When we see Andrew Lincoln, we immediately think of Rick Grimes, one of the most famous TV sheriffs ever. He fought zombies to survive in the series 'The Walking Dead.' In 2018 he left the iconic horror show… To do what, exactly?
Having participated in the first six episodes of the ninth season of the AMC show, Andrew Lincoln suddenly left 'The Walking Dead'. It was a total surprise to the fans. He announced the news at the season premiere during the San Diego Comic-Con.
According to the actor, he left mostly because he had been away from his family for so long. His wife, Gael Anderson, and their children lived in the United Kingdom while he was far away in Georgia "killing zombies." Once he became a father, his priorities changed.
Andrew Lincoln has been married to Gael Anderson since 2006. (By the way, she is the daughter of Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson) and they have two kids, Matilda and Arthur. The family changed his professional life as well as Rick Grimes' character…
The truth is that spending as much time as he could with his family meant that, while he was shooting 'The Walking Dead,' he had to turn down many roles that came his way thanks to his growing popularity.
Another reason Andrew Lincoln left the show was that it had become less and less centered on Rick Grimes. Other characters had become more important, and it was time for him to go.
Andrew Lincoln also explained that he didn't want to be type-cast as an action hero in the horror genre. "Unfortunately, what you have to do is change people's mindset about what you are able to do as an actor," he said.
To do something about the typecasting risk, Andrew Lincoln played Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' classic 'A Christmas Carol' on London's Old Vic stage in 2020.
In addition to the theatre work, Andrew Lincoln made an appearance on the big screen in the Australian movie 'Penguin Bloom.' Directed by Glendyn Ivin, he played along with Naomi Watts to bring us a dramatic and thrilling story about disabilities and nature.
But apart from that, since Andrew Lincoln left 'The Walking Dead,' his professional activity as an actor hasn't been very intensive. Is he taking a break or just waiting for something even bigger than the iconic horror show?
Being Rick Grimes for nearly a decade, Andrew Lincoln never got bored or tired of the character. After leaving the show, he explained that: "At first, I didn't miss it that much because it was a great way to end my story on TV."
But then, he confessed: "We could say I have missed Rick; it's a wonderful character and I love being Rick." In addition, during a cast reunion, Lincoln said, jokingly: "I came back home for the kids and now they're sick of me. I wish I never left. It was a terrible decision."
Leaving the series doesn't mean that Andrew Lincoln is disconnected from 'The Walking Dead'. As AMC Studios announced, a movie trilogy centered on Rick Grimes' character is in the works.
As the actor has expressed, the idea of taking his character to the big screen in no less than three movies was "an exciting proposal." And as we could hear him say in 'The Talking Dead', the talk show where they discuss each episode after they air in the United States, "this is not the beginning of the end, it's the end of the beginning."
Scott Gimple, the show's former screenwriter and the current writer of the first movie, said: "The movies are going to be a big step from what we’ve been doing on the series, with the reach and scale of cinema, this will let us discover worlds still unseen in 'The Walking Dead' as well as familiar faces."
While the series already reached its last episode ever in the fall of 2022, the movie release date is still uncertain. "We don't want to rush it and we'll make sure it's perfect," the makers told Variety.
One of the curiosities about the actor is that Andrew Lincoln is not his real name. He started using this artistic name when he began his studies at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts of London. His real name is Andrew James Clutterbuck.
Looking through his past to know a bit more about his origins, we find that his first role as an actor was Jack Dawkins (Dodger) in a version of the play 'Oliver!'. He then began his education at the National Youth Theater, and later at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts of London.
His first TV performance was in an important BBC drama called 'This Life', where he played the role of Edgar 'Egg' Cook between 1996 and 1997. Then, in 2001, he became more famous thanks to the British comedy-drama series 'Teachers'. There, he played Simon Casey till 2004 and even directed two episodes of the third season.
Some other roles that you may remember from Andrew Lincoln are the university teacher and psychologist Robert Bridge in 'Afterlife,' and the adorable broken-hearted young man with the cards in 'Love, Actually' (2003). Here you see him in a photo shoot with another 'Love, Actually' star, Bill Nighy.
In addition, Andrew Lincoln's voice is well-known in the UK for being the narrator in numerous British documentaries and radio and TV spots.
In 2022, we were able to see Andrew Lincoln in the Guillermo del Toro production, 'Cabinet of Curiosities.' It's an anthological Netflix series with 'Black Mirror' vibes. Lincoln appears alongside Essie Davis and Hannah Galway for his episode.
So even though he's been out of the picture a little bit, we can still enjoy Andrew Lincoln's work! And there's a lot more to come...
This Walking Dead spinoff starring Andrew Lincoln (Rick) and Danai Gurira (Michonne) follows the love story between these two characters surrounded by the chaos of the walking dead. The sequel is still in production so is not quite clear when the release will take place but we are sure that many of The Walking Dead fans are eagerly awaiting it.
