Hell on Wheels star discusses surprise death (2024)

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Hell on Wheels star discusses surprise death? ›

“It pulled at my heart because I really cherish the character Elam,” the actor and rapper said of the demise of the former slave, courtesy of a bullet from his de facto partner Cullen Bohannon, played by Anson Mount.

Recently on the AMC drama, the character of Elam (played since Day 1 by the rapper/actor Common) resurfaced after having been presumed dead as the result of a Season 3-ending bear attack. Instead, Elam had survived — though the mauling left him with brain damage.

Kropinski explains about her discussions with Executive Producer John Wirth. To which she says, "He basically wanted Ruth to have this strong arc, and part of that was her dying." Before that there was the explanation of his concern about the character Ruth perhaps being marginalized.

15 episode of AMC's Hell on Wheels, “Thirteen Steps,” found preacher Ruth (Kasha Kropinski) determined to see herself hanged for murdering Sidney Snow, the man who'd killed her son, Ezra, despite the best efforts of Cullen (Anson Mount) to get her to accept a pardon.

Unfortunately, Ruth has inherited her father's desire to murder for what she thinks is right, having shot Sydney Snow in the last episode after he inadvertently killed Ezra in his church fire. Kasha Kropinski as Ruth is pretty great in this episode, as she deals with the darkness brewing inside of her.

Despite his absence for much of the current season, Elam and the actor who portrays him have been a significant part of Hell On Wheels since the pilot. Still, the decision to kill him off was ultimately a consequence of Common's desire to devote more time to his Grammy-winning hip-hop career.

Campbell seeks to have marksmen kill the seemingly crazed Elam, but Cullen asks for some time to reason with his friend. He reminds Elam of their friendship and history, but nothing can help Elam, not even Eva nor Psalms, neither of whom Elam recognizes. Cullen wrestles with Elam, and is forced to stab and shoot him.

Having tamed an untamed horse, Eva is last seen on 'Free Spirit' trotting through the bare streets of Hell on Wheels, looks around, and then rides off into the sunset. A scene memorable and epic. Another memorable scene involved Cullen in St.

None of the characters are based on the actual financiers, engineers and navvies. Some of the backstories are crudely accurate, such as the contribution by Chinese labourers, the influence of Irish immigrants and freed blacks and the impact on native peoples of western US expansion. But they're all pretty sterotypical.

Naomi was originally played by Siobhan Williams. MacKenzie Porter was recast as Naomi for Season 4, due to Williams' scheduling conflicts after she joined the cast of ABC's Black Box.

Did Hell on Wheels have a good ending? ›

Cullen ultimately decided to board a ship for passage to China to reunite with Mei. “Allowing him to leave his battle behind, setting him free, opening up a new chapter that allows the audience's imagination to work rather than closing it down,” Mount says.

We found ourselves in the unfortunate position of having lost our actress: Siobhan Williams went to another series [ABC's Black Box], and we got into some scheduling conflicts, and we were unable to bring her forward.

Over time, Cullen eventually renounced his vengeance and became a 'railroad man'. Through a series of events, Cullen became a prominent figure in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.

The series portrays the events affecting the real-life characters and their actions, namely Thomas Durant, Collis Huntington, Brigham Young and Ulysses Grant with historical accuracy.

Season 4. Ruth struggles to keep the headstrong Ezra under control. ("Escape from the Garden") Ruth shoots Sydney Snow after he burns down the church and consequently killing Ezra; after a failed attempt to save Syndey by removing his leg, he dies.

The infant turned out not to be in town at all; after Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Bohannon learned two horses had been stolen from the camp, they followed a trail to discover the baby had been taken by a syphilitic railroad dove and her lovelorn suitor.

Penny was most likely murdered by Dieter Schmidt, the foreman of the Union Pacific Railroad. Penny's murder sets off a chain of events that ends in the assault and wrongful imprisonment of Mickey and Sean McGinnes and the murders of Schmidt (by Elam) and Schmidt's friend, Bauer (by the McGinnes brothers).

After fleeing Hell on Wheels once he sabotaged the steam engine, he was tortured to within inches from death by the Sioux, who did not believe Gundersen was the White Spirit. He was placed in the infirmary, where Cullen Bohannon vowed to hang him for sabotaging the railroad and he posted a guard on him.

Cullen attempts to reconnect with Elam upon his return.