Worcester, fans welcome back ‘Walking Dead’ cast and crew

WORCESTER — This past week, from Monday, Sept. 22, to Wednesday, Sept. 24, “The Walking Dead: Dead City” took over Worcester.

On Wednesday, perhaps the most fan-friendly day of filming, the show’s two stars, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohen, who play Negan and Maggie Green Rhee, respectively, were up early filming a key scene on Mechanic Street.

Also featured in the scene were Željko Ivanek, who plays The Croat, and Logan Kim, who plays Maggie’s son, Hershel Rhee.

The scene was filmed in front of the former Shack’s building at Main and Mechanic streets, doubling as the Croatian Consulate for New York City, according to a wall plaque and Croatian flag hanging outside.

In the scene, Negan and Maggie were carrying a badly wounded Croat.

During downtime, Morgan posed for photos with fans outside the former W.T. Grant building at 10 Mechanic St.

Morgan called out one such fan, Iana Mikerina of Worcester, whom he recognized from the day before.

“Hey, you got a picture yesterday,” Morgan playfully snapped.

Mikerina denied it. Later, she admitted that Morgan was right.

“I took a picture with him yesterday but I didn’t like the picture,” Mikerina said. “So I decided to try it one more time.”

A fan of Morgan since the TV series “Supernatural,” Mikerina said it was difficult to concentrate on work with Negan outside her office door but added she enjoys watching the process.

“Today, I was more calm than yesterday, because I was shaking like crazy,” Mikerina said. “But today, I like I can even talk to you a little bit.”

In many ways, Mikerina should thank Edgar Luna for bringing the “Dead City” star to Worcester.

Luna, business development manager for the City of Worcester’s office of economic development, is the overseer of the Worcester Film Office.

When a potential television or movie project looks toward Worcester for a potential localtion shoot, Luna is the man with the plan. And he’s always planning to get more film projects in Worcester.

“We are the second-largest city in New England and, as such, we have everything,” Luna said. “We have buildings that they (filmmakers) are looking for, for instance, a downtown that resembles New York City, but beyond that, it is the services that we provide.”

During his initial conversations with “The Walking Dead: Dead City” executive producers, Luna said they are planning to film “many scenes” here between now and December.

“We’re ready. We will accommodate them in any way possible,” Luna said. “And we are beyond grateful for them coming back to Worcester.”

This is the second year that “The Walking Dead: Dead City” has picked Worcester to film key scenes, a fact that Luna doesn’t take for granted.

“If they didn’t have a good experience the first time, they would not have come back,” Luna said. “It is surprising to me but at the same time it is confirming that what we’re doing is working. We make them feel welcome. But beyond that, we address all their needs as effectively as possible.”

In 2024, “The Walking Dead: Dead City” crews filmed six scenes that were prominently featured in episodes 3, 4 and 5 of Season 2.

On the week of Sept. 24, they are expected to film up to 10 scenes and no less than eight scenes, Luna said.

“It is significant. And what they have indicated to me is they like the way they are treated,” Luna said. “They like the ability that we have to close streets for them and to provide any service they need. Our response is immediate. And we always try to be as helpful as we can.”

Dan Diaz, manager of Westerman Prop Warehouse, has been working with filmmakers for over a decade, including “American Hustle,” “Honest Thief” and “The Tender Bar.” 

And over the years, Worcester has been building up a solid reputation as a film-friendly city, Diaz said. And Hollywood and indie projects are noticing.

“The filming of ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ gives us a little more notoriety in regard to Worcester becoming a film-friendly city,” Diaz said. “A lot of productions are starting to see that so they’re wanting to come to Worcester more and more.”

Diaz said a big attraction for filmmakers is the city’s versatility and accessibility.

“With the use of certain streets, it can be made to look like New York City, New Jersey, Boston, pretty much any other city,” Diaz said. “The city is extremely film-friendly and does a great job with accommodating the films that come to town. It’s centrally located. It’s very easy for them to shoot in Worcester. And it’s a great city to film in.”

Last year, “The Walking Dead: Dead City” shot exterior shots in front of Mechanics Hall, which received a complete post-zombie apocalypse facelift.

This year, the hall underwent another exterior facelift but filming also took place in a closed set inside.

Meghan Montaner, executive director at Mechanics Hall; Trish Shea, director of facilities at Mechanics Hall; and Amy Sklar, director of sales and marketing at Mechanics Hall, all agree that one of the reasons why filmmakers are coming to and coming back to Worcester is because the city makes it very easy to film here while having so much to offer.

“The city has been very friendly to film crews and has been proactive in trying to get more filming done here,” Sklar said. “It’s a tremendous catalyst for commercial activities. It helps local businesses. It’s just a good economic boost for the city as well.”

“It (‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’) shines a light on the city. And it really brought it to life even if it was just here for a day,” Shea said. “It’s pretty cool to watch and it’s fun to see the excitement of everybody watching.”

“Worcester (as a film-making destination) deserves that kind of attention,” Montaner said. “And it’s really great for a historical venue like ours to be featured.”

Luna said his office works hard at making sure the filmmaker’s needs are met.

“Movies bring a lot of benefits to the City of Worcester and, the fact that we are selected over other cities is important to us. It’s about the city’s standing in not only Massachusetts but also in New England. We are selected because we’re good.”

“If they didn’t have a good experience the first time, they would not have come back,” Luna said. “It is surprising to me but at the same time it is confirming that what we’re doing is working. We make them feel welcome. But beyond that, we address all their needs as effectively as possible.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester, fans welcome back ‘Walking Dead: The Dead City’ cast, crew