Beth (Emily Kinney) is probably the most musically-inclined among all "The Walking Dead" characters. She sings very well and also plays the piano. But was that the original plan for the character or people behind the show just found out that Kinney can sing, and so they made Beth musical?
"When I first auditioned for Beth, I didn't realize she was going to be a singer," Kinney told Business Insider. "I knew that they knew I could sing because some people had come to my shows between seasons."
The 29-year-old actress then revealed that it was former showrunner Glen Mazzara who brought up the idea of Beth singing on the series.
"I think it was Season 2 where they were like, 'Oh Beth likes music and Beth likes to sing,'" recalled Kinney. "[Mazzara] called me to talk to me about it. He had said, 'We really need a moment of quiet and calm so I was thinking ... we want to connect back to who they were when they were at the farmhouse. Maybe you and Maggie [Lauren Cohan] would sing. That could become part of who Beth is. She's very creative.'"
Kinney and Cohan sang "The Parting Glass," an old Scottish and Irish folk song, in the Season 3 premiere of the show. Kinney's cover of Tom Wait's "Hold On" was also featured in Season 3 Episode 11 titled "I Ain't a Judas."
And just last season, in episode 13, titled "Alone" - the same episode where her character was believed to have been kidnapped - Kinney played the piano and sang "Be Good" by Waxahatchee. She told Business Insider that she personally suggested to include the song to the said episode.
Kinney told Channel Guide Magazine that those scenes added moments of levity to the show, and it also helped viewers to know more about Beth.
"I think the audience didn't know very much about Beth and it was a way to identify with her - 'Oh, she sings, she likes music, she sang that Tom Waits song,'" she said. "There are so many characters that there is no way to give everyone a ton scenes, so it was good quick way for the audience to feel like they knew who Beth is."
In a recent interview with Billboard, Kinney was asked: "In your opinion, what kind of music do zombies listen to?"
And she answered: "Michael Jackson, Prince... Any dance music. They need it to keep their spirits up!"
"The Walking Dead" Season 5 premieres on Oct. 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET on AMC.