‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7: Shooting Episode 1 Was Like ’10 Days In Hell’ According To Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Many fans feel like it has been a living hell since the Season 6 cliffhanger of AMC’s The Walking Dead. However, consider what it would be like for the actors who then had to gather and film Episode 1 of Season 7, knowing at least one of them wouldn’t make it. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan, opens up about what it was like on set during this time.

Spoiler Alert: This article discusses Season 6 and 7 of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Please proceed with caution if you wish to avoid potential spoilers.

According to an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jeffrey Dean Morgan referred to the filming of Episode 1 of Season 7 of AMC’s The Walking Dead as a hellish experience.

“That first episode back was crazy. It was just crazy. What you’re asking of these actors to put it on the line like they do, and then this scene in particular, especially if they had the summer to dwell on it, it’s a lot. Then I go blowing in like a hurricane, just dance around on my tiptoes swinging Lucille around — it was 10 days of hell, I believe, for everyone involved.”

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is not only the new kid on the block, but the villain causing so much grief in both the Season 6 finale and the premiere of Season 7 of The Walking Dead, so for him, filming was particularly hard. He had to watch as the tight-knit cast and crew had to gather for what is, essentially, a monumental and devastating moment for the core characters. Not only was it harrowing because of the ending in sight for at least one major character, but because Episode 1 of The Walking Dead is such a jolt into what he refers to as a “reset on The Walking Dead world.”

While many fans were devastated — and irritated — that the Season 6 finale of The Walking Dead ended unresolved, Jeffrey Dean Morgan also had no idea that the Season 6 finale would end with a cliffhanger. And, according to him, neither did the other cast members on the day of filming the Season 6 finale, even if they did say they knew.

“I don’t know that anybody knew on that particular evening, and if they did, no one has copped to me. But I certainly didn’t know. I’ve seen interviews where Norman has said, ‘I know,’ but I honestly don’t know that anybody really knew what was going to happen until the first script came out.”

Morgan went on to explain that he honestly thought no one was told on the day of filming because the crew didn’t want it to be a downer on set while the crucial scene was being filmed. He expected the death scene would be filmed later on and revealed during the airing of the Season 6 finale of The Walking Dead.

He also warned fans to be very careful of what they wished for, because October would be here before long, and the news of who dies at the hands of Negan and his baseball bat, Lucille, would happen soon enough, and then fans will really have to grieve over the loss. Morgan explains that Episode 1 of Season 7 of The Walking Dead will give answers — more answers than they even expected. However, fans need to be careful in expectations because AMC does not follow the comic books exactly in relation to storylines. So fans should not expect Episode 1 to play out exactly as anticipated thanks to the comics the show is based on. That’s not to mean that Glenn Rhee is off the hook either. Jeffrey Dean Morgan was very vague when it came to explaining one way or another where Negan’s bat would fall.

And, as AMC have become adept at, the water has remained muddy in regards to revealing who dies at the hands of Negan in Season 7 of The Walking Dead. Recently, they revealed 11 trailers — one for each character that could be killed by Negan — asking which character will meet Lucille. You can view them all via the playlist below.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUJPtS8k54KSEDC7f4nnMgbem5fspTSc

What did you think of the Season 6 finale of AMC’s The Walking Dead, were you disappointed the character death was not revealed or does it really matter who Negan kills? Are you looking forward to the Season 7 premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead? Let us know your thoughts and theories by commenting below.

The Walking Dead returns with Season 7 on Sunday, October 23, 2016. If you can’t wait that long, is currently airing Season 2 of The Walking Dead‘s companion show, Fear The Walking Dead every Sunday night on AMC at 9 p.m. ET.

[Photo by Gene Page/AMC]