On November 18, a special LBCC sponsored live interview took place on Facebook with “The Walking Dead” actor Angel Theory. The event took place at 12:30 p.m. and lasted an hour.
The interview was moderated by LBCC Vice President of Student Services, Mike Munoz.
Angel Theory, who played Kelly in “The Walking Dead,” is hard of hearing, as was the character she portrayed in the show.
Theory was asked many questions about her personal life such as her sexual orientation, inspirations in her life, and her responsibility as a role model for others.
They discussed her role in “The Walking Dead,” representation, and a little about her personal background.
Some of the first questions asked were about her career, why she chose dancing, and how dancing led into her acting career.
One of the questions asked was about Theory’s inspiration to become an actor.
Theory said, “I started as a dancer when I was younger. I actually had no plans on acting. I just went from dancing, choreographing, and I have a lot of experience with a lot of musical instruments. I also ended up getting into acting with my first role for ‘The Walking Dead.’”
Theory said she believed that “life is the best teacher” and that she feels honored to represent the roles she plays as characters.
“Dancing alone helped me a lot with my acting when it comes to body language and face expressions and the feeling that everybody’s watching also feels like what you’re trying to present to them,” Theory said.
Munoz expressed his admiration for her, and elaborated on the effect it might have on students that watch her.
Munoz said, “I love that, I really appreciate the impact dancing has on you, especially in terms of how being able to take that experience and translate that into other forms of art.”
One of Theory’s role models is her mother.
“My mom is my biggest inspiration, everything she has done for me is actually what made me who I am today,” Theory said.
The next topic was intersectionality, deafness, and representation in the media.
When asked about her identity, Angel said, “I think the one that sticks out to me most is being a woman, I was always told when I was younger, by a lot men or boys or other peers, ‘you can’t do this because you’re a woman.’ And I always took that as a challenge.”
When they discussed her hearing impairment, Munoz commented, “You’re not less than, in fact if anything, you’re empowered to fully achieve your dreams not in spite of, but because you accepted yourself fully.”
“I think that’s the theme of your career, breaking barriers,” Munoz said.
He pointed out what he thinks is the most important takeaway, “You have a good sense of who you are, I think that’s so important… Like being able to present our authentic selves.”
They went on to discuss Theory’s role in “The Walking Dead” and the impact of her character.
“I feel like a lot of younger people connect with (Kelly) because there’s a lot of things that happen in this show that’s relatable to. There’s so many different representations in this show. They have gay characters, lesbian characters, diverse people from Asia, Germany, African-American, Muslim characters, etc. I think it’s really beautiful to show that we can all be in this one world together,” Theory said.
“Kelly is a sweetheart. She’s a badass, meaning you can still protect the people you care about and still be angry with them when you need to,” Theory said. “But there’s a lot of situations she’s been in where you would expect Kelly to be angry, and instead of doing that she just takes a moment and tries to understand where that person is coming from.”
Theory embodies Kelly, an independent key character who slowly matures in each episode.
“She’s a teen but she’s not complaining. She’s the hope of the group, and when you need her to fight, she’s there,” Theory said of her character’s strong dedication and competence.
Kelly also learned in the show that “Anger isn’t always the best solution to fix a problem.”
Regarding her hearing loss, Theory said, “I had a lot of moments in my life where I just wasn’t really paying attention to it. You’re beating yourself up. No one’s doing that for you. You’re your biggest problem, basically. And we need to stop thinking about the negatives. Stop beating yourself up over it. It can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your outlook.”
Kelly in “The Walking Dead” was able to essentially adapt to her circumstances and decided to ultimately live with her disability.
Theory said that she feels inclined to play Kelly because she has something to represent, to identify with those less fortunate than her or are in the same situation as her.
