Why Max From The Walking Dead Looks So Familiar
Zombie fans everywhere found themselves in a bittersweet moment of mournful excitement when AMC announced they would be bringing back "The Walking Dead," but that it would be the final season. And with a new season, as always, comes new faces. One of those new faces was announced last summer when AMC inked a deal to bring Margot Bingham on board.
Interestingly enough, while Bingham is a new face to the series, she isn't a new voice. She was in Seasons 9 and 10 as the radio voice Eugene (Josh McDermitt) corresponds with and eventually goes out to find and ask for help. She further confirmed she would be reprising the role of Stephanie on her Twitter when @TWDFix tweeted out, "Hello Stephanie." Stephanie and Eugene come together romantically in the comics and endeavor to rebuild a railroad system to ease travel between settlements. The series version starts ominously as The Commonwealth sends a fake Stephanie to meet with Eugene, while the real Stephanie masquerades as "Max."
While she is "new" to "The Walking Dead," she is far from new to the television game. She has made a name for herself on multiple shows and movies (including "Barber Shop: The Next Cut" and "Blue Bloods") over the past decade. Here are the likely places you may have seen Bingham before.
She got her start as Kendra Sharpe on In Between Men
"In Between Men" is a web series from the turn of the decade. The storyline follows Dalton (Nick Matthews), and his four friends, Benjamin (Ben Pamies), Jacob (Max Rhyser), Kyle (Sidney E. Wright), and Dane (Chase Coleman). The group of friends navigates their dating and professional lives against the New York City backdrop. There is a deep resemblance to "Sex in the City," complete with voiceovers from the series' main protagonist.
Margot Bingham got her start in acting as the only true female lead in the series surrounding a group of gay men in the city. She played Kendra Sharpe, a high-powered corporate PR firm owner luring event planner Dalton away from his individual contracting to work for her.
According to an interview with Tube Filter, first-time creator Quincy Morris wrote the series because he never felt like he saw men represented he could identify with, someone in-between the norms of "straight-acting" and effeminate. However, it was Bingham who stood out among the crowd. One reviewer wrote, "The secret motives behind Kendra's character make her the most compelling of the characters. But if the only female character on your gay male web series is the only interesting character, then you're doing something wrong."
She played Daughter Maitland on Boardwalk Empire
Set in the prohibition era of New Jersey, "Boardwalk Empire" follows Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi) as he plays both sides of the law. He navigates relationships in politics as the treasurer in Atlantic City but also has connections with the mob. The series ran for five seasons, ending in 2014 and garnering 90-plus Rotten Tomatoes scores from critics and audiences alike.
Margot Bingham joined the series in the 4th season as Daughter Maitland. She played the dark and complex singer who routinely performed in venues from small-time up to the famous Cotton Club. She was romantically linked to Valentin Narcisse, who killed her mother after she attacked him with lye, chemically scarring his chest. She suffers from Stockholm syndrome, believing the man to be decent, even though he murdered her mother.
Bingham sat down with Dan Harris of ABC News and spoke about her time on the show and how she dealt with the heavy nature. While she didn't realize the character would be as serious as it was, she didn't have time to reconsider. She eventually turned to meditation to find peace during her time, "Obviously with the state of the career that I chose, which I can't complain about because I chose this, this is my dream ... but I definitely have moments where I feel stressed out," Bingham said. "So the best thing I could possibly do is really take a moment to myself and gather my thoughts and really get into the best mind-frame that I possibly can."
She used her time to become more independent and focused on herself more than asking others to help her through. "I don't depend on anyone else to bring me comfort but there was definitely a time during 'Boardwalk' that comfort was needed and appreciated," Bingham explained.
She played Nina Meyer on The Family
Bingham stretched her acting muscles with her next significant role. When she moved on from the emotionally damaged and dependent Daughter Maitland, she landed the part of the intense and brilliant Nina Meyer on ABC's "The Family."
"The Family" followed Claire Warren (Oscar nominee Joan Allen) and her family as she moves from boring housewife to manipulative politician. It jumps back and forth between 10 years prior when Warren decides to run for city council — at the same time her son is kidnapped — to the present day when she is mayor and the son returns. Detective Meyer found success as a police officer when she brought the son's kidnapper (and murderer) to justice. Of course, when the son returns to the fold, she discovers all of her success is a lie. All of this is complicated by her affair with Warren's husband John (Rupert Graves).
In an interview with Starry Mag, Bingham shared what attracted her to the role that was so far outside her usual part. "This pilot was one of the best that I had read, and it was so smart. I had never read a character like that, and, quite honestly, I had never played a character like that. It was exciting for me, challenging for me," she said. Unfortunately, her new gig lasted only 12 episodes before ABC canceled it.
She appeared in Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It
In 2017, Netflix revived "She's Got to Have It," Spike Lee's groundbreaking film from the '80s, with a new series of the same name. The show follows Nola (DeWanda Wise), a "sex-positive, polyamorous, pansexual" woman as she navigates the difficulties of maintaining and juggling multiple lovers and relationships.
Margot Bingham played Nola's best friend, Clorinda Bradford, a former roommate who moved out and moved on in the film version. In the series, she remains in close contact with her and appears in 16 of 19 episodes. Clorinda is an art curator, which is helpful for the protagonist to showcase her skills. She becomes part of the more grounded, but flawed inner circle of platonic female friends.
Bingham spoke to Us Weekly about her character, saying, "Clorinda has a lot of imagination, a lot of drive. I'd like to think I'm a little piece of that. She has a way of being honest with her best friend. She's not being honest because she wants to drag her down. She's being honest because she wants the best for [her], and that's kind of what I always hoped for for my friends."
The actress also spoke about what it was like working with the legendary Spike Lee. "Spike is a prankster! He is like a big, little kid. He knows exactly what he wants. He knows exactly what he wants to do. He has his mindset. If you buck back, he will buck back equally as hard. If you do what he says and he knows you're working hard to get there ... he will have fun with you," she said. "Spike put me through a lot of tests for the first season. I don't know if I came out with flying colors through the tests, but I definitely gave him a little bit of a challenge back, and I definitely respect that."
She was in New Amsterdam as Evie
From 2018 until April 2021, Margot Bingham spent her time on the NBC Medical drama, "New Amsterdam." The series follows Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold of "Blacklist") as he takes over as director of one of the oldest public hospitals. He focuses on revitalizing the neglected and dilapidated hospital while also pushing his colleagues to perform top-notch care to their patients.
Bingham appeared in 19 episodes as Evie, the love interest and eventual fiancée of Dr. Floyd Reynolds (Jocko Sims). Just when their relationship began to blossom into something long-term, Evie accepted a job in San Francisco, leaving the couple to attempt a long-distance situation. While they became engaged, the pressure to plan the wedding fell largely on Reynolds since she was bogged down with her new gig across the country. Eventually, Reynolds returned to the hospital, reporting a broken engagement.
For fans of Evie, Sims gave some hopeful news regarding her possible return. "Much like with real life, if you have a relationship that's long-distance, there are going to be some ups and downs," he teased. "There might be some breakups. But you have to find a way to keep moving, and Reynolds will do that. He will be okay either way. Whether that means he will get back with Evie [at some time in the future], we will just have to stay tuned to see."