"He's a unicorn" - The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live star Craig Tate had a blast working with Andrew Lincoln

Craig Tate's journey in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live may have come to an explosive end in episode 1, but he had an incredible time working on the show.

Tate plays Lt. Donald Okafor in the series that marks the return of Rick and Michonne Grimes, following their departure from the parent show. Okafor is the main reason that Rick Grimes survived after being captured by a mysterious organization called The CRM, we soon learn.

But in the final moments of the first episode of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Okafor is blown to smithereens by forces unknown. We caught up with the actor prior to the premiere for a special roundtable interview:

Despite his premature exit from the show, Craig had a blast working with Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes. This is what he said to SK POP:

"Just his ability to connect, exchange and also, deliver. He just curates on camera this environment where it’s open to go as deep and as dark as possible. And just be as weird and as open as possible for both individuals inside the scene. To capture the magic, to capture that moment of transcendence right? That’s who Andrew Lincoln is. He’s a unicorn. Respectfully so."

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On the sets of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Tate met the real Andrew Lincoln

Rick Grimes is much more than a fictional sheriff to fans that adore the post-apocalyptic series. For many, his determination to survive and fight against all odds have made him a symbol of hope.

Entering the universe in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Tate was amazed to find out what a great person Andrew Lincoln, who's embodied the persona for so long was:

"Andrew Lincoln is an incredible thespian and even more incredible human. I’ll never forget. There’s always the shock value that one has when you’re able to work with an individual of his caliber you know. Who you’ve grown to love to such over a decade on-screen and you have this idea of him built up."

Lincoln's co-star Terry O'Quinn had similar praise for the post-apocalyptic sheriff in the same roundtable. Tate was pleasantly surprised to find that a star of Lincoln's caliber had no airs:

"And then you meet him as a person. He’s just so perfectly human but he’s also perfectly this empath and this giver and also this hard worker, right? But he wants to share, right! And he has this way of disarming you naturally. Because once again and shock is just there of who you think he may be."

Another member of The CRM, Lesley-Ann Brandt who plays Pearl Thorne had similar praise for Lincoln. In fact, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live star said that he personally emailed her to be a part of the show.

Tate continued:

"And then you’re just completely thrown off by who he is. But the two functioning ideas they balance off each other – who you think versus who you meet. But then his work ethic on and off camera…what he does off camera shines as much as what he does on camera."

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What is the aftermath of Rick and Michonne Grimes meeting in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Episode 1?

Find out in episode 2 this Sunday on AMC and AMC+.