Emily Kinney Explains Why Bringing Beth Greene in ‘Dead City’ Back From the Dead Felt Like Coming Home

‘The Walking Dead‘ universe has spent years finding creative ways to keep its most beloved characters alive in spirit long after the show itself moved on, whether through spinoffs, flashbacks, or the occasional surprise cameo. Few of those characters left as lasting an impression as Beth Greene, whose sudden death back in Season 5 seemed, for a long time, like the definitive end of her story.

That assumption held for nearly a decade, right up until ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ decided to do something the franchise had never fully attempted before. The show’s third season includes an alternate-reality episode imagining a version of events where the zombie apocalypse never happened, giving several familiar faces a chance to exist in a completely different context.

Beth Greene ended up being one of those faces. Emily Kinney reprised her role in the episode “Genesis,” appearing as Maggie’s little sister in a reality where Beth is alive, hopeful, and pursuing a career as a musician in New York City rather than surviving among the undead back on the family farm in Georgia.

Kinney opened up about what it was like to step back into that world after so many years away, telling TV Insider that Beth being written as a musician felt very natural to her, adding that it also felt very true to who Beth actually was. According to Kinney, Beth loved music and singing and was always a deeply creative, artistic soul, even down to how the character was styled in the show’s early seasons, which made the idea of an adult Beth leaving the farm to chase a life in New York feel like a believable extension of who she already was.

That sense of familiarity extended beyond just the character work. Kinney has also spoken about reuniting with Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie, describing the experience as remarkably easy despite not having acted alongside her since 2014, even though the two still cross paths at Walking Dead conventions from time to time.

In a separate interview with Collider, Kinney went further into just how emotional the return actually was for her personally, admitting she started crying the moment she read the script. She explained that stepping back into Beth felt surprisingly automatic considering how many years had passed, noting that the character had become such a significant part of her own identity during her four or five seasons on the original series that tapping back into who Beth would be as an adult came more naturally than she expected.

The alternate-reality premise gave Kinney room to explore a version of Beth that never got the chance to exist on screen before. From sharing hot chocolate with Maggie on a walk through Central Park to performing an original folk song for a crowd in a bar, the episode let the character experience a hopeful, fully realized adulthood that the actual show’s storyline never allowed her to reach.

Familiar faces behind the camera made the return feel even more like a homecoming. Kinney has noted that several crew members who worked on the original ‘Walking Dead,’ including longtime key hair stylist Vincent, are also part of the ‘Dead City’ team, reinforcing just how much continuity carried over into this brief but emotionally loaded return.

With Beth’s story now given a rare moment of closure and hope within the franchise’s ever-expanding alternate timelines, fans are left wondering whether this appearance will be a one-off or the start of something more.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!