On The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Nicolas Cantu plays Elton Ortiz, a pragmatic old soul who finds himself in the adventure of a lifetime. In Season 2, even when faced with incredibly difficult realizations, his optimism still reigns supreme. Cantu talks to amc.com about that unrelenting optimism, what his first experience as a series regular was like, and the lasting legacy of Elton’s TuffyStitch suit.

Q: Elton is so smart and savvy, and even in this post-apocalyptic world he is a good person with strong morals. When we see him and Percy in Episode 3, he’s still holding onto some tenets of civilization—like not stealing food from strangers. Do you think that makes him foolish or just more upstanding than other people in his world? 

A: I think it makes him a fool! He’s lived through this apocalypse. It's an unprecedented time when there are no laws, and he won't even steal a little bread crumb from some strangers? I don't know. I feel like he's not taking advantage of the situation he's in. But he does have his morals to hold over everybody, like "I don't steal, so I'm better than you!"

Q: What do you think is going through Elton’s mind when he watches Indira’s kids, Dev and Asha, do their ritual on the empties? 

A: Well, he's in his underwear when that's happening sooo I don't know. I remember I was worried about the butt flap of my union suit. That's what Elton has on under the corduroy suit, and I think it was really funny to peel away the layers of his wardrobe and have something absolutely ridiculous underneath. I think he's very self-conscious about his wardrobe choice. He's like, "I should have just worn the tighty-whities today! Shouldn't have done the union suit. Now everybody's going to see the butt flap." It’s not a good situation for Elton. Not at all.

Q: Elton is an intellectual guy who in Season 1 was really grappling with the meaning of life. Finding out about Hope’s connection to his mother’s death was traumatic, to say the least. This season he’s dealing with anxiety related to that realization. Can you talk a bit about Elton’s mind set at the beginning of Season 2?  

A: I think he's oddly chipper. You see him at the beginning of the episode on that horse and he's still Elton. He's still saying things like "oh, we're going to save everybody, everybody's going to be okay." He's still a very positive dude, so I don't think a lot can get him down. And then you’ve got Percy on the horse also, being the Negative Nancy of the apocalypse. He’s like "we're not going to find anybody. Why do you have so much hope?" He's always nagging in Elton's ear. For Elton to just carry on and forget about all the qualms of the world, I think it says a lot about his character.

Q: As viewers what makes Elton so appealing is that we know a decent amount about his past and his life before the fall. We know that his parents instilled a thirst for knowledge and a love of science, and we know that he lost them right as the world fell. We know how important his chosen family has become to him too. What was it like creating this family of Iris, Hope, Percy, and Silas?  

A: I mean, one of the people he chose to be in his family did kill his mom, so I don't know how good of a choice that was. Also, what are the chances of that?! I mean, that's some bad luck. But every family has drama. There's no such thing as a perfect family, you know?

Everybody was so great. The crew and the cast were incredible, and it was really a blessing working on the show. When you're far away from home, it’s nice that they kind of just throw friends at you. They're like, "Hey, you're going to be working with these people for the next four months." And you’re like, "Great! These are the only people I can hang out with because I don't know anybody." So, you get really close. A lot of amazing friends were made.

Q: Many other characters in The Walking Dead Universe have a signature look—whether it’s Negan and his bat Lucille, Rick/Carl and now Judith with Rick’s hat, or Michonne’s katana—some of our favorite characters bring these signature items with them along their journey. For Elton, it’s his TuffyStitch suit. It’s such an incredible symbol of his intellectualism and pragmatism. When were you introduced to this signature outfit, and what did you think of it at first?  

A: Well, I was very happy to get a thing! Negan's got his bat and it tells stories of all the people it's slaughtered. Michonne has her sword—which is the coolest weapon to bring to the apocalypse—and it carries its own stories of all these violent, violent things. And then I show up looking like a Build-A-Bear, and I just thought that was awesome!

When I first found out that I got the show, I didn't get a script or anything. The first thing I did with production was a fitting. So I was showed up like, "Oh my God, I'm going to be a teenager in The Walking Dead Universe. I have no idea what to expect." Then I get there and they're dressing me like... the best way to describe it is a librarian's assistant. They got me with a sweater vest. I'm like, "Oh, I'm bringing loafers to the apocalypse. Okay, I didn't expect that." I think Elton's wardrobe choices are incredible.

Q: What was the most challenging thing about working on a limited series like this, knowing that there’s a defined end point? What will you miss most about playing Elton? 

A: I think the hardest part is saying goodbye. I'm never going to go back again and have more experiences in Richmond [where the show was filmed]. This was my first TV show, so the fact that I got to jump into something as fun and as crazy with such great people right out the gate was a blessing. It was nice knowing the end. It was nice knowing that we were telling a story that knew where it was going and had things to say. I definitely will miss playing Elton, and just getting to be in the apocalypse. When I was nine, I would go to the park and play my own pretend apocalypse games—then I got to do it for money? That's insane! So I'm just very thankful. It's been a ride.

 

New episodes of The Walking Dead: World Beyond air on Sundays at 10/9c on AMC. Full episodes are available to stream now on amc.com, the AMC apps for mobile and devices, and a week early on AMC+. Sign up for AMC+, which is available through several providers, including AppleTV, Prime Video Channels, DirectTV, Dish, Roku Channel, Sling, and Xfinity.

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