Losing original Fear the Walking Dead co-star Kim Dickens in the zombie drama’s retooled fourth season was “really hard,” says Alicia Clark star Alycia Debnam-Carey.

“It was really hard. But we also have to acknowledge she’s not dead in our lives, so we still have dinner with her, we still hang out and catch up with everyone,” Debnam-Carey told BUILD Series.

“We really built a family in those first few years, because we moved around quite a lot. We were in LA, then we were filming in Vancouver and then we went to Mexico. We really had a journey, kind of like a traveling circus for a while. So it was really a bonding experience and we were lucky to find such a great family within one another.”

Alicia and her group of survivors, influenced by Morgan (Lennie James), have since adopted an altruistic philosophy inspired in part by Dickens’ Madison Clark, who was controversially killed off in Season 4 just episodes after son Nick (Frank Dillane) met his own end.

“I think what we always then try to do going forward is pay homage to her and her character and also to Nick, to make sure their ethos is still being carried throughout our characters and what they wanted. But it was really hard,” Debnam-Carey said.

“I remember when I was filming some of those scenes, it did feel very raw and real, because I did feel like we were losing not just the characters, but also the people you spent 16 hours a day with for seven months, and that’s hard. But you know, we also know the show is continually always changing, and that’s kind of what you sign up for in a show like this where anything goes.”

Asked if the stars are afraid their character will similarly be killed off unexpectedly, Victor Strand star Colman Domingo said, “I think you’re not afraid, you just know that that’s the nature of the show. And also we all do many other things as well, so we’re like, ‘Okay, this’ll be a great ride as long as the ride is on.’”

Fear the Walking Dead premieres new episodes of Season 5 Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.