Are Chandler Riggs And Andrew Lincoln From The Walking Dead Friends In Real Life?

Chandler Riggs more or less grew up on the set of "The Walking Dead." Riggs was just 10 years old when he started playing Carl Grimes, and he was 17 by the time of his character's shocking death. That's old enough to drive, to start your senior year of high school, and, of course, old enough to face down a horde of ravenous zombies with confidence.

It was perhaps inevitable then that Riggs formed a strong bond with his TV dad. After all, Riggs and Andrew Lincoln –- who played Rick Grimes — spent much of each day making that same bond appear believable on screen. And that is to say nothing of the many hours the two probably spent hanging out during their years on set together.

Generally, it's not uncommon for co-stars to forge strong friendships, so much so that it's become a TV trope in its own right. But did the friendship between Riggs and Lincoln last?

In a 2016 Reddit AMA, Chandler Riggs was asked by u/Afrothunderzx whether he had become particularly close to any other "The Walking Dead" cast members. Riggs responded, "andy (rick) by far. i've spent the most time on set with him, and he's become a great friend of mine."

Riggs has commented further on his friendship with Lincoln since then. In 2019, after Lincoln had departed the series, Riggs told Digital Spy that, despite the wide geographical distance between them, the two do try to stay in touch, even if only through the occasional email.

And in 2020, Riggs told attendees of FAN EXPO Vancouver that he was happy Lincoln finally had a chance to depart, too. For some time, Lincoln shared with his TV son how the difficulty of being away from his family in England had worn on him. "I'm just super-happy for him to be able to be a normal dad for a while," Riggs said, "instead of working for 16 hours every day" (via ComicBook.com).