The Walking Dead star Seth Gilliam feels Lance Hornsby is 'one of the most dangerous villains' on the show (Exclusive)

The Walking Dead is finally winding down after being a powerhouse on cable television for over a decade. Our heroes may have battled many villainous individuals and groups, both alive and undead, but they may have met their match in Lance Hornsby.

What separates Hornsby from every other villain is that he has the armed Commonwealth Army at his disposal. The Governor's followers, Negan's thugs, and Alpha's Whisperers did not have the discipline nor the firearms of our heroes' most recent threat.

The upcoming episode opens with Daryl (Norman Reedus), Maggie (Lauren Cohan), Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), Aaron (Ross Marquand), and other members of the cast battling Hornsby at the very outset. We spoke to Gilliam and Josh Hamilton, who plays Hornsby, about the latest big baddie in The Walking Dead.

As one would expect, The Walking Dead veterans Gilliam and Hamilton had differing views regarding this colorful politician.

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Seth Gilliam likened the latest villain from The Walking Dead to a disease

Unlike his tormented character, Seth Gilliam is one of the funniest men alive. His unfiltered opinion of his nemesis was amusing:

"Yeah, I think he's a pretty insidious character. He's kind of like a bit of a disease. You know. You don't know you have it. You get up not feeling so great. You find that it's spreading and it's spreading and it's overtaking you. And then it kills you from the inside out."

Having battled some of the most dangerous villains on The Walking Dead, from The Wolves to The Saviors, Gilliam's proclamation that Hornsby is among the most dangerous villains on the show does not bode well for our favorite characters. He said:

"I think that's kind of the way that Hornsby works. He works from the inside out. And that makes him one of the most dangerous villains we've had the pleasure to have known."

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Josh Hamilton adopted a different viewpoint regarding his character

Like every other villain on the show trying to justify their actions, Hamilton explained that Hornsby's motivation wasn't villainy but survival:

"Guys, I can hear you. I'm right here. I can hear everything you're saying. I don't think Hornsby feels that way about himself. I think he thinks he's doing the best he can. And has only good intentions."

The Commonwealth is a lot like our world, replete with politics and backstabbing, unlike the post-apocalyptic societies we've witnessed on The Walking Dead. Hamilton spoke about how his actions were based on thriving within the beaureaucratic structure of The Commonwealth:

"But I think he's a symptom of a...he's a very ambitious, trying to make a go of it in a capitalist society and unfortunately, it's not going to work out for everyone, but I think he feels very strongly and does not think he's a bad guy at all. I think he's just trying to create the best life for everyone that he can."

With the end drawing near, The Walking Dead's final block of eight episodes promises to be just as action-packed and intense as ever. Do our band of heroes have the remedy to the disease known as Lance Hornsby? We will find out soon.

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The series’ final eight episodes will premiere on Sunday, October 2 at 9pm ET/8c on AMC, with the first two episodes available on AMC+ that same night. Subsequent episodes will be available a week early on AMC+.