August 12, 2018

LAUREN COHAN THE WALKING DEAD STAR ON MOVIES AND MONEY

CASEY DONOVAN’S SHOCK LOVE STORY / BOOSTING YOUR BODY IMAGE MY WEDDING DAY DISASTERS / ADAM LIAW’S NOODLE NOSH & MORE f you’re not familiar with the TV dress with simple white sandals. Her series returns in October, with one- She chooses her words carefully drama The Walking Dead, you piercing green eyes light up as she year time jump, we find Maggie has when asked about the pay dispute. “It’s might not recognise American- acknowledges her excitement at having become both a powerful leader of the what you have to do when disparities born, English-bred actor Lauren to juggle so many high-profile projects. survivors’ Hilltop community and a don’t make sense,” she says firmly. Cohan, who plays feisty zombie “But I feel surprisingly calm with devoted mother who won’t be pushed “I want to be clear that I’m not apocalypse survivor Maggie everything going on,” she says, absent- around by anyone. bashing the show or anyone on it but Greene on the hit series. mindedly taking a stray tuft of her “Having the baby definitely infuses I don’t want to hide what I did either. But since we’re meeting in San bobbed brown hair and banishing it Maggie with a new viewpoint,” she It was just time to say that gender IDiego during Comic Con – the annual behind her ear, “so I guess busy work reveals. “It’s time for her to step up shouldn’t matter when you have this convention that attracts 150,000 fans is good for the brain.” and start making her own decisions. group of kick-ass people all doing of all things pop culture – Lauren, who Lauren’s lilting, hybrid accent – not She feels Rick betrayed her by letting the same work.” boasts 3.8 million Instagram followers, quite English and not quite American [Jeffrey Dean Morgan] live, so In Mile 22, she plays Alice Kerr, is something akin to royalty here. – is a result of being born in New she’s now speaking up when she’s not in a member of an elite paramilitary “I’d love to get deep and meaningful Jersey to an American father and line with what Rick [Lincoln] decides group tasked with trying to smuggle with you, but I don’t know where that English mother, then moving to and that creates a lot of tension.” a mysterious police officer out of part of my brain is right now … I think England when she was 13. It’s likely that Lauren had to draw south-east Asia. Her character is also I left it in Hall H!” the 36-year-old “Some people think I’m Australian on some of her character’s feistiness a mother juggling her responsibilities actor says, referring to the location because they think that’s what you get when renegotiating her return for the between family and career. where she’d just been part of a panel in when you put those two accents upcoming season. She initially asked “I’ve always looked up to women front of 6500 rabid Walking Dead fans. together,” she says with a laugh. for an enhanced salary, something who possess quiet strength and She could be forgiven for feeling It’s not surprising the actor herself closer to that of her two male co-stars, power,” she says. “I’m very lucky – a little overwhelmed. Not only is often grapples with her own identity. and , I had an amazing mom and other Lauren a driving force in the “It’s weird when you’re asked to pick and rejected the modest increase that strong female figures in my life, forthcoming ninth season of the one place over the other but now I’ve was offered. and what I take from that is the series, she is also promoting her first finally realised I’m always going to Making her point, she put herself knowledge you can balance a lot of major action film, Mile 22, in which feel like this – torn between two out there during the TV industry’s different responsibilities at once. she co-stars with Mark Wahlberg. countries – so there’s actually a kind pilot season and quickly landed the “Women have supreme powers of And just in case that isn’t enough, of peace in that realisation.” lead role on the comedy-action series multitasking as mothers and it’s great she’s heading to Prague next month graduating from the University Whiskey Cavalier, sparking rumours playing the kinds of roles that are to film a new TV series, Whiskey of Winchester in the UK with a of her exit from The Walking Dead. finally showcasing this on film.” Cavalier, in which she plays a CIA bachelor’s degree in drama and English In the end, she successfully landed Lauren, who also learnt to speak agent who butts heads with the FBI literature, Lauren initially split her time a significant but undisclosed salary Indonesian for the role, says the brutal agent (Scott Foley from Scandal) between Los Angeles and , and bump for a minimum of six episodes fight scenes in Mile 22 required even she’s forced to work with. The show her work between film and television. this season, an arrangement which more intense preparation than The fits neatly into her schedule on The Among her credits she includes the also allowed her to film the new show Walking Dead. Walking Dead, which means she’ll 2005 film Casanova (also starring during The Walking Dead hiatus. “I spent all my days off working be able to work on both projects Heath Ledger), a season in the series with navy SEALs, doing combat next year. Supernatural as the villainous Bela “It was just training,” she says proudly. “We “I’ve had the pleasure of playing Talbot, a 2010 stint as a 560-year-old wanted to emphasise her scrappy, strong female characters and it’s the vampire in , and time to say that caged-animal style of fighting, so I great equaliser, to be able to survive a 2011 appearance on the series Chuck gender shouldn’t studied ju-jitsu and worked out with and protect and not need to be as socialite Vivian Volkoff. Ryan Watson, the man who trained rescued,” she says. In 2011, her capacity for playing matter when you Gal Gadot for Wonder Woman.” “All these women have challenged characters in fantasy-themed programs have this group of Juggling three major projects hasn’t me in different ways and it’s a great led to her being cast in a recurring role left much time for romance, Lauren Not only is Lauren Cohan time for me to be representing on the second season of The Walking kick-ass people confesses. “It’s on the back burner and femininity and strength.” Dead as Maggie, a farmer’s daughter all doing the I am okay with that. I think a good about to appear in her Sitting in an empty hotel conference and killer of zombies. She quickly relationship takes things that I don’t room, Lauren certainly embodies became one of the show’s most same work.” necessarily have right now, but I don’t ninth season of The Archive/snappermedia.com Hom/Trunk Marc by Photography femininity in a sky-blue summery popular characters, and when the feel like they are far off. I’m a romantic, so I have to believe there will be a time Walking Dead, but the for that sooner or later.” And when asked if she will return feisty actor will soon to The Walking Dead for a 10th season after filming Whiskey Cavalier, Lauren star in the action movie hesitates. “I don’t think Maggie’s story is entirely done,” she says Mile 22. She talks with enigmatically, “but I do know that Jenny Cooney Carrillo. I’m ready to spread my wings.” • SPREADING HER WINGS Mile 22 opens in cinemas on August 30.

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