‘The Walking Dead’ Star Says ‘They’re Going To Kill Off All Of Us’
Fans of The Walking Dead who haven’t followed the comic book source material might not be aware that that one of the most beloved characters on AMC’s The Walking Dead, Darryl Dixon, was never in those comic books. Although invented solely for The Walking Dead television adaptation, Darryl Dixon has become such an important part of the series that TWD fans have threatened protests should the character played by Norman Reedus ever be killed off.
Reedus has a theory as to what it is that makes his Walking Dead character so endearing to fans.
“I think he wears his heart on his sleve,” The Walking Dead‘s Reedus said. “I don’t think he’s trying to trick you or fool you. I think he has a certain amount of loyalty to him. He would never cross boundaries with that.”
Norman adds that The Walking Dead has shown Dixon as a broken man becoming something more than what the past has made of him. He says that Darryl has gone from being a loner, out only for himself, to someone who has been accepted into this ragtag collection of rebels.
“He found a sense of self-worth through these strangers he would never have hung out with. And I feel like you’re watching this guy sort of become a man that… firmly believes in the things he believes in. He’s becoming admirable. People rely on him, for the first time.”
Mr. Reedus adds that he likes the fact that there’s no mention of Dixon in The Walking Dead comics, because Norman feels that leaves his character’s evolution unrestricted by preconceived rules.
“I like having the door open wide,” said Norman. “It’s fun. I like it. I’m not the only character on the show that’s not from the comic book, though.”
Fans aren’t the only ones impressed with Norman’s work on The Walking Dead. The show’s creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman has enough admiration for Reedus’ work that he invited The Walking Dead star to work with him on a new project as well.
“When your executive producer and creator calls you and goes, ‘Hey, can I talk to you about something?’… I think all of us are fearing that phone call. Because they’re going to kill off all of us at some point.”
It seemed only natural for Reedus to fear that Kirkman was calling to say that he was killing off his Walking Dead character, but that phone call actually led to Norman being hired to star in Air, a sci-fi drama being produced by Kirkman.
In Air, Reedus and Djimon Hounsou play two caretakers of a cryogenics facility safeguarding the world’s best and brightest, until earth can again be made habitable. Norman says that the film has a claustrophobic quality to it and that the close quarters and solitude drives each of them into his own kind of madness.
“Djimon’s character, he believes there is hope for the future, that we’ll be the ones to bring these people to a place, and let them repopulate the Earth. He believes in his job. And I think my character, Bower, does not. And he’s being screwed with. No-one’s ever going to call us. We’re going to be stuck here forever,” says The Walking Dead‘s Reedus. “Having those two points of view completely counterbalance where they end up at the end of the film.”
Air, starring Norman Reedus, Djimon Hounsou, and Sandrine Holt, will open in theaters on August 14.
The Walking Dead premieres on Sunday October 11 on AMC.
[Featured image: Norman Reedus courtesy of Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
