Terry O'Quinn teases his character in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

Despite the main series ending back in 2022, The Walking Dead Universe is still pumping out some super-exciting projects. First, we got Dead City, which followed unlikely duo Maggie and Negan as they venture into Manhattan. Then we followed Daryl Dixon's adventures in France in Daryl Dixon. Next up is The Ones Who Live, a six-episode limited series marking the return of beloved duo Rick and Michonne.

The Ones Who Live is all about the oppressive, post-apocalyptic superpower the Civic Republic. The community -- or rather the network of communities -- of over 250,000 people has been teased throughout The Walking Dead franchise and played a large role in World Beyond. But up to now, many key details have been left hidden.

We haven't even met Major General Beale yet. Played by Terry O'Quinn, the leader was mentioned in World Beyond, but never actually made an appearance. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, O'Quinn discussed his enigmatic character.

"He is the leader of the Civic Republic military and it operates pretty independently of the Civic Republic government," O'Quinn explained. "So he doesn't really have to deal with them very much. And he's held in high esteem. He's kind of a hero. He has a long military history. He served two terms in Vietnam and went to officer training school. And he's had to make some decisions in terms of who lives and who dies and how to deal with the mass of walking dead."

Major General Beale can come across as heartless on account of him being the one who must make all the tough decisions to keep the Civic Republic intact. "He seems like a completely reasonable person and the decisions he has to make are all explicable to him," O'Quinn said. "He understands why he has to do what he has to do, whether some people agree with it or not."

"And then when he starts dealing with Rick, we don't know exactly what to do with him, or who he is, or what he is. And so he plays coy with Rick a lot, and I think there's a lot to be found out there. So Rick helps discover the heart of the man, I think."

Funnily enough, O'Quinn was never a big fan of The Walking Dead before getting cast in the spinoff. But he did watch the most recent show. "We watched a lot of Daryl Dixon here." At times when he needed help with the lore, Andrew Lincoln was around to fill him in: "He was always there to tell me stuff and to remind me of the history."

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premieres February 25 on AMC.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels