The Walking Dead’s Whisperers inspired by terrifying real-life cults as Alpha actress reveals they want humans to revert to feral state
THE Whisperers have officially waged war in The Walking Dead, with Alpha at the helm of the mask-wearing murderers.
The sinister group plans to punish the allied communities for straying into their territory to put out a forest fire, with Alpha menacingly warning Carol: “you better run”.
British actress Samantha Morton, who plays Alpha, has revealed that she prepared for her performance by watching documentaries about cults.
She said she was inspired by anti-establishment and anti-civilisation mentalities, with The Whisperers representing a reversion of mankind to a primeval state.
“Technology was messing everything up, so Alpha wants to live in the woods and take ayahuasca and be feral, in a way – that’s nature,” she explained.
“It’s better than the way human beings have been living, whether it’s globalisation or capitalism. She’s like a f***ed-up eco warrior,” she continued to The Hollywood Reporter.
However, Morton stressed that her alter-ego was no anarchist, but rather was content to accept that slaughter might pave the way for a twisted equilibrium.
“She thinks that at the end of the day, everyone has wars. She just wants to live — weirdly, peacefully, as a Whisperer,” she went on.
“You have to remember that she didn’t start this trouble. She’s just… finishing it.”
The 42 year old admitted that when it came to Alpha, pragmatism and resilience had left no room for compassion in her heart.
This has certainly been demonstrated in the past, given her penchant for decapitating anyone who disobeys her.
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What’s more, she’s been known to ask Beta to beat her with a cane to help clear her mind.
Referring to the flashback episode which saw Alpha first navigating the apocalypse with her daughter Lydia, she said: “She’s been so practical in protecting her daughter and surviving that she doesn’t have much stuff with her,”
She concluded: “She’s just an incredible badass survivor. While her decisions may look awful to someone else, she is not going to at any point do anything that would get in the way of protecting her daughter.”
Alas, Alpha’s behaviour ended up achieving the exact opposite, driving her daughter into the arms of the allied communities, who offered a more collaborative and kind away of life.
The Walking Dead airs on FOX in the UK every Thursday and is also available to stream on NOW TV.