In the Issue 42 of "The Walking Dead" comic book series, Carol was bitten on the neck by a walker and was later shot by Andrea during her reanimation. But in the TV adaptation, Carol is still alive and has become one of the fan-favorite characters on the mega-hit AMC show.
Melissa McBride, who plays Carol, is thankful that her character on the TV series is not a carbon copy of its comic book counterpart.
"I've read the comics up to a little bit past where the character, Carol's character dies," she told Comicbook.com. "When I first got the part and I was reading, finding out about the character, I didn't know what they were going to do with it, if it was always going to be verbatim from the comics. I like the way it's turned out. I'm glad that they took a chance on this character and I'm happy that it went in a bit of a different direction."
"To whatever I owe the credit, I'm not sure," she added.
Producers reportedly saw something in McBride's performance that made them decide to further explore her character.
In fact, executive producer Greg Nicotero recently told Atlanta Journal Constitution that the power of McBride's performance blew him away. "She has this vulnerability, a sensitivity. She feels like someone you can reach out to," he said of the 49-year-old actress.
McBride won a Saturn award and was nominated for a Critics' Choice award in 2010 for her outstanding performance on the show. But these are recognitions that the Lexington, Kentucky-born actress did not expect at all.
"It was a huge surprise," she told Entertainment Weekly of the accolades she received. "It feels really good to have your work recognized. That's awesome."
"I can't help but think back where Carol started, where I started with her," she added. "I really thought, this is not going to last very long. To be recognized for the work I've done on this show in particular is very surprising. It's surreal, humbling, and it felt really nice to be able to take one for the group because there aren't enough awards for this show, I don't think. This cast and this crew do a phenomenal job."
"The Walking Dead" Season 5 premieres on Oct. 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET on AMC.