The Walking Dead

Laila Robins Interview: Pamela Milton on The Walking Dead

Published

2 years ago

September 21, 2022

Nir Regev

Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

Laila Robins spoke to The Natural Aristocrat® about Governor Pamela Milton arriving at a crossroads between her son Sebastian and her political career on The Walking Dead Season 11.

This Laila Robins interview took place during a TWD press day roundtable over Zoom.

THE NATURAL ARISTOCRAT (NIR REGEV): Is there ever a line for a mother where unconditional love is not enough to look past a son’s crimes?

LAILA ROBINS: Yes. And I believe Pamela Milton thinks her son is going too far… But if you’re the mother of that child, then on some level you hold some responsibility for who they are.

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

And I think she probably fights with that within herself about why he turned out this way? Was it me? Did I not do enough? Was I not a good mother?

Is he just born that way?

Josh Hamilton as Lance Hornsby, Teo Rapp-Olsson as Sebastian, Michael James Shaw as Mercer – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 7 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

You know, all the questions that I assume a parent asks about how their child sort of develops and turns out like. How much am I responsible for and how much is just the way he is?

Teo Rapp-Olsson as Sebastian, Michael James Shaw as Mercer – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

So there’s a certain amount of guilt there, I think. And confusion about where the blame really belongs. She does feel some responsibility for his personality.

THE NATURAL ARISTOCRAT: Parents often sacrifice their career for a child. But what about sacrificing a child to save a career as a politician? Do you feel being a mother will always be more important to her than being Governor in the end?

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

LAILA ROBINS: I mean, I do. You know, the life work balance… I don’t think Pamela has navigated that very well. I think she’s been mostly about the work, partly because of the burden of carrying the family legacy from her father and wanting her son to sort of take that on.

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

But I think she’s probably emphasized that aspect of the relationship a bit too much instead of just unconditional love, which is what every child needs.

It’s like the Royal family these days, there is the family, there’s the warmth, there’s the connection, but there’s also something else hovering over, which creates a lot of pressure.

Teo Rapp-Olsson as Sebastian – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

I think in Pamela’s case, she probably, she leaned a little too much into that aspect of it… Which has its consequences with her son’s behavior. And then it’s a vicious circle, which is very hard to get out of.

Laila Robins on possibility of Tales of The Walking Dead episode

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

I would love to see Pamela’s life with her father and some of the things I went through to earn his respect or to earn the family legacy.

Of course you’d have to make me 30 years younger but I guess there’s always CGI! (laughs) But it would be fun to see that.

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

Where Pamela came from and what makes her tick and why she is the way she is. I’d love to see that backstory!

On Governor Milton being a “misguided altruist”

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

I do think that Pamela Milton has good intentions but I see her as a kind of a misguided altruist… And in some ways there’s nothing more dangerous than that.

That’s a very dangerous person who just believes something that’s horribly misguided and they don’t even see it.

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

I think we can find a lot of parallels in our own world right now, I really believe it. And that’s what’s so scary about her.

What Laila Robins took away from portraying Governor Pamela Milton

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton, Margot Bingham as Max – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

The life work balance, the choices. Sacrifice to their work versus their family life or their personal life. It’s always a trade off.

As you get older, sometimes you look back on things and wonder, well, why did I make that choice?

Or why did I focus so much on that when really, I could have had a little more of this other thing?

For example, I don’t have children, I’ve mostly been working. At this point, seeing Eleanor (Matsuura) with her beautiful children, it’s like, “Oh, I forgot to have kids!”

I think there’s a bit of that in Pamela. She does have children, but I think her focus has been on the work.

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton, Michael James Shaw as Mercer, Josh Hamilton as Lance Hornsby, Ross Marquand as Aaron – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

It’s interesting to walk into a show that’s for sure that’s been going on for 10 years and suddenly you’re the big, bad lady.

Everybody on the set is just so wonderful and welcoming and always made me feel a part of it. It’s interesting to play the antagonist sometimes in a situation like that.

But also when we were filming it was COVID times, so we weren’t as social as maybe we would’ve been normally.

So there was a certain amount of isolation involved in that time when we were shooting for nine months. But that had nothing to do with the cast. It just had to do with COVID and not being able to get together.

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton – The Walking Dead _ Season 11 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

Yeah… So there was just a sense of isolation, but that’s not bad either. You have to look at yourself a lot when you’re isolating and that’s not a bad thing either.

THE NATURAL ARISTOCRAT: Thanks Laila!

LAILA ROBINS: Thank you!

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

The Walking Dead Season 11 Return Date

Laila Robins as Pamela Milton – The Walking Dead _ Season 11 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

– The final 8 episodes of The Walking Dead Season 11 premiere AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, October 2 at 9:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm Central!

What will become of the Governor of the Commonwealth and her son Sebastian Milton on the last episodes of Robert Kirkman’s TV series? Stay tuned for the conclusion of this chapter of the zombie apocalypse!

Episode 1117 “Lockdown” Synopsis:

“Daryl and Negan rush to the Commonwealth to stop Hornsby from going after their families. Pamela deals with protestors demanding justice for Sebastian’s crimes. Mercer needs Rosita’s help to fight a swarm.”

Directed by: Greg Nicotero

Written by: Julia Ruchman