Emily Kinney Shares Why Bringing Beth Greene Back in ‘Dead City’ Felt Like Home
‘The Walking Dead‘ universe has long been known for its inventive ways of keeping beloved characters alive in spirit, whether through spinoffs, flashbacks, or surprise cameos. Among these characters, Beth Greene left a significant mark, with her unexpected death in Season 5 seeming to conclude her story for nearly a decade.
That notion changed with ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City,’ which introduced a groundbreaking concept in its third season. The show features an alternate-reality episode that imagines a world where the zombie apocalypse never occurred, allowing several familiar characters to exist in a different context.
Beth Greene is one of those characters. Emily Kinney returned to her role in the episode “Genesis,” portraying Maggie’s sister in a reality where Beth is alive, optimistic, and pursuing a music career in New York City instead of fighting for survival on the family farm in Georgia.
Kinney discussed her experience stepping back into this world after so many years, telling TV Insider that Beth’s portrayal as a musician felt very authentic to her character. Kinney emphasized that Beth was always a creative and artistic soul, making the idea of her leaving the farm for a life in New York a believable extension of who she was.
The familiarity extended beyond character development. Kinney also expressed how easy it was to reunite with Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie, despite not having acted alongside her since 2014, although they do see each other at Walking Dead conventions occasionally.
In another interview with Collider, Kinney shared how emotional her return was, admitting she cried upon reading the script. She noted that stepping back into Beth felt surprisingly automatic, as the character had become a significant part of her identity during her time on the original series, making it easier to envision who Beth would be as an adult.
The alternate-reality concept allowed Kinney to portray a version of Beth that had never been seen before. From sharing hot chocolate with Maggie in Central Park to performing an original folk song in a bar, the episode provided Beth with a hopeful and fully realized adulthood that the original storyline never allowed her to achieve.
The presence of familiar faces behind the scenes further enhanced the feeling of homecoming for Kinney. She mentioned that several crew members from the original ‘Walking Dead,’ including key hair stylist Vincent, were also part of the ‘Dead City’ team, highlighting the continuity that made her return even more special.
With Beth’s story now receiving a rare moment of closure and hope within the franchise’s expanding alternate timelines, fans are left to wonder if this appearance will be a one-off or the beginning of something more.
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