How Long Chandler Riggs' Eye Prosthetic Makeup Actually Took On The Walking Dead
We watched Chandler Riggs grow into adolescence right before our eyes as Carl Grimes in "The Walking Dead." Initially, just a child who wants to learn how to shoot, he becomes a Beretta-toting force of nature. Unfortunately, the crucible he is put through does not just have to do with his mother's sad and brutal death. One of the most violent encounters Carl has to deal with is a shot to his face. Though he luckily survives that encounter, he loses his eye in the process.
For much of the series, Carl wears an eyepatch hiding his wound from Ron (Austin Abrams), who shoots him in rage-induced jealousy. Only in select moments does the audience become privy to Carl's distinctive feature. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the well-practiced make-up department, Carl's wound is a haunting reminder of consequences lurking in every corner of "The Walking Dead." As such an effective tool, it is surprising that his prosthetic didn't take as long to apply as one might think.
Chandler Riggs didn't have to reveal the eye too often
From limbs to eyes, there is seemingly no body part off-limits in "The Walking Dead." Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) was just the first of many who lost an extremity in the name of survival. Carl doesn't lose his eye to a walker but is still marked forever in a post-apocalyptic world where your sight is arguably one of your most treasured assets. Luckily for Chandler Riggs, his real-life experience wasn't as treacherous. While actors such as Austin Amelio must wear a fake scar as sympathetic villain Dwight, Riggs had slightly more freedom.
"[W]e only have to put it on when they're showing the wound (which isn't that often at all) and it only takes an hour or so to apply," Riggs explained in a Reddit AMA. "[K]errin [J]ackson does such an amazing job, [I] literally just go to sleep while she's putting it on." However infrequent it may be that Carl takes off his eye patch, this just adds to the weight of his wound when he does reveal it. Riggs has been in "The Walking Dead" since its premiere, and the further along the series went, the more emotional resonance he got to play. In a particularly heart-wrenching scene, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) coerces Carl to take off his bandages, fetishizing an ordeal that is still raw to the teenager. Riggs' performance is a subtle but devastating exploration of Carl's emotional trauma.
As if he hadn't been through enough
As any comic reader can tell you, Carl's story followed the source material until it didn't. Think pieces have been written about what a travesty the conclusion of Carl's arc was (via CBR). Forbes condemned the series for killing Carl, pointing out that it would impact the story more than any other death.
In Robert Kirkman's graphic novels, Carl is the main character, second only to Rick. He grows up in a zombie wasteland, loses his eye, but ultimately takes up his father's mantle. The final issue cements him as the person to carry on the Grimes legacy. But a well-placed bite in Season 8 of "The Walking Dead" put a decisive end to the potential of Carl and Chandler Riggs on the series. After growing up and going through massive character development, it seems that it was for nothing. The AMC series is no stranger to divisive deaths, but this one struck a nerve with fans. Riggs was equally shocked, telling The Hollywood Reporter that he was taken aback by the decision. If anyone is to blame, look to the creative leaders of "The Walking Dead." Kirkman even said in a Comic-Con panel that he accepts some responsibility for these decisions.
"I hold that I've endorsed everything, for better or worse," Kirkman admitted (per Comic Book). "If you're mad about something that happens on the show, please be mad at Scott Gimple — but I am a little bit culpable."