Summary
Jeffrey Dean Morgan played his powerful villain Negan Smith on six seasons ofThe Walking Dead,butone scene was so violent that it was tough for him to film.
Although Morgan has said hemight be almost finished playing Negan, fans have enjoyed watching him on the riveting spinoffThe Walking Dead: Dead City. Hopefully the show will be renewed for a third season and the talented actor will continue to play the compelling character for at least a little while longer. Morgan’s TV roster has always included gripping characters, fromthe mysterious John Winchester onSupernaturalto the kind-hearted Denny Duquette onGrey’s Anatomy. He’s no stranger to horror movies, either, havingstarred inThe Possessionand the slasherBloody Axe Wound, which didn’t get much attention when it came out in December 2024. Since Negan is such a huge part of his career, Morgan often reflects on his time holding Lucille the bat and wrecking havoc, and the actor once shared a fascinating story about filming one episode.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan shared withInterview Magazinein 2016 thatfilmingThe Walking Deadseason 7, episode 1, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” was exhausting.He said:
“I think maybe it was the Carl’s arm bit to be honest with you. Look, that whole episode was hard, and also because I did go through and smack everybody with Lucille at a certain point. Everybody took a hit. All of that was hard. It got to the point where I didn’t want to do it anymore. … Emotionally I was completely drained.”
Morgan continued that the cast filmed for 10 days and it was “heavy.” He added:
“It was a hard episode, and having to get there time and time again to do these horrible things… They’re all good people, and I love them—the whole cast…”
Morgan was referring to the scene inThe Walking Deadseason 7 premiere whenNegan tells Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) to cut Carl Grimes’s (Chandler Riggs) arm off.Fans consider this an upsetting episodein general since it’s so violent, and it’s hard to forget this particular scene. As Morgan explained, Negan hurts so many beloved, likable, and kind characters, and it wasn’t easy for the actor. It’s no wonder that filming the first episode of this particularly sad season took such an emotional toll.
While Morgan has shared how much he appreciates his time onThe Walking Deadand, of course, he’s still portraying the character now, Morgan has been honest about the rough moments, too. The actorwasn’t even sure that he would agree to the spinoff, but he liked the premise so much that he said yes.
Negan’s actions inThe Walking Deadseason 7 still have ripple effects to this day. While Carl survives, there is more violence to come. His decision to killbeloved character Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun)is on everyone’s minds now that Negan and Glenn’s wife Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) are on a unique journey together onDead City. Considering this dramatic and devastating backstory,many fans wonder if Glenn could ever return. Even if that never happens, this history makes Negan’s presence on the spinoff even more interesting since fans know he’s such a complex and flawed character.
Besides hopefully playing Negan again inDead Cityseason 3, Morgan will play Joe Kessler/Billy Butcher again inThe Boysseason 5, which will wrap up the show. He alsoappeared alongside Jack Quaid in the crime thrillerNeighborhood Watch, which was released on April 25th, 2025.
