This interview contains spoilers for Fear the Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 14, “Divine Providence,” which aired Sunday, May 22 on AMC.
In the dangerous world of Fear the Walking Dead, survivors always have to watch their backs. Unfortunately, Wes didn’t catch a few blind spots in this week’s episode, “Divine Providence,” leading to his gruesome and devastating death. Season 7, Episode 14 is the culmination of the Tower arc in Fear the Walking Dead. Alicia and the crew show up at Victor Strand’s front gates to bring this war to a close, but it leads to disastrous effects. After Strand invites Alicia to join the Tower, Wes turns against both Strand and Alicia, resulting in Strand murdering Wes.
Portrayed by Colby Hollman, Wes has been a featured character on Fear the Walking Dead since his introduction in Season 5 and recently shocked fans by turning against his friends in Season 7, Episode 11, “Ofelia.” In an exclusive interview with CBR, Colby Hollman reflected on the mixed bag of emotions working on his last day of Fear the Walking Dead, his friendship with co-star Colman Domingo, and what would’ve happened if Wes hadn’t been killed off this episode.
CBR: We lost Wes this episode. It seemed like he’d be sticking around for a little longer.
Colby Hollman: [laughs] Yeah, it kind of came out of nowhere when Strand decided to do that, but it was kind of jarring — pretty quick.
So did you know about his death beforehand, or did you get the script and think, “So I guess I’m dying this episode?”
Yeah, I knew about it. Scott [Gimple] and Andrew [Chambliss], they make sure to communicate very well on what’s happening with the season. When they were giving the breakdowns of what was happening for [Season] 7B, they gave me a call. They were just figuring out the storyline, what would be best for the storyline beforehand. Then when they gave out the call for 7B, they were just like, “Yeah, this is going to be the end for us. We feel like it’s best for the story.” So they let me know months in advance.
Wes kind of made some questionable decisions that probably led him to this fate. Was there any moment where you wish he would have done things differently, or do you kind of understand why he did what he did?
Yeah, I completely understand why Wes made the decisions he made. I mean, watching the show is different from being and living and existing in that world. When people are watching it, yeah, it can seem kind of questionable, but Wes was trying to fend for himself. At the end of the day, this is an apocalypse situation. People want to survive… [and want] to live, and when there’s people that they deem to love as a family member going behind their backs and lying to them, then that puts him in danger because they could be doing the same thing to him and then put his life in danger.
If he doesn’t know everything that’s going on behind the scenes, he wants to have the veil lifted and know what cards he’s dealt, so he can move forward accordingly. He knows that Strand, with him at least, has been more of a straight shooter. So with Strand revealing his cards like that, Wes can have the best chances of survival.
In Alicia’s eyes, he betrayed her. So hypothetically, if he had lived, do you think he would have gotten a redemption arc? Would there have been any chance to rekindle their friendship?
I think so. If you watched into the episode, Alicia was still hurt that Strand went and killed Wes when she didn’t think that that’s what needed to happen. At the end of the day, Wes was acting on behalf of Strand and trying to keep him on task and knowing that was really what his goal was. I think Alicia understood that. They have their dark side. She’s done things that other people wouldn’t necessarily agree with for her survival, and what she thought was best, and seeing that Padre led them to nothing.
So I think she could understand the extreme on the other side is that they’re just trying to keep what they’ve had planned. She’s coming in and throwing a wrench in that plan. She’s coming as an enemy, so of course, we have to protect what’s ours. She’s coming in and throwing a wrench in where she’s coming in as an enemy. So, of course, we have to protect what’s ours. I feel like, after we mended the relationship since she thought she was getting to me in that last moment, that I’m sure we could’ve made amends.
On the other side of things, if Wes had won this fight for the Tower against Strand and Alicia, what would the Tower have been like under his leadership? He has shown he would have protected the Tower if Strand couldn’t.
That’s such an amazing, fun question because I love to think about what I would have done with it — what Wes would have done with the Tower — had he succeeded. Leading like that, honestly, is a lot harder than people give him credit for. So Strand — good on him for keeping things in line for as long as he did. I think [for] Wes, he never wanted to be a leader or in a leading position. He was more of a stay in the back, do what needs to be done, and go about his business [type]. Nobody is really relying on him.
I feel like had he taken over the Tower, it might have proven a little bit more than he could handle. He would probably have found somebody else to just kind of lay it on. I mean, he was hoping that he could save Strand, and, after he got rid of the threat, Alicia, then Strand will come back around. He can give the reins back to Strand to have him do all the leadership. It might have crumbled faster than Wes would have wanted if Strand was gone. [laughs]
You did a lot of work with Colman Domingo — who plays Strand — in this episode. He has such a powerful presence, no matter what movie or TV show he’s in. So what’s it been like working with him on the show?
Colman has become like an older brother to me. He’s so fun, and we hang out a lot when we’re both in the same city for filming or whatever reason. We make sure to see each other. We had Tuesdays at P.F. Chang’s, and we’d just always be together. We’re always sharing big laughs and having a nice adventure.
Working with him on a set just kind of seemed like an extension of our friendship. It was just more time for us to be in a hang and play together. He definitely does have a powerful presence. He’s a leader, a natural-born leader, but he does it with ease and with a hint of clown. I will say clowning. It’s so fun to be able to work alongside somebody like that.
