Jeffrey Dean Morgan is about to become the most hated man on Sunday nights.
Negan will change the show like no other villain has in the past.
And it will only be the beginning.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan: You know, I read a lot of Kirkmans stuff.
A lot of the graphic novel stuff.
Really more than anything, the preparations for Negan that all kind of comes with the scripts.
A lot of it is on the page.
So theres no method or anything attached to it.
This character in particular has been just a joy to play for me.
Im having so much fun with it.
Were kind of mid-way through filming Season 7, so Im feel like Im pretty locked in.
Its really just a matter of knowing the dialogue and all that.
Were you nervous that first day?
Sure, Im nervous on first day of every job Ive ever done in my life.
It just kind of comes with the territory.
I think its just part of the deal.
I think if I ever showed up and I wasnt nervous, something would be wrong.
That being said, everybody was awesome.
This thing happened, and its been like this for Negan.
I cant say that happened to me a lot in my career.
As soon as I heard action, and I open that RV door, it was all good.
Besides that strange calm, is there anything else thats surprised you about playing Negan so far?
I think hes a special character.
And I think Im surprised every day I get a new script or I get a new scene.
I dont know, man.
And I think thats been the thing that puts a smile on my face the most.
One that Im super looking forward to playing for a while.
I hope that everyone doesnt fucking hate me after the premiere.
Im sure that wont be the case.
Its a definite concern.
I did some ADR yesterday for 701 while I was here in LA with [showrunner] Scott Gimple.
Boy, I saw a little bit of it.
And I think its a lot.
Ill be interested to see how the fans handle it because its going to be a lot.
Its going to be a lot more than people are expecting.
Would you say that season 7 goes above and beyond the violence weve seen on the show before?
I mean, its a different kind of violence.
Weve seen all sorts of blood and guts, but its usually kind of relegated.
I mean, there are examples of the humans getting kind of wasted on the show.
But youre about to see someone you love just fucking take it, you know?
Its more than violent.
Its gut-wrenching in its violence, so its going to be a lot.
And Negans on the other end of that bat, so well see how people respond, man.
Im a little bit nervous, Im not going to lie!
You know, that guy cant go anywhere.
But its really a little bit of a bubble, and I think thats going to change.
Im a little anxious to see how it goes, man.
Its going to be something.
Will you get to swing Lucille more than once this season?
Oh, fuck yeah!
Lucille is an extension of him, man.
He doesnt go anywhere without Lucille.
If you see Negan, youre gonna see Lucille.
And Negans not just going to kill one person in 701.
Hes not afraid of bashing in skulls, certainly.
I view him as a guy who has survived this long in this apocalyptic world.
So, I mean, in our world, yeah, Negan is the villain.
You know, theres something about him.
I think hes just done what hes done to survive this long.
Im constantly making fucking excuses for Negan.
Hes a fucking asshole!
You mentioned the similarities between Rick and Negan.
Could you talk a little bit more about what those similarities are?
Well, we follow the story of Rick.
Negans kind of done the same thing.
Mind you, theres a different approach to that in some ways.
Negan kind of stands alone in personality.
Hes not a nutball.
Hes a very smart guy.
Hes a smart guy that has a sense of humor.
In this world, I think thats something I enjoy as a viewer.
And Im certainly enjoying it as an actor to play that.
Yeah, you seem very worried about that.
I dont think Im worried.
Its gonna happen.
I mean, maybe not.
As long as youre having fun.
Im having the best time of my life playing this guy.
As an actor you cant ask for me.
What can you tell me about Negan as a leader?
How would you say he leads his men?
I think the people that follow him, some are following him begrudgingly.
But he is, you know, he scares the shit out of people.
But he also has this charisma that people, I think, are… Well, they follow.
They follow this charismatic man in this world where theres not a lot of fucking humor anymore.
And Negan sees a sense of humor in stuff that other people dont see.
I think thats where he gets a lot of his folks to follow him.
But lets not forget Lucille.
Lets not forget doing, I dont know, a certain iron or two.
You do that around enough people and theyre going to start following you.
They dont want it to happen to them.
Im sure youre aware that Negan curses like a sailor in the comics.
How have you had to tone that down for television?
I mean, it does.
It fucking sucks, because thats part of who Negan is.
He swears like the best sailor in the world.
What weve had to do for broadcast television is completely take out his favorite word, which sucks.
Id love to be able to sneak one in.
But the flip side is that the big iconic scenes, we do two ways.
Ill do a couple of takes.
But well get to see it.
Well definitely get to see it.
I know they released the Blu-ray, which we did that for.
And you talk about getting the actors there by doing the explicit version.
Do you film the explicit version first or the censored version?
No, I usually film that second unless I am off-camera to begin with.
But also if I start just going nuts with my language, its hard to reel that back in.
Youre a guy used to fandom.
Youve been in superhero movies, horror movies, TV shows, you name it.
Whats the fan reaction for Negan been like so far?
I mean, I get funny reactions, too.
I take it with a good laugh.
The other day, Norman and I took a motorcycle ride.
You know, I get plenty of that.
Or people just say Im going to fucking hate you!
Im the bad guy of the show.
How do you think Negan has changed the show?
Ever, ever, ever.
You know, Negan has kind of taken over, and it shows.
Theres never been a shakeup like it on the show.
We talked about it a lot on set, and its hard!
Its a hard deal.
And hes fucking just going off and screaming in between takes.
So its been tough for some of our boys and girls.
Im anxious for people to see it.
I think its gonna be differentWalking Deadexperience for people.
And again, Im having a blast doing it.
You mentioned working with Andrew Lincon.
Is there any specific character youve enjoyed working with the most on the show so far?
Uh, nah, I cant answer that question.
I like working with them all.
Its an extraordinary group of people.
Each and every actor on this show is Ive never seen people more passionate and dedicated to a show.
To be in season 7 of a show and this kind of passion… Its insane.
Its a hell of a group.
Im having fun with everybody.
How would you describe the first half of season 7?
Thats all Im going to say.
John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek US.
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