“When The Walking Dead premiered 12 years ago I was an avid fan,” actor Nico Tortorella recounts. “And then I got an audition for Fear the Walking Dead and didn’t get the job so then refused to watch it! Then this show came around.”
The show Nico is referring to is The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the latest spin-off to emerge from the Walking Dead universe. Whereas Fear jumped off at the very beginning, World Beyond leaps ahead of time and picks up the story 10 years after the zombie outbreak, lining up roughly with main series’ timeline. What is markedly different, however, is that the series showcases the shadowy Civic Republic front and centre as the seeming villains who will stop at nothing to ensure a brighter future for mankind. In addition, the show’s main protagonists are for the most part, just kids. It’s here that Nico’s character, Felix, comes in. A big-brother of sorts to the two main female protagonists, its their task to ensure everyone stays alive as they make their way across country.
“It was definitely a little daunting to step into a massive universe,” Nico admits as they talk during a break in shooting the show’s upcoming second season. “I really had to make the decision to commit, and to understand that I’m a tiny piece of a puzzle that’s massive.” No stranger to committing, Tortorella is probably best known to audiences as Josh on the long-running series Younger which has just reached its seventh, and final, year. They’ve also been part of one of Hollywood’s biggest horror film franchises thanks to a role in the last Scream outing. “Obviously Scream isn’t in the same genre as The Walking Dead but I’m used to blood and guts so I was comfortable there.”
Without doubt, one of World Beyond’s greatest accomplishments is in its remit to world build, allowing us, for the first time, to see behind the curtain of the Civic Republic. Predictably, it raises the question of potential crossovers with characters from the other shows, and perhaps the one we all want to see most. “A Rick Grimes/Felix moment? Come on!” Nico laughs. “They would fuck up some shit. I’m there for it. Felix has been mentoring everyone else, I think it would be a cool dynamic for Rick to mentor Felix.”
It is perhaps Felix’s mentoring that endears the audience to the character most initially, although as the first season progresses we are allowed to see the more intimate areas of their life. What transpires is a touching love story that is almost surprising in its fulfillment as Nico’s grounded portrayal of Felix is worlds apart from what is often seen to be a stereotypical queer character on screen.
“That was a decision from the get,” Tortorella elaborates. “Scott [Gimple] and Matt [Negrete] were really open to the idea. I tend to use my normal life to break down stereotypes so that’s how I try to approach characters. Felix’s sexuality is just a part of who they are and honestly that’s just a wealth of experience. I think, post-apocalypse, priorities shift and the only thing that you’re truly fighting for is your life.”
With seven years of Younger, almost two seasons of World Beyond and a series of eclectic appearances on shows such as Ru Paul’s Celebrity Drag Race and the US version of Just Tattoo of Us – “I saw some shit that I’d never imagined. I learned more about the human experience doing that show than anything I’ve ever worked on” – it seems there’s no stopping Nico Tortorella. Although, for now, they feel like it might be a good time to take stock.
“For the first time in seven/eight years I’m actually like, totally available,” Nico laughs. “I don’t have anything in the books. I’m kind of in the space where I’m re-prioritising exactly what I want to be doing and figuring out what the next step is. I’m taking my time and I’m going to be a little bit pickier but I’m excited for the future.”
As for the future of the Walking Dead universe, it would appear that it will only go from strength to strength. “Just wait until you see the second.” Tortorella teases. “The first season was super intimate right? The second season is much, much bigger.”
RLJE Films will release THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND – SEASON 1 on DVD/Blu-ray on June 15, 2021
