As Fear the Walking Dead returns for the concluding half of its third season, we caught-up with series star Daniel Sharman to discuss what’s in store for his character Troy in the weeks ahead…
SPOILER ALERT – the following contains mild spoilers for season three’s previously aired mid-season cliff hanger and episode 9 which opens the new run. It also discusses the story arc for the weeks ahead.
The series returns to find the uneasy truce secured by Madison’s (Kim Dickens) ‘gift’ of Jeremiah’s head to Walker threatened by Troy who, by the end of episode 9, is evicted from the ranch community, setting the scene for what Daniel tells us is a revealing journey of self discovery for the character.
“There’s a lot of surprising reactions to that…you’re leaving Troy to revert back to a solitary existence and when you leave him in that place you’re dealing with a catalyst of emotions – somebody who is very emotionally volatile.
“He no longer has other people to temper certain reactions, there’s this sort of snowball effect that will influence the rest of the season.”
While the actor was unable to reveal exactly what Troy’s reaction to being booted off his family’s land is, he told us: “It’s surprising, it’s definitely a surprising outcome because his reaction is not necessarily what you think it will be and it goes on this very interesting route.
“Where you leave him I think you end up knowing him bit more by the end and I think he knows a bit more by the end of it which is quite an interesting route to take, ’cause you expect it to be a certain way and it may surprise you.”
One of this season’s big recurring themes has been the relationship between Troy and Madison and it seems that episode 9 is setting the scene for even more of this.
Asked about the pair’s dynamic, Daniel suggests Madison is “probably the first person he’s ever respected”
“There are all kinds of emotions that are locked up in that, which I love and which was great playing with Kim. There’s such a fascinating relationship there – there’s a lot of emotion, things that Troy’s experiencing for the first time with her.
“A lot of that is he’s not really had an adolescence in life in some way. A lot of this is wrapped up in a sexual thing, but also not, and a motherly thing. A lot of those things are him bouncing those things off because he’s never had that.
“I think that relationship is always really interesting because she is somebody that he recognises and what he loves is that she plays the game.
“People assume that she is playing Troy but Troy is well aware that he’s being played. He just loves playing the game. Just to play the game is a wonderful thing for him.”
But Daniel was keen to push way any suggestion that his character is Madison’s toy, telling us: “To say she’s just manipulating him is to take away something of his intelligence. He’s well aware.
“He’s a willing partner in it. He’s just happy to play and have somebody who can play. It’s like finding a chess partner whose your equal.”
Fear is the second time Daniel’s joined a hit series part way through its run, having also joined the cast of MTV’s smash hit Teen Wolf for its second and third run.
“It’s always interesting when you join a show that’s been established, especially with its established world and people in it and I’m always interested in coming in as a character and shaking up the world a bit.
“It allows you to know the world you’re playing but also push certain things to their limits. It’s always a tough thing because you’ve got to come in and make sure you join an orchestra in some ways.
“You can’t overplay or overdo certain things, you have to at least add to the orchestra of this thing.
“It’s always a slightly more difficult thing in joining a world.”
“But I feel safer joining it than I do beginning it in some weird way, but it is nice to play a character whose emotions and actions dictate the action of the entire thing.
“That’s always really nice, you feel like you have to really do it justice and that challenge is always nice.”
“That’s why I love this character so much and I guess more than any other I feel like he gets his fair share of time and the writers have really done an amazing job of who he is.”
Fear The Walking Dead season three returns on September 11th to AMC which is exclusive to BT TV and BT Sports Pack customers on Sky.