Former ‘American Idol’ Star Chris Daughtry Auditioned For Role On ‘The Walking Dead’

Since its inception, AMC’s The Walking Dead is a show many actors have dreamed of appearing on – either as a guest or, preferably, with a recurring role as a cast member. Clearly, not every celebrity who desires to be on the series and auditions for a part is chosen.

According to Cinema Blend, former American Idol star Chris Daughtry is one of those celebrities who has tried to garner a part on The Walking Dead, but has yet to do so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5gmNcp4Xos

Daughtry recently talked about his attempt to be on the show, telling Music Times, “Honestly I’ve been lobbying for The Walking Dead. I’ve been auditioning for the last season. You know the stringy blonde-haired dude with the half burnt face? That was the role I auditioned for. We hate him, so maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t get him because I’ll have a more beloved role…”

The singer added he hates to miss an episode of The Walking Dead, noting, “…But that show is like – I watch all the superhero shows, but I can skip a day. I can DVR it and watch to next week. I cannot do that with The Walking Dead. It’s the only show I have to watch when it’s on. I can’t wait an hour. It’s me and my wife’s favorite, second favorite moment in bed…”

Daughtry further stated The Walking Dead is “consuming” his life, which has caused him to spend hour upon hour “developing theories on who got killed, and re-watching the finale,” likely referring to the major cliffhanger at the end of Season 6.

CHRIS DAUGHTRY Auditioned For A Major Role On THE WALKING DEAD! https://t.co/VaaB4PyYqv pic.twitter.com/rFrtA9TfZa

— ComicBook NOW! (@ComicBookNOW) May 12, 2016

The iconic Walking Dead comic book villain, Negan, made his entrance in the TV show’s finale in the form of actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, bashing in the brains of a presumably beloved character with his barbed-wire-covered bat, Lucille. Instead of viewers being shown which character bit the dust, the show ended with a first-person view of Negan facing the camera and beginning his beat down without revealing which character was extinguished.

The horrific death is expected to be revealed in the premiere episode of Season 7 of The Walking Dead, but despite this, the cliffhanger from Season 6 left Daughtry “a wreck.” He revealed to Music Times,

“…the entire lower half of my body went numb. You ever wake up from a bad dream and have these numbing chills? And you don’t know where you are, but you know your blanket is not on you and you need to get it back? That’s how I felt watching it – like I actually woke up from a nightmare…”

Daughtry said he knows the man portraying Negan, actor Morgan, stating he’s never seen his friend “more scary,” Music Times reports.

Comic Book reports that the Walking Dead part Daughtry auditioned for is obviously that of Dwight (Austin Amelio), a member of Negan’s group The Saviors, and Daryl’s (Norman Reedus’) prime antagonist at present.

@CHRIS_Daughtry, @JimLee and I at the #WalkingDead party at @comic_con. pic.twitter.com/S331z6dw

— Nathan Sawaya (@NathanSawaya) July 14, 2012

Daughtry is certainly right about Dwight being a character hated by fans, as in one episode he stole Daryl’s motorcycle and crossbow and later killed Alexandria doctor Denise (Merritt Wever) by brutally shooting an arrow through her eye. Near the end of Season 6, Dwight wounded Daryl by shooting him in the shoulder while capturing Daryl and Rosita (Christian Serratos) in the process.

Each actor on The Walking Dead brings a unique persona to a character, so there’s no telling how Dwight would have developed had Daughtry, a talented musician, been given the role.

According to Fansided, a large number of actors – over 100 – were considered for the part of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) when casting was in full swing for The Walking Dead several years ago. Of this large group Thomas Jane (The Mist) passed on the role because he had been cast as the lead in the HBO series Hung; Stuart Townsend (Queen of the Damned) was a consideration; Jamie Bamber (The Messengers) was thought to be a possible fit for the role; Mark Pellegrino (Supernatural) almost got the part; and Ethan Embry, who played Carter on The Walking Dead before becoming walker chow, had an audition for the role of Rick, Fansided reports.

Lincoln was obviously the right casting choice, as he perfectly embodies Rick, thus the character wouldn’t be the same without his interpretation.

Hopefully, Daughtry will get his wish to be part of the show and we’ll see him playing off of Lincoln’s masterful work in an upcoming season of The Walking Dead.

[Photo by Gene Page/AMC]