The Walking Dead: Norman Reedus On The Return Of Merle Dixon; Laurie Holden Gears Up For The Governor

A familiar face is heading back to “The Walking Dead” this weekend – Daryl Dixon’s one handed, racist older brother, Merle Dixon.

“He’s stepping on a lot of toes, a lot of toes are being stepped on this season and [what is] right [is] sort of inside more than it is outside this season. So, he comes back in a mean, Merle-y way,” Norman Reedus hinted to AccessHollywood.com on Monday night at the Paley Center for Media’s Annual Los Angeles benefit.

WATCH: Norman Reedus: What Does He Think About Carol Asking Daryl To ‘Fool Around’ On The Walking Dead?

A clip from Episode 3, which aired on AMC on Sunday night during “Talking Dead” showed Laurie Holden’s Andrea blindfolded and seated in a vehicle next to Merle (Michael Rooker).

Addressing the scene, Laurie suggests fans should let their minds wander.

“Think of that recipe: Blindfolded with Merle,” she told Access. “It’s a great episode. It’s a departure from the show in many ways and I hope fans love it.”

Also coming is – finally – the long awaited debut of one of the comic book’s most serious villains – The Governor. And Laurie, whose character, Andrea, is on a path to his doorstep in Woodbury, said David Morrissey’s portrayal of a post-zombie apocalypse leader, is powerful.

WATCH: Laurie Holden Talks The Walking Dead Season 3: How Much Trouble Is On The Way For Andrea?

“What I love about his take on The Governor is that he’s not the obvious villain, he’s very charming and seductive,” she said. “You don’t’ really get that he’s evil. He’s the perfect sociopath. From the outside you think this man is amazing.”

With Andrea on a new path alongside Michonne (Danai Gurira), Laurie said her character will encounter some grave scenarios.

“It’s a challenging season because she’s separated from the group and she’s gonna be faced with a lot of hard choices,” Laurie continued. “And the ramifications of the decisions she makes have a — and this is an understatement – a dramatic impact not only on her life but on a lot of people. It’s really epic storytelling.”

WATCH: Steven Yeun Talks The Walking Dead’s Hershel Leg Scene & The Huge Premiere Numbers

While the show handles some serious and gruesome scenes and plotlines, there is time for fun on the set.

When asked about Carol’s (Melissa McBride) suggestion to Daryl in Episode 1 that they “fool around,” Norman revealed they have an on set joke for a spinoff series.

“We were talking about having a spinoff and it’s Daryl and Carol living in Central Park, and all the squirrels are going missing so Bloomberg’s putting out announcements that the squirrels are disappearing and we have sort of a [distillery] and tourist come by… and we try to charge them money,” he explained. “We have theme song that goes, ‘Carol is sterile and Daryl is feral/a match made in hell.’ So you never know, maybe that will happen.”

Click HERE to watch our interview with Norman about the fantasy spinoff and the success of the show.

“The Walking Dead” airs Sunday night at 9/8c on AMC.

Jolie Lash

Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More

Oprah Winfrey To Host TV Special On Ozempic & Weight-Loss Drugs: 'Personal Topic For Me'