Why Huck From The Walking Dead: World Beyond Looks So Familiar
The second spinoff from AMC's hit series The Walking Dead, called The Walking Dead: World Beyond, premiered on the cabler on October 4, 2020. The new series was originally slated to premiere in April, but AMC made the decision in March to delay it to later on in the year due to production shutdowns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Walking Dead: World Beyond is set in Nebraska, a decade after the initial zombie outbreak. The story follows four teenagers as the first generation growing up in this new reality.
Actress Annet Mahendru plays a character named Huck on the series. Huck is a warrior who has faced a lot of trouble in the past as a sniper in the Marines, with a large scar on her face to prove it. She now works as a security officer, protecting and mentoring the younger residents, such as sisters Iris (Aliyah Royale) and Hope (Alexa Mansour). She's also very close with Felix (Nico Tortorella), who is the head of security and a fierce protector.
Mahendru started acting in 2006 and has appeared in plenty of television shows since then, whether in a memorable guest role or as one of the main cast. With such a striking face and clear talent, you're sure to have seen her somewhere before. Here are some of her most impressive and interesting roles she's taken on in the past that you might recognize her from.
The first episode of the X-Files reboot featured Annet Mahendru
When The X-Files returned after 15 years, Mahendru guest-starred in the first new episode to air. In the premiere episode of the tenth season, "My Struggle," Mahendru plays a character named Sveta who says that she has memories of being abducted by aliens and having her fetuses stolen. Along with that, she claims to have alien DNA, so Scully (Gillian Anderson) examines her and finds out that she's telling the truth.
Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully uncover what they believe is a plot from a group of men in positions of power, who are using alien technology to experiment on human subjects and make it look like alien abductions. Mahendru's character ends up killed by what appears to be a UFO. But based on discoveries throughout the episode, it's likely the government was behind it, trying to stop the truth from getting out. The episode also features Joel McHale as a guest star.
Annet Mahendru played Nina Krilova in The Americans
Mahendru plays a KGB officer named Nina Krilova in the first four seasons of the hit series The Americans. The show is a spy thriller set during the Cold War about two Soviet spies, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), who have been living undercover in Virginia for years. Mahendru's Nina works at the Russian Embassy and has a close yet complicated relationship with Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), an FBI agent and the Jennings' neighbor.
Nina starts a relationship with Stan and eventually begins providing him with information about the KGB. Of course, the relationship quickly becomes very strained, with oscillating loyalties and tough choices. When Stan begins pressuring her for more information, she starts trusting him less and less. At the same time, the KGB is testing her loyalty, and she grows close with one of her co-workers at the Soviet embassy, the Rezidentura. All this comes to a head as Nina fights to survive through betrayal and loss.
Mahendru starred as Nafisa Al-Qadi in Tyrant
In 2016, Mahendru joined the third and final season of another FX series, Tyrant. She plays a character named Nafisa Al-Qadi, the wife of Sheik Al-Qadi (Khaled Abol Naga), a nonviolent Islamist and the leader of Ma'an, a city in Southern Jordan. Fierce and intelligent, Nafisa is unafraid of betraying anyone, even her husband, to reach her goals. Sheik Al-Qadi holds a unique position of power within the warring Islamic factions and is unsure what to do, while Nafisa pushes him to take more direct action and seize the opportunity to expand their influence. After the third season was unsuccessful in expanding the small, yet dedicated, viewership, FX decided to cancel the series, and we never did get to find out Nafisa's fate. Despite her short run, Mahendru's Nafisa certainly made an impact on the show.
Her new character Huck on The Walking Dead: World Beyond is sure to have some of the same fiery spirit as Nafisa and Nina, as she fights to protect her friends in the new, zombie-infested reality.