How The Walking Dead’s Emily Kinney went from zombie slayer to rock star
Fans of The Walking Deadwere up in arms when (spoiler alert) Emily Kinney’s character Beth was killed off the show last season.
The loss of the fan-favorite zombie slayer did not sit well with many viewers, and even sparked a petition on Change.org that received over 60,000 signatures in support of bringing her back.
Beth’s departure from the series was bittersweet for Kinney, as it allowed her to devote more time and energy to her second love: music.
The Walking Dead actress has been writing and performing songs for years, but thanks to her recent TV stardom, she now has a new album on the way and is on the cusp of making it big on the music scene.
After selling out the Sinclair in May, Kinney is excited to rock out in Boston again at this weekend’s Walker Stalker Con, a zombie, horror, and sci-fi fan convention.
“Last time we were in Boston, the show completely sold-out, it was a really friendly crowd,’’ Kinney said. “Hopefully they’ll all come out again, plus we’ll have the convention and that kind of brings a whole other group of fans. Maybe not as much music fans, but Walking Dead fans… so it will be really fun.’’
From left: Lauren Cohan, Emily Kinney, Andrew Lincoln, Chad Coleman, Norman Reedus, and Chandler Riggs in ‘The Walking Dead.’
It’s no easy task trying to balance careers in both acting and music.
Somehow, though, Kinney’s always found a way to mix her two passions, whether it’s landing roles in Broadway musicals or even singing a tune from time-to-time on The Walking Dead.
Kinney admits that scheduling conflicts and creative fatigue are just some of the very real challenges of being a cross-over star. However, having two careers also has its upsides.
“The good thing is, with acting… you have times when you’re really busy and have a lot of work and then you have times where you don’t have as much, even there’s not many auditions to go to,’’ Kinney said. ’’You’re left kind of like a little empty creatively. What’s cool about doing music too, especially the last few years, whenever I have that downtime it’s almost a nice thing because, well now, I can be spending more time on the music.’’
Another benefit, according to Kinney, is that she already has a ton of fans from her Walking Dead days, which gives her the “leverage’’ to make the kind of music she enjoys making on her own without being burdened by the wants and needs of a label.
As techno-infused pop continues to dominate the top 40 charts, Kinney doesn’t feel any pressure to change her folk-rock style just to appeal to the masses. However, she does realize that her popularity is at an all-time high right now and she wants strike while the iron is hot.
“I’m really making what exactly I want to make, I don’t know if I feel a lot of pressure because there’s not an expectation to fill some sort of top 40 hole,’’ she said. “ I feel like now there’s a lot of exciting momentum, so I’m feeling maybe more pressure to just like take every opportunity and really reach a lot of fans because I do feel it sort of growing. So I feel pressure in maybe that way, like stretching myself in my time.’’
[fragment number=0]
Kinney’s music career may be heating up, but that doesn’t mean she’s forgotten about acting.
The TV and music star returned to the world of comic books when she landed a guest spot as a supervillain on the CW’s The Flash this past spring. Kinney also recently earned a recurring role on the current season of Showtime’s hit series Masters of Sex.
As she continues to forge a path through the world of entertainment, Kinney plans on staying true to her inner creative self, whether its with the type of music she makes or the scripts she accepts. Her main goal, though, is to stay consistent and active as an artist well into her elder years.
“I would love if I just stayed healthy enough to keep working when I’m like 70 and 80, running around on stage,’’ Kinney said. “It doesn’t really matter to me if it’s in theater or in music.’’
Emily Kinney performs in Boston on Saturday.
Fall 2015 Boston Calling lineup
[bdc-gallery id=”115619″]
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com