Andrew Lincoln keeps in character as Rick Grimes on the cover of Rolling Stone‘s latest issue, on newsstands Friday.

Here’s what the cast and crew had to share about the show, which returns on Sunday:

Norman Reedus, on having some serious fans: “I’ve been followed home over half a dozen times. I’ve had somebody break into my backyard.”

Creator Robert Kirkman, on the show not being depressing: “A lot of people think the show is bleak and depressing, but I can see where it’s going in the next 10 years, and I think about it optimistically. Maybe it’s going to make us better people by the end of it.”

Jon Bernthal, on his character’s end: “At the end of the night, the entire cast just held each other. I ain’t gonna bullshit you, I was crying my eyes out. I told them, ‘Say strong. Keep squeezing all the bullshit out of this thing.”

For more from The Walking Dead, visit RollingStone.com. Bigger cover inside…