What do Fear the Walking Dead and CW’s The 100 have in common? ALYCIA. DEBNAM. CAREY. Whether she’s commanding the 12 Clans or trying to survive the zombie apocalypse Alycia can do no wrong by the fans (except for the events of Episode 7, which isn’t her fault). Interview Magazine’s Hayley Phelan recently sat down with the Australian native to discuss her role in both shows along with what she was like as a teenager.
HAYLEY PHELAN: Your character Lexa on The 100 was a fan favorite. What is it like to have a cult following?
DEBNAM-CAREY: My friend asked me recently, “Do you find it weird that you are now the property of other people’s imaginations?” I hadn’t thought about that before, this passionate following, with fan fiction and artwork. At first it felt like an invasion of privacy, but then I realized it’s nice that the character can be shared.
PHELAN: What’s the biggest difference between Lexa and your character Alicia on Fear the Walking Dead?
DEBNAM-CAREY: To go from playing a character that was so self-assured, so mature beyond her years, and so kick-ass and ruthless to someone who’s quite normal is interesting. Playing normal is hard; especially playing normal that’s not you. The biggest challenge in playing Alicia is trying to make a teenage girl seem fully formed and not the quintessential moody teenager with a quippy, sassy line here and there.
PHELAN: What were you like as a teenager?
DEBNAM-CAREY: Everyone sort of feels alienated at that point, so it’s hard to say whether I felt like that because everyone does or because I was so focused on acting [since the age of 8]. I did go to a performing arts school, so that facilitated my creativity, though I ended up going in a more musical direction.
PHELAN: What did you play?
DEBNAM-CAREY: I studied classical percussion for ten years. At one point I was thinking about going to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, but then I realized it’s actually not what I wanted to do.
PHELAN: If you weren’t an actor, what would you be?
DEBNAM-CAREY: I would love to do something with space. I’m obsessed with it. I just can’t stop reading about it or watching videos about it or listening to TED Talks about it.
Catch the rest of the interview over at Interview Magazine!
