SPOILER ALERT! This story comprises particulars from the season 2 opener of The Walking Dead: Dead City on AMC.
AMC’s starry sequel that includes Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan) and Lauren Cohan (Maggie) returned Sunday with extra tales about post-apocalyptic Manhattan, the place two factions are combating for management of the island. Maggie and Negan are trapped on reverse sides.
Right here, Morgan — who’s joined in season 2 by Gaius Charles, Željko Ivanek, Mahina Anne Marie Napoleon, Lisa Emery, Logan Kim, Dascha Polanco and Kim Coates — explains Negan’s mind-set and whether or not he truly approves of Lucille 2.0.
DEADLINE The actual world is form of crappy proper now, so I’m curious, does working on this make-believe crappy world really feel like an escape for you?
JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN A bit bit, yeah. One of many causes I turned an actor was to flee some actual life stuff. And definitely the world of The Strolling Useless has at all times been an excellent form of escapism, not only for us as actors, however I believe for our viewers, as effectively. The one drawback I ever have with working is being away from my household. Nevertheless it’s form of the deal. Most of my household is used to it. My daughter isn’t, and he or she simply desires to be with dad on a regular basis. However yeah, I imply, I believe I’ve used appearing as a strategy to escape all kinds of stuff by means of the years, and definitely now could be no totally different.
DEADLINE How would you describe Negan’s mind-set going into this season? Is he resigned? The place’s he at?
MORGAN I don’t know that Negan has ever felt resigned, however I believe he’s in a spot that we’ve by no means seen him earlier than. I’ve been saying this about Negan for years. He’s a chess participant and he’s at all times a transfer or two forward of everybody. And I believe for the primary time that I can keep in mind, he’s in a spot the place he’s not a transfer or two forward. The truth is, he’s shedding the sport. So it’s a darkish spot. All over the place he turns, he’s having to do one thing that he doesn’t essentially need to do, he doesn’t consider in, and he’s in search of an out, they usually’ve form of obtained him below their thumb proper now. So he’s going to spend so much of time attempting to determine how you can get again concerned within the sport once more.
I believe he’s simply been in a spot the place he hasn’t figured it out and it retains getting worse. It’s slightly little bit of a pile-on for Negan. In order that was attention-grabbing. That was enjoyable to play, form of not seeing the tip sport. I imply, we had slightly little bit of that in season 9, I consider, after I was in jail and asking Maggie to kill me at a sure level. I believe that is the bottom that Negan’s ever gotten. He’s not that low now as a result of he’s nonetheless attempting to determine how he can get out of right here, how he can repair his life, no matter that could be.
DEADLINE The way in which that you just drop Lucille towards the tip of the episode makes it seem to be you assume all of that is form of bullshit.
MORGAN Yeah. It obtained reduce out, and I don’t know why, however I threw the bat throughout the cell as a result of he’s been working for years to get away from that Negan, to not be the pinnacle cracking man. Lucille and the leather-based coat, all that stuff reminds him of that Negan. He’s been working laborious to be another person or get away from it least, that a part of who he needed to turn into through the apocalypse. Now these persons are blackmailing him into turning into that man once more, and he’s combating it. On the finish of the primary season, you see him attempting to be another person and transfer away from that a part of his life. Right here he’s being requested and blackmailed to be the man that he doesn’t need to be, which is a cool factor to should play.
DEADLINE So he’s not that impressed with the brand new and improved Lucille, then?
MORGAN No, I don’t assume he’s. I believe he had a particular relationship with the primary bat for lots of causes having to do together with his ex-wife Lucille. This bat wasn’t his creation, and it was a present from The Croat [Ivanek], Lucille 2.0. However I don’t assume he ever refers to her as Lucille. I imply, there’s a sure level that he has to make use of her, I suppose, however it’s not the identical because it was.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan. Robert Clark/AMC
DEADLINE The place did you shoot that cool scene within the church?
MORGAN That’s St. Jean Baptiste Church in Lowell, Massachusetts. It’s the place Jack Kerouac had his funeral. It’s been closed for years and is in a state of disrepair. I certain hope they resolve to repair it. And I believe the Kerouac Basis is attempting to boost cash to repair it. It’s an incredible church. It’s lovely. I like that little bit of trivia. It was a gorgeous place to shoot
DEADLINE Kim Coate’s character, The Bruegel, doesn’t seem to be the nice and cozy and fuzziest form of man. Will you go mano e mano with him later?
MORGAN Yeah, we go slightly mano e mano, for certain. Towards the tip of the season issues get slightly robust between the 2 of us. However Kim Coates generally is likely one of the most particular individuals I’ve ever identified in my life. I’ve identified him for a very long time, and to lastly have the chance to work with him … I like watching him do his factor. I believe the largest drawback that I had was I perhaps loved watching him an excessive amount of and I’d neglect that I’ve to be Negan. I’d be guffawing at Kim placing on this efficiency. That was wonderful. However yeah, Bruegel and Negan don’t get together with lots of people this season.
DEADLINE Are you able to say if we’ll see Negan’s spouse and child this season?
MORGAN We speak about them they usually’re undoubtedly a part of the story. I’ll let you know that.
DEADLINE Is it going to take some time earlier than we see you reunite with Maggie?
MORGAN You will notice us reunite [in episode 4].
DEADLINE Is there any motion or large demise scene that you just’re trying ahead to followers seeing that’s developing?
MORGAN Yeah, and we even have some pretend outs, too. By the tip of the season, issues are going to come back to a head and there’s going to be some carnage and folks will die.
DEADLINE Vacation spot X lastly debuts this month on NBC. What itch did this scratch for you?
MORGAN The one who actually needed me to do it was my spouse. She was like, you’ll like it. In some way she thinks I’m this individuals individual and it will be a very enjoyable match for me. And it was truly, I had a blast. I believed the idea was cool. I watched the unique Danish collection, although I didn’t know the way it will work. It made extra sense, I believe, for the Danish model. However I had some actually nice writers who obtained my voice of their head. I obtained to be me, which is form of a snarky, smart-ass fella. We had an distinctive solid. I don’t know the way they discovered these individuals, however they did. I actually appreciated messing with them. For me, that’s at all times an excellent time.
