The Walking Dead is known for its zombies, gore, and tragic character deaths that try to give Game Of Thrones a run for its money. The 10th season of the hit series is all but wrapped, and left fans on the edge of their seats awaiting a finale that Jeffrey Dean Morgan says will be like “a mini-movie”.
The world of The Walking Dead is undoubtedly a dark one. Such an intense show may seem like it might be somber behind the scenes, but the cast members are a big, happy family. Here is a list of 10 endearing, behind the scenes facts about the show and its many cast members.
10 Norman Reedus Is A Huge Prankster
Prior to Andrew Lincoln leaving the show, he was in a heated “prank war” with a certain sneaky castmate. Reedus may star as the broody bowman, Daryl Dixon, but behind the scenes, he’s anything but quiet and shy. His many pranks include getting Lincoln to passionately ask a press conference “where is the toilet” in Japanese, a “glitter bomb” he put into Lincoln’s air conditioner, secretly putting a Daryl Dixon license plate on to his car, and even filling his trailer with chickens.
9 Andrew Lincoln Got Payback
Andrew Lincoln finally had enough of Reedus’ shenanigans and decided that he needed to get him back. He once had Reedus’ car wrapped in toilet paper, but his crown achievement was an over-the-top zombie scare.
Nick Santonastasso has surprised people with zombie-related pranks before, but Lincoln and Greg Nicotero teamed up with the creative fan for a prank of their own. In full zombie makeup, Nick scurried out from under a table, crawled wildly at the actor, and got Reedus good!
8 The Child Actors Love “Mama Michonne”
Played by the beautiful and talented Danai Gurira, Michonne is a fighter, a leader, and a good mom, all at the same time. The child actors of the show love Danai as much as Judith and RJ do. Some of the kids have dressed up and posed like her character in Black Panther, and have even given her a sweet, on set nickname. Cailey Fleming said in an interview about her role, “Danai’s like my Mama. My Mama Michonne. That’s what we call her sometimes”.
7 The Show Auctioned Off Signed Memorabilia For Charity
The Walking Dead showed its support for the fight against pancreatic cancer. It donated nearly 50 items of memorabilia from the show that had been signed by cast members from both The Walking Dead and spinoff series, Fear The Walking Dead. The items were auctioned off and the proceeds went to the charity “Cancer Gets LOST”. Cast members who signed include Michael Cudlitz, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Kim Dickens, and many others.
6 Jeffrey Dean Morgan Has A Care Bear Onesie
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is far from the barbed-wire-bat-swinging villain that he plays as Negan. His Instagram is endlessly wholesome, full of pictures and videos of his ranch, adorable farm animals (including a donkey and an emu that are “in love”), and his family.
Morgan appears to be just as sweet on set. When Cailey Fleming gifted him with a Care Bear onesie, the actor claims he had to put it on immediately. (Maybe it could be a future Negan costume?)
5 The Cast Gets Together Before Every Main Character Death
In a show like The Walking Dead, no role is ever really safe and when a cast works together every day for years, they become more like a second family than just a group of coworkers. The show has seen the departure of huge characters such as Glenn, Carl, and even Rick and Michonne. Because of the frequent cast changes, the show has a tradition of getting together for a “death day party” or a “last supper” before each major character death as a sweet way to say goodbye to good friends.
4 Norman Reedus Is The King Of Bromance
Hide your husbands, Norman Reedus might steal them! This prankster has some adorable on-set bromances. It’s no secret that he’s been friends with Jeffrey Dean Morgan for years prior to the show. They are all over each other’s social media, from “date nights”, to sitting next to each other in the front seat while Morgan’s wife, Hilarie Burton, sits in the backseat. Reedus is also close with Andrew Lincoln, to the point that Lincoln jokes that his wife is concerned by how much time they spend together.
3 Shiva Is Kind Of Hilarious
What better pet for a theatrical king than a tiger named Shiva? The fierce cat is King Ezekiel’s pet that he rescued from a zoo and nursed back to health. Of course, trained tigers aren’t the cheapest or safest type of actor to hire.
On set, Shiva is sometimes just a huge, stuffed tiger for the cast to interact with during filming. Other times, she’s a stuntman dressed head to toe in a blue suit who runs, leaps, and attacks in her place, so that the visual effects team can add CGI in post-production.
2 The Zombie Extras Have To Go To “Zombie Lessons”
It may seem like it doesn’t take much to be a Walker but some groaning and limping, but it’s actually a detailed process. The background actors who play the Walkers not only have to audition, but they also go to “zombie school” for tips, tricks, and expectations for their performances. Greg Nicotero claims that every actor should be unique, creative, and even come up with a “backstory” for their zombie, such as what injuries they have and how they died.
1 Andrew Lincoln Didn’t Get The Jokes About The Way He Says “Carl”
Fans of Love Actually may realize that Andrew Lincoln is British and that the London-born actor’s Georgian drawl is a put-on accent. While he pulls off a pretty convincing American accent, a question was brought up at a convention about how his pronunciation of “Carl” became “coral”. Lincoln admitted to being confused about why the way that he pronounces the name is such a joke among fans, and was finally enlightened when he was told the usual pronunciation.
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