Check out what Alycia Debnam-Carey had to say about the heartbreaking end to her The 100 character!
It has been just over two weeks since Lexa’s (Alycia Debnam-Carey) sudden death on The 100, and many fans are still reeling with heartbreak. If this is you, know that you are not alone. Many fans were devastated after the episode aired, some even outraged that the show would turn to the TV trope of killing off a lesbian character right after a happy moment in their life (Lexa and Clarke (Eliza Taylor) had just reached a pivotal point in their relationship). Many fans were also upset about how she was killed. Lexa’s character has always been shown to be strong and fans felt that she deserved a strong death, not the death she received, which was done by a stray bullet that was meant for Clarke but missed.
In an interview with EW before the Fear the Walking Dead panel at PaleyFest on Saturday, Alycia Debnam-Carey said that she was “surprised by the intensity and the fury” of fans’ reactions after Lexa’s death. “I don’t think anyone on the show expected such social outcry,” she said. “I think any attention we can draw to a movement like that is an amazing thing, and is a great thing to pursue and keep working towards.”
Some fans of the CW’s post-apocalyptic drama have even called for a boycott of the show after ‘Thirteen,’ the episode where Lexa died, aired. There has only been one episode of the show since, as the show is currently on hiatus for two weeks. Though Alycia doesn’t want the fans to stop watching, saying that this was never meant to offend anyone:
“It is important to note that the decisons only ever come from love and trust within the show. I don’t think it was ever intended to aggravate anyone in a social situation. There’s so much love for that character, like from me, from the writers and from Jason [Rothenberg]. I hate to hear people wanting to not watch the show anymore for a certain reason like that. I do understand, of course, it’s a social issue. If people are feeling that way, it’s really important to recognize.”
As for what she thought of Lexa’s end, Alycia said that it felt definitive, but she said nothing about whether or not Lexa could return:
“When I’ve watched characters that I love and adore on TV shows and they’re sent off without a really defining moment or a clear cut reason, I get annoyed, because I’m like, ‘Well, that’s lazy, like, maybe they’ll go, maybe they’ll come back.’ I’m not a fan of that type of storytelling usually. I like that it was a very passionate and then heartbreaking moment.”
She also spoke about how it felt to be a part of such an “emotionally overwhelming” moment that touched so many people in such a profound way. “The reaction that sparked within people, where I’m reading texts and tweets from people saying, ‘I’m crying and in tears,’ to be able to say you’re a part of that is an amazing thing. I hate thinking people thought it was insensitive, because it was such a beautiful episode for us to shoot as well.”
While some fans may feel deprived of the continuation of Lexa and Clarke’s story, the actress says that she had “personal obligations in my work life as well,” referencing the fact that she is a series regular on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead. “For me, it was trusting the writers and knowing that we would make the most out of what we had,” she said. She also touched on the core of the show saying that, “I think while the show has relationships in it, and it’s a show about people coming together, it is not a romantic-based show. So in any way or form that manifests on its own, it’s not the sole focus.”
Lexa’s death was devastating for all of us, including Alyica, who posted this on her Instagram following the airing of ‘Thirteen’:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BChTauQHJ3c/?taken-by=alyciajasmin&hl=en
Though Lexa’s death was deeply heartbreaking, The 100 will go on and continue to be the iconic and nail-biting show that we all love.
A new episode of The 100 airs on Thursday March 31st on the CW, and you can catch Alycia in the second season of Fear the Walking Dead, which premieres on Sunday April 10th on AMC.
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