The Walking Dead - Interview - Norman Reedus on Daryl's Transformation and Backstory Details
13 Oct 2011
The Walking DeadDaryl Dixon knows how to handle a crossbow and has no problem putting an arrow between the eyes of a zombie, but when it comes to romance, he's a bit of a late bloomer.
"I'm trying to play him like he's a total virgin," Norman Reedus tells Zap2it. "Like if someone were to try to kiss him he'd be like, 'Eeeeee.'"
Reedus ("The Boondock Saints") plays Daryl on AMC's smash hit, "The Walking Dead." Although the character wasn't in the original Robert Kirkman comic books, he's become a fan favorite. If we were comparing this show to "Lost," which would be wrong because they are two totally different beasts, he's kind of like the Sawyer of the group: hot, dangerous and -- deep down -- a good guy.
According to Reedus, writers packed more details of Daryl's back story into season 2, which kicks off Oct. 16 with a special 90-minute premiere. His hope for the character is that he's playing him well enough for us to get that he's not a copy of his older brother, Merle (Michael Rooker) a substance-abusing, racial-epithet spewing all around distasteful guy who we last saw handcuffed to the roof of an Atlanta skyscraper. Or, to be technically correct, we last saw his sawed off hand on that roof; the rest of the guy is M.I.A.
Reedus also gave us some insight into the show's new characters, namely Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) whose farm may offer some refuge for our zombie-pocalypse survivors.
"The thing with Hershel and the people on the farm is they've been getting along just fine without us, so the way that their camp is set up there are natural barriers around their farm, so if a walker does get in they see this walker from miles away ... and when they get there, they handle them a little differently."
What exactly does he mean by "differently?" He didn't elaborate, but read the full interview below for some more insight into the coming season.
Mild spoilers may follow..
Read the full interview at Zap2it.