Maggie Grace, who plays Althea Szewczyk-Przygocki on Fear the Walking Dead, talks about Al and Dwight teaming up, the episode's echoes of the pandemic, and being part of The Walking Dead Universe's helicopter story.

Q: How has Al evolved in the years since you first joined the cast?

A: It's been fun to see glimpses of her past, why she is the way she is. Her relationships have deepened; she’s risking more. She has more hope.

Q: What was it like teaming up with Austin Amelio in Episode 3?

A: I really love working with Austin. We have a similar sense of humor, and he’s been a great scene partner! Super laid-back dude. If only we had real beer.

Q: You had to work with rats, walkers with the plague, and that freaky-looking embalmed walker all in one episode. What was it like dealing with all of those elements in a single episode?

A: It was definitely a trickier episode. I’m glad the rats ended up being mostly a separate shot. They get their own beauty rat light. The moldy crumbling wall I climbed through made of mashed potatoes was so fun, though! The guys nailed it with that practical effect. Smelled delicious.

Watch: Cast and Creators Go Inside Lennie James's Directorial Debut:

Q: How do you like being a part of the 'helicopter' story that ties together Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead, and The Walking Dead: World Beyond?

A: Oh yeah, it's good nerdy fun to be part of the bridge between worlds!

Read More: How Althea Relates to the Larger TWD Universe

Q: With The Walking Dead: World Beyond, we're starting to get answers on where those helicopters come from. Do you think Al will ever get answers?

A: God, I hope so. Preferably first hand, on a helicopter!

Q: Is this a mystery she needs to unravel or will she be able to let it go?

A: I just don’t know how she could let it go -- this is everything she's about. And for anyone living in the apocalypse, I don’t know how you could go about your day, scrapping to get by, knowing that this society is out there. Not to mention the stakes on a personal level.

Q: Why is Al initially okay with leaving the sick people behind?

A: For her it becomes a sort of Trolley Problem. She really believes that, at such a late stage, they can’t save them and so much hangs in the balance.

Q: What did it cost Al to tell the helicopter and Isabelle not to land?

A: Oh, it costs her so much, it was a tough turn. I was so glad Colman [Domingo] was directing -- we got it quite quickly.

Read More: Q&A With Colman Domingo (Strand)

Q: Are you rooting for Al and Isabelle to reunite?

A: Absolutely! It’s all I want!

Q: This is a more heartwarming end to an episode than we usually get, what with the sick people getting their Cipro and Dwight's reunion with Sherry. How does it feel to end an episode on a hopeful note?

A: That was really nice. It's a darker season, so it's important to get those moments of real hope. And all of this was written at the end of 2019 -- so the pandemic theming was not art imitating life at all at that point! Pretty trippy, really. We shot this before there was any real sense of what Covid would become, so I’m especially glad the episode ends on a hopeful note.

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