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Cape Town – Talented TV actress Karen David is currently starring in AMC's Fear the Walking Dead as Grace.
The character is a former power plant worker and was one of several individuals trying to keep the power running across the country.
The strong-willed and brave woman attempts to right her wrongs by eliminating the radioactive walkers to protect other survivors and atone for what she did.
Channel24 spoke to Karen about her love of South Africa, her character's journey this season and her career.
READ CHANNEL24'S INTERVIEW WITH FEAR THE WALKING DEAD'S KAREN DAVID:
About her love of South Africa, Karen said: "I've been to South Africa and filmed there three times! The first time I was doing a documentary/advertisement for Shell. I shot that for two weeks, and I fell in love with Cape Town. It's funny…I just had this feeling I would come back. And shortly after that I came back and shot Scorpion King 2 for four months. That's when I really got to know Cape Town and fell in love with it. Then I came back and did Strike Back! I was there for a month and a half. And now I'm waiting. I'm like: 'when am I going to go back?'. I have so many friends there who I consider family, so I am hoping that I can go there again because I love it so much."
On what she has enjoyed doing while here, the 40-year-old said: "I didn't get to go on safari because I was literally filming every day, but at one point, we did get to some wine country. We went to Stellenbosch. We went to a rehabilitation centre for animals. Which was thrilling. I loved it. I miss everything. I miss the biltong. The food there was so great. The weather was fantastic."
Fear the Walking Dead changes locations a lot. The backdrops are as much a part of the show as any character. About this Karen said: "I just came in and joined the cast this season, but having watched past seasons, I have to say that Mexico especially looks so stunning and gorgeous and I would have loved to film there. It's amazing how vast the apocalypse is (laughs). And now we're in Texas, and I've never been here before. Austin is such a great city. It's the perfect backdrop for our story right now. I'm in constant awe when we're on location. Looking at this gorgeous backdrop of valleys and hills. It has ruined me a bit because whenever I go to parks or a forest, I always think: 'This would be a fabulous place for a walker to pop out of.' "
Karen has starred in a lot of TV hits such as Once Upon a Time and Legacies. About how she chooses her roles she said: "They always say if character is wonderful, that's a tick beside it, if the script and the writing is excellent that's another tick beside it, and if you're lucky enough to work with a fabulous cast and crew then you've hit the jackpot!"
She went on: "I've been really truly, blessed from Galavant with Dan Fogelman to Once Upon a Time to Legacies and now to Fear (The Walking Dead). I just feel so truly blessed that all these categories have been ticked off. Especially on this show, with such a hardworking cast and crew. They're all insanely talented, and they bring the best out in you. They make you want to be a better human and a better actor. What more could you possibly ask for? So…I feel fortunate in that sense."
About one of the most prominent themes of the show, the characters reuniting, Karen said: "I think especially after that mid-season finale. Grace makes this huge choice in leaving everything behind and getting on that plane with the rest of the group. It's inspiring and sparks the hope that maybe Grace might start to forgive herself. And give herself a chance at living. And especially living beyond today. That was a big step she took in leaving her truck behind! The truck – who I named affectionately, Roxy – because that's her whole life. All her work. It's a representation of everything that she's trying to do. That's been her biggest thing thus far…she's been trying to clean up this mess that she feels responsible for. The loss of lives of many people that she cared about and worked with at the nuclear plant. For her to leave that all behind and join these people who have given her a sense of community, I was proud of her."
She went on: "For her to take those steps toward self-love is what I think we all want for Grace. And what I love in episode 509 is seeing the group altogether, in dare I say, happier times. I love that they all bound over pad thai, there's another thing, every time I eat pad thai I think of episode 509. You see them all laughing and smiling and grateful to be alive and have each other. "
Fear the Walking Dead airs on Mondays on Sundance TV (DStv channel 108) at 21:00.