Another character that you’ve often been paired up with is Luciana. If you look on Reddit, TikTok, or Twitter, you’ll see that fans were kind of hoping that Wes and Luciana would get together. How do you think that couple would have played out if they ever did get together?
Yeah, I’ve seen the hashtag “Wesiana.” With Luciana, I don’t think that was a great pair. I feel like Wes and Luciana are a little headstrong. Wes can be kind of stubborn in that way. I just don’t see them meshing in that way, but I feel like the writers on this show are good at making anything happen. So they could have made it believable, but I think Wes and Luciana are better as friends. Yeah. We got to have good friendships, guys.
Y​​​​​​ou’ve been on the show for a couple of seasons now, so Wes has definitely had quite the journey. What’s it been like as an actor to play out Wes’ character arc, and have there been any challenges along the way?
Being able to play Wes has been such a gift, such an honor. I was actually in college when I got the opportunity to join the show. It was really like a light at the end of the tunnel because after my whole life training, doing acting since I was a kid, then I got the call, and I got cast on the show — it was kind of everything. It was for a reason. Everything led to this moment. Every day I was on set, it was just so fun to just step into somebody else.
The way I look at it is when they have writers and showrunners or when you have a film or whatever, and they have the writing on the page — that’s one part of the story. When you get the privilege to be able to put one of these characters on his feet — we call it on his feet, that just means we have to be able to do it — then they believe that the story will be complete through you. You will complete this character, and their vision for this character is complete through you. I just feel like that’s an honor. It’s such a compliment that someone believed in me in that way and saw Wes somewhere in me and wanted to dive deeper into him.
Given the journey that you’ve had, what was it like going into your last day on set?
We actually filmed things out of order this season and last season, so my death episode came months before my last day filming. It was interesting because I was needed for maybe 10 minutes, and it was really quick. It was surreal. It was kind of sad because I’m leaving my friends, but at the same time, I know that these friends are going to be my friends outside the show, so I can hit them up whenever I get out to L.A. or New York or wherever they’re at. I was happy with the fact that I always try to put my best foot forward and my best energy forward. I think it was kind of a reflection of, “Yeah, I’m proud of what I’ve done on this show.” It was sad, but it was also kind of nice to know.
Do you have a particular memory that stands out to you when you reminisce about working on the show?
I remember my first episode, coming down to Austin, Texas. The first day on set, I come in before the sunrise, and they’re like, “Yeah, it’s just you right now.” Matt Frewer, who was playing Logan at the time, was coming in later that day to work, but I had the first half of the day to myself for this beginning introduction to Wes.
Just the moment I got to step onto set into that gas station and see how real everything looked — I mean, growing up, this is a dream. I’ve done plays all my life, smaller budgets, not the biggest productions that I’ve been in. Getting to come on a professional production like this was breathtaking. I was like, “Oh, wow, we’re here.” It made my job so much easier because I was really nervous, but just seeing that and being put into the location made my job so much easier.
You probably know that The Walking Dead fandom is pretty intense. What were the fans’ reactions to Wes turning against everybody else?
I don’t pay too much attention to that because I know how intense it can be. I feel like the people that I’ve caught a glimpse of still have a lot of love for Wes. I haven’t seen much flak out there. I’m sure it’s out there, but what’s came across my screen. Whether it’s Twitter or Instagram, it has been like a lot of love, and they’re going to miss me.
So I appreciate that because I remember when Alexa Nisenson [Charlie] came on to the show seasons ago, and she took out Nick. I mean, god forbid, she was getting some pretty nasty things sent her way, and she’s a kid. I was wondering if that was going to be a similar situation with me, but it hasn’t been like that, thank goodness. I’m glad that’s the case because, at the end of the day, I’m playing a character, and it wasn’t my decisions. It was the showrunners’, the writers’, and I just had to fulfill my duty and play that out.
Is there anything you’d like fans to take away from Wes’ death, seeing how tragic his ending was? I consider him kind of a tragic character in that way.
I hope people see that you have to have your own dreams, your own goals, and fight for those. Sometimes you can’t be blindly loyal to people. I feel like Wes got to that point. He was kind of blindly loyal to Strand, and Strand didn’t have his best interests at heart. You just have to choose people that you like to let into your circle and that you give yourself to in that way because it could be to your demise. Maybe not as seriously as, you know, being stabbed, run through the chest with a blade, but even in the smaller, everyday things.
We kind of see he gets a taste of power this episode, and judging from what you said about him, he’s just doing what he has to do to survive. Is there any part of him that really enjoyed that power that he gained when those soldiers turned to his side?
I think it was more of a sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to get killed. [laughs] Then, well, he’s saying the right thing. Like I said before, I [have] just never seen Wes as the guy that wanted to be a leader. If he wanted to do that, he could have [gone] all by himself and just never returned when he left Luciana, which is what he was used to, and he just kind of never did that. So I feel like no, he was filling a position that needs to be filled for the better or the completion of the cause.
What will you miss the most about working on Fear the Walking Dead?
I will miss all my friends that I made. I met some really cool people, and I was just showered with love constantly on this set. That was so reaffirming of my being there. I’ve met some wonderful people that I think it’s just a privilege that I got to meet them and cross paths with them in this lifetime, in this reality, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.
To see Wes’ final moments and the continuation of the Tower fight, watch new episodes of Fear the Walking Dead every Sunday at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on AMC. New episodes are available to stream a week early on AMC+.
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