to let him die, so she knew that wasn't an option. I mean she even said that I would do it again if I have to, because I knew that's the thing that I had to do at that moment. And she would, maybe going forward, I don't think she wants to kill people, I think that's the last thing she wants to do, right? If she can get around it, then she won't do it.
And we've seen that earlier on when we first met her in like season five and six. She wouldn't even kill walkers. She would find a different way around them and a way that she wouldn't have to kill them. Whether it was like throwing a timer or just distracting them somehow. It's a lot for Enid to take in. She's a young girl. She just killed her first real person, someone that's not a walker. So it's a lot for her to take in, but I think that she realizes in that moment that's all she could have done, and if she was put in that situation again she would do it.
Acuna: You know that's a good point. I re-watched the whole series before season eight started, but I forgot that's the first person that Enid has probably really killed. That's pretty significant.
Nacon: Yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot for her. Especially since it's a person that you know, had a lot of people looking up to them. They were a leader of the community and she also had family. It's a lot for Enid to kind of take in, especially because she knows if someone had killed her parents, or if someone had killed her grandmother and that was all that she had left, she wouldn't be happy either. But I think she'd gotten to a point in this world that she knows that people die and that's just something that has to happen in order for others to live.
Why Enid makes Aaron promise they'll see each other again
Acuna: Enid makes Aaron promise that she'll see him again. Does she really believe that she will see him again? Or was that something that she just needed to hear?
Nacon: I don't know. Honestly, I feel like she doesn't think that she'll see him again. That's why she's so scared about him staying behind, because it's just such a risky move. But, she knows that he has to do it, and there's no way she can argue her way into getting him to come with her. But I think she knows that he has to do it, and there's a good chance that he might not make it back. So that's hard for her. And so I think just to hear him say, 'Yeah, I promise I'll see you again,' it's a little comforting because every person she's cared about has died. She's never gotten to say goodbye to them. So, in this way, it's something to kind of comfort her in her way back.
How Nacon found out Chandler Riggs was being killed off the show
Acuna: Where were you when you heard that Chandler Riggs would be leaving and how did you react?
Nacon: I was at my parents' house. I forget why, but I remember [showrunner] Scott [M. Gimple] calls me and he was like, 'Hey, I'm just letting everyone know about this,' and was like, 'We're going to kill Carl.' And I'm pretty sure I was just like, 'Oh, OK.' It just didn't set in at first. I think it went completely went over my head. But then he kept talking about it and I was like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. They're actually going to kill Carl. This a big deal. This isn't supposed to happen.' And I think it took like a good 10 minutes for it all to actually set in, and for me to understand that this was reality. I definitely didn't see it coming. Really out of the blue.
Acuna: Were you sad that you guys didn't get to say goodbye onscreen?
Nacon: No, not really. I think it brings more drama into ... if I could get Enid even more messed up than she already is, this is great. I love playing messed up characters. I think that the fact that Enid didn't get to say goodbye, it's just a lot harder for her. Because she never got to say goodbye to her parents, she never got to say goodbye to Glenn, so it's just another person that she never got the chance to and so I think it just hits her even harder with that. As an actress, I like playing that part.
How Carl's death will affect Enid moving forward
Acuna: Glenn and Carl along with Maggie have really helped shape and define who Enid has become, but how do you think Enid is going to react when she learns about Carl? Do you think that she may regress and be a little bit more messed up?
Nacon: She doesn't become closed off again. I think she's gotten through the period of where her way of coping with things is just shutting everyone out. I think she's past that. But, it's interesting to see this shift in Enid from before she finds out to after she finds out. She's almost a different person, and its like her perspective pretty much changes. It's really interesting. I feel like it's gonna be a lot of fun for the audience to watch as well, just how it all affects not only her but other people because it affects everyone very differently. And you'll see that in an episode to come, the conflicting views of how to perceive his death. It's pretty crazy. It's just so crazy to think just how different she becomes after she finds out.
Nacon doesn't know what Carl's letter to Enid says, but she will receive it
Acuna: Do you know what your letter from Carl says, or no?
Nacon: No, they gave me a piece of paper, it just said Enid on the back and it was a blank piece of paper. I was like, "OK guys, thanks for the emotional help."
Acuna: Chandler said when we were speaking with him last week that he didn't even write what was on the inside of the cards, he just scribbled whatever on the day of filming. So, it's pretty funny.
