When The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon left off, Madame Marion Genet learned the truth about Stéphane Codron's true loyalty... or so she thought. Codron left on an ambiguous note at the end of Season 1; he put aside his wish to avenge his brother by killing Daryl Dixon to save Laurent from his fellow Guerriers -- the soldiers fighting for Genet's dictatorial cause in France. As honorable as his change of heart was, it didn't do him any good when he admitted his act of treason to Genet.
Genet slips further into immorality to win the war in France, yet Season 2 of Daryl Dixon doesn't paint her as a complete villain. Genet is similar to the paintings she adores in the Louvre Museum -- she's more than meets the eye. People may find themselves sympathizing with her more than they expected when they learn of her past, and the incomparable dynamic between Genet and Carol Peletier. In an interview with CBR, actors Romain Levi and Anne Charrier tease what viewers should be looking out for in Season 2. There might just be a religious awakening and return to a lively location from Season 1.
CBR: Codron matured as a person, but got punished for it when he was kidnapped by Genet. He also had this religious revelation with Laurent, who told Codron that God loved him. Since religion is a big part of the show and its central conflict, how much will faith play into his storyline in Season 2?
Romain Levi: What I can say is that at the end of the first season, Laurent said to Codron, "God loves you." This had an effect on Codron, definitely. Being in jail because of his lie and being tortured by Genet, he sees things differently.
Codron really believes that he will die in this jail. I do believe that when you are very close to death, you can feel or get a kind of sense of God, no matter the way you see God. You can see God as a universe. You can see God as a religion. You can get closer to God in some way, and that's what's happening to Codron. If he feels like he's going to die, he has to find a way to find peace.
Throughout the second season, Codron has these moments where he's loosened up. His personality really shines through. Was it challenging going from what you established about Codron in Season 1 -- an angry, heartbroken soldier -- to a man slowly breaking out of his shell?
Levi: It was. This story arc is amazing. It was challenging, but I was so happy about showing Codron in a different way. When I read the script of the first season, I had this beginning -- where he is very tough -- and I had this ending , where he decided not to kill the child. I had the idea that he was not so bad. He's not such a bad guy. I tried to play that from the beginning with my heart. Even if Codron was really awful at the beginning of Season 1, I really tried to play from my heart. So it was kind of okay to keep going with my heart in Season 2.
Genet started out as a villain who didn't seem to have a lot of sympathetic qualities. But in Season 2, audiences will definitely warm up to her. Did learning about her backstory change the way you interpreted her character and the way you portrayed her?
Anne Charrier: I'm not sure her backstory changed the way [I approached Genet]. [Dan Percival, David Zabel and I] talked at the beginning of the first season, so I already knew what kind of background she had. Even if I didn't know exactly what was going to happen to her, I knew where we were leading. And I knew where she was coming from. I knew she was from a popular attraction. I knew anger and desperation were everything that was keeping her moving. I built it this way anyway.
You have a good balance of action scenes and intense monologues in this season. Those monologues offer a lot of background on Genet, allowing fans to learn more about her. When you read the scripts, do you look forward to the action scenes or monologues more? Or any other types of scenes?
Charrier: I was looking the most for the scenes with Carol. I was such a fan. Carol was one of the characters on The Walking Dead that I loved most because of the arc that she has . She started as this very fragile, beaten-up woman, [and went] to becoming that strong, badass, very fair, straight and powerful character. So I was really looking forward to the scenes with Carol.
There was a bit of comedy in those scenes. There was more space to play. When you fight, you fight. Of course, you play with monologues, but it's different when you start playing with someone. Romain and I had that as well. When you start playing with someone, then you're really enjoying your job.
One strength of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is that it's always taking bold risks. What are your favorite risks that the show has taken in Season 2?
Charrier: I would say location. The Louvre Museum is [my favorite] because I was in it. It's so amazing to be in those places in Paris that are so iconic. Not even just in Paris, but iconic places in France.
Levi: It's a real chance for us to, even if we are French, to see some monuments like that. It was my first time, for example, at Mont-Saint-Michel, and I was amazed by the beauty of that place. At the same time, I was amazed by the sets they created. For example, the Demimonde is such an amazing location . It's crazy to be able to create a club like that. I was really shocked by the beauty of that place. I believe it's not there anymore, but I would love to go there to have a drink. It's amazing what they can create. That's the beauty of art. It's crazy.
Anne was talking about Carol and Genet's unique dynamic in Daryl Dixon Season 2. Romain, can you tease your favorite dynamic between your character and someone else from this season?
Levi: I really like the parallel between Daryl and Codron . They have some similarities, a kind of similar past, and it's beautiful to see the way both of them are fighting for that. They both lost their brothers in a similar way, so I really enjoyed that. But there are so many relationships that I really loved in the second season.
