TWD's Chandler Riggs Said Working With Babies Wasn't Easy

Arguably one of the most foolish things one can do during the zombie apocalypse is bring a baby into the world. Nevertheless, that's exactly what happens in the "Walking Dead" Season 3 episode "Killer Within" when Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies) gives birth to Judith Grimes. Though she eventually becomes a strong, capable survivor, for much of her time on the program, she's just a baby, leaving her family and friends to take care of her in the face of tremendous danger. According to the actor behind Judith's brother Carl, Chandler Riggs, working with babies is no easy feat.

During a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session, Riggs opened up about working with infants on the set of "The Walking Dead." "They constantly grab at the boom mic, interrupt our lines, and jump out of our arms screaming "MOMMY" and run out of the room to go find their mom," Riggs wrote of many of the babies brought in to portray Judith. He clarified that the babies can be fun to spend time on set with, but more often than not, they're more than a bit difficult to work with. Of them all, the twins from Season 5 get his vote as the easiest ones to act alongside.

Even though they're a pain to work with, and their presence in the zombie apocalypse may seem odd, babies are a key component to a vital "Walking Dead" narrative theme.

Aside from Judith, a handful of other babies are born throughout the 11 seasons of "The Walking Dead." In fact, the daughter of Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos) and Siddiq (Avi Nash), Socorro "Coco" Espinosa, becomes a focal point of the final season. Considering all of the flesh-hungry walkers and dangerous wannabe dictators running around, it seems unwise for so many people to have kids on the show. Many in a Reddit thread by u/Agreeable-Area2224 attribute this phenomenon to human nature alone. However, the presence of children is key to one of the drama's most important themes: hope.

Even though the forces against them make it near impossible to hold onto, hope is what keeps the heroes of "The Walking Dead" ticking. From Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) to Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan), all of them are hopeful that they can, at least in some small way, contribute to the resurrection of a peaceful, prosperous society. The kids of the series embody that hope and serve as a driving force for all that they have to make things better. They're living, breathing proof that the world will go on long after they're gone, so they can't just give up, no matter how insurmountable the odds may seem.

Babies may not be the most skilled or professional actors, but without them on "The Walking Dead," the show's theme of hope for the future wouldn't be nearly as resonant.