Nacon: Yeah, they're very specific. If you ever write something down on the show, they're very specific about how it looks and what it says, so that would make sense.
Why she's not surprised Carl wrote Negan a letter
Nacon: I mean I definitely didn't see it coming, but I feel like it doesn't surprise me that Carl would do that, especially with where his character was ending up, and the philosophy that he kind of discovered before his death. It doesn't surprise me that he would write a note to Negan. As an audience member, yes, but if you actually understand Carl's character, it makes a lot of sense especially with where he was in his last minutes.
You can read what Carl wrote to Negan in his letter here.
Where Enid stands in the war against Negan
Acuna: How does Enid feel in this war? Could she get on board with Carl's mentality of making peace with the Saviors or does she think all of the saviors need to go and that they need to avenge Glenn's death and the many others they've lost?
Nacon: You'll see kind of where her head is at within the upcoming episodes, but I don't think she believes that Carl's philosophy is right. I think she believes that Carl's philosophy is what got him killed. So, in her way, it's wrong and it's going to get everyone else killed. So it's tough, because she wants to do the right thing, but she's really lost right now after the death of Carl. Everything is a lot harder because she thought she knew where she was in this world and how she wanted to go about it and the choices that she wanted to make, but now it's kind of all been mixed up.
How THAT scene from the comics with Carl probably never would have happened
Acuna: [In the comics,] Carl becomes really close with a girl named Lydia, and there's this crazy scene that I thought that they were going to do at some point [on the show]. Do you know what I'm talking about, with where Lydia licks Carl's eye socket?
Nacon: Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about.
Acuna: Has anyone ever asked you about whether or not you would do that scene at some point with Chandler?
Nacon: No, I don't think that was ever a plan, because Enid's definitely not Lydia. For a moment I thought Sophia, but she's really neither. She's honestly her own standalone character. For a while it seemed like she would take on Sophia's story lines, but she's just a very completely different character. Especially from Lydia. Lydia's like psychotic. But, I don't think that was ever a plan, and I really would hope not because that's just weird.
Acuna: It was a very strange point in the comics to get to, but one that always stands out.
Could Enid take over Carl's comic role and become close to Negan?
Acuna: Something that becomes very important [in the comics] is Carl's close role with Negan. Do you think there is ever a shot for Enid to possibly fill that role?
Nacon: I don't know. I don't know how they're going to bring up that story line. I don't know if it was all for Enid. I mean, personally I feel like it would make sense since she's the only kid left around his age. But, it just kind of depends on how they are going to pump up the story line. I don't even know if they're going to continue that story line at all. It'll be interesting to see what they do. I still have no clue, honestly. I don't find anything out until like three days before we film.
Acuna: Oh that's really close to filming.
Nacon: Yeah, we get the scripts a week or two weeks before an episode, so usually the episode before we'll start filming episodes before and halfway through filming we'll get the script for the next episode. They're always very top secret on the show.
Nacon's thoughts on a new female showrunner for season nine
Acuna: In January, it was announced that Angela Kang will be taking over as showrunner, and maybe she'll take [the show] in another direction. What does her taking over as showrunner mean to you as a young woman on the show?
Nacon: It's great. I feel like "The Walking Dead" has really become a female empowerment show with all the strong leading female characters we have. I think it's started by being a great example for girls, just with the show itself. But now to have a female showrunner, it just adds on to it even more and I think it's great for young women to see.
The one character Nacon wants to see Enid interact with: Carol
Acuna: Is there one character that you haven't worked with yet that you would like to, and who would that be?
Nacon: All of them. I want to work with, everyone's just so great and so talented and everyone has their different techniques and their different ways of going about their acting, so there's really something new to learn. But I've worked with a lot of characters so far. I feel like the one character that I still haven't worked with is Carol, and so I feel like that would be really, really cool to be able to work with her and do some scenes with her. Just because I frickin love Carol, her character is amazing.
What Nacon's looking forward to most in the rest of season eight
Nacon: I'm really excited for the audience to see just part of the aftermath of everything after the 'Honor' episode, Carl's death, because it really does impact the rest of the season, and the rest of the show. And you see a shift in every single character and it's crazy how much it changes each person, and affects their point of view of the world. It carries on throughout the rest of the season. So I'm really excited for people to see that.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: What would happen if humans tried to land on Jupiter