From Whistler to Walkers: Laurie Holden Reflects on a Four-Decade Career
Laurie Holden’s four-decade acting career blossomed after a childhood where her parents “did not spoil us,” and a later finding of her passion for storytelling in her early 20s. It was through reading plays that she found her calling. “I started reading plays and fell in love with playwrights and realized that story is global and that it doesn’t matter what country you’re from or what language or whatever, that it’s all about the human heart and spirit,” she explained. “And that when you tell stories, whether it’s a gorgeous book or like a painting or a great film that you see, that it transports you, because we’re all united with our our empathy and our humanity in this human experience. So that’s what made me go, ‘This appeals to me as a human.'”
One of Holden’s early successes came with the role of Marita Covarrubias in “The X-Files,” a part she initially believed was beyond her reach. She was, in fact, frustrated by the audition’s scheduling, as it conflicted with planned skiing trip to Whistler Mountain with her boyfriend.
“I was kind of annoyed,” holden recalled. “I was like, ‘This audition, I’m never going to get it. I’m never going to get it. I’m not even the age. Marita Covarrubias, it sounds exotic.'” Having never even watched the show, she approached the audition intending not to “waste their time.”
However, her reserved demeanor unexpectedly resonated with the casting directors. “But somehow my reservedness and my, I don’t know, quiet intrigued them,” she saeid, “and they where like, ’Can you read it again? Can you walk over there? can you read it again?’ I was like, ‘OK.’ I literally was walking to the car, and my agent said, ‘What did you do in there? You got this.'”
Later in her career, Holden took on the challenging role of Andrea Harrison in “The Walking Dead.” The physicality of the part, especially handling firearms, required intense planning. She trained extensively with a Navy SEAL.
“He would put cones and different things in the forest, and I literally trained with him,” Holden described. “And then I had a dummy gun that I had at home, and when the person who runs lines with me was running lines, I was constantly loading, reloading, cocking, so that it was — the gun was literally like an extension of Andrea. It was like part of my body. I slept with it next to me, so that I could literally have my coffee and do it … because as an actor, you need to be able to handle your props without even thinking. And it looks easy,and it is the hardest thing to do,and it takes a lot of repetition and a lot of rehearsal.”
The abrupt conclusion of Andrea’s storyline was particularly arduous for holden. She learned of the decision at 10:30 p.m. the night before filming, a choice she felt was unsupported and made with “a lot of politics involved,” especially given she had recently renewed her contract for multiple years. Despite having the day off, Holden shared that her castmates – David Morrissey, Andy Lincoln, and Danai Gurira – drove 45 minutes to the set to offer their support. “They all stood behind the monitor and gave me their beautiful, loving support through their eyes.”
Beyond acting, Holden has a passion for renovation and revitalization. She enjoys transforming neglected properties. “If people are like, ‘Oh, that’s nothing,’ I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m going to make her pretty,'” she said. “I love transforming spaces and buildings.” She exemplified this in senoia, Georgia, where she purchased a dirt parking lot and developed it into a commercial building housing a bank, restaurants, stores, and a loft apartment, a project she oversaw from brick selection to completion over several years. “Everyone said I was crazy, but it’s a beauty, and it’s been good to me.”
