Lauren Ridloff Cast in ‘The Walking Dead’; First Deaf Actress on the Show
AMC’s The Walking Dead has cast Tony nominee, Lauren Ridloff, for a multi-episode arc as Connie. The Broadway actress was nominated for a Tony in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her performance in Children of a Lesser God.
Lauren Ridloff (Image via Playbill)
The former teacher and Miss Deaf America winner Ridloff landed her starring role in Children of Lesser God after she filled in at a table read because no actress had been cast and Sarah Norman. Ridloff earned nomination the Outer Critics Circle and the Tonys and was an honoree for the Theatre World Award. The multi-episode arc on The Walking Dead will be Ridloff’s first major gig on television.
Connie has been described as “a seasoned survivor deft at using her senses to read people, situations, and trouble. Her character is deaf and uses American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate.”
In the comics, a Connie arrives in issue 127. She is part is a group of survivors brought back to Alexandria by Magna. Connie is not deaf in the books, but considering how the show has reached this point in the comics Ridloff is likely playing this Connie.
Season 9 is set to premiere in October 2018.
Source: EW
