How The Walking Dead Hid Alanna Masterson's Pregnancy On-Screen
"The Walking Dead" ran for 12 seasons on AMC, becoming one of the most impressive horror shows in recent memory, even if it couldn't keep up the critical acclaim for the duration of the entire series. During its early to middle seasons, however, it was a ratings behemoth and firing on all cylinders. "The Walking Dead" also both benefited and suffered from having a pretty large ensemble cast of characters depending on where its narrative focus was. But perhaps one of its most interesting characters is Tara Chambler (Alanna Masterson).
Tara debuted on "The Walking Dead" during Season 4 and became something of a staple character for the series until her shocking death in Season 9 at the hands of the Whisperers. Over the course of her time on the series, however, Masterson became pregnant in real life, which can become an issue for filming purposes, especially when it comes to a post-apocalyptic series. But the showrunners of "The Walking Dead" and Masterson herself found interesting ways to hide her real-life pregnancy during the filming of the series.
Camera placement and hoodies helped Masterson hide her pregnancy on The Walking Dead
During an interview on "Talking Dead" in 2016, Alanna Masterson talked about being pregnant during filming for the sixth season of "The Walking Dead" and what exactly went into hiding that fact from audiences. According to the actor, it really came down to using strategic camera angles and her wearing big pieces of clothing to really conceal the pregnancy. It wasn't always easy for Masterson, considering the heat involved in Georgia, but she was thankful regardless.
"I'm so fortunate enough to have a job where I can also have a family," Masterson said. "It's pretty amazing. But they, you know, big sweatshirts. Uh, they like placed things kind of strategically, which was pretty funny. But, you know, it's 110 degrees in Georgia and I'm wearing a hoodie, so I had to do a lot of putting my hands in my pockets."
Masterson also said the creatives in charge also used a lot of close-up angles and admitted that she didn't actually gain much weight during her pregnancy, which also helped. Either way, filming a series like "The Walking Dead" while pregnant is likely no easy feat, especially in such scorching temperatures. But it sounds like she enjoyed the experience regardless.