’The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus and More Break Down Their Connection to the Fandom [Exlusive]

At the heart of every television series is the fandom. It doesn’t matter if it’s one season or multiple, a following will stay dedicated and loyal to their favorite characters and see them through to the end. In the case of The Walking Dead, it’s been 15 years since the flagship series debuted, and the fandom is still hanging on and taking steps forward into uncharted waters in the form of spin-offs. Over the weekend at NYCC, Collider’s Perri Nemiroff caught up with a handful of the minds and faces behind the franchise’s perhaps the most successful offshoot, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, during which they dished about their most memorable moments in the universe’s history.

For executive producer and director, Greg Nicotero, who also served as the special effects makeup supervisor, his favorite memory is as old as the show itself, telling Nemiroff:

“When we were shooting the main show, and it was July and we had been filming for a couple of months, going to San Diego rejuvenated us a lot because the love that we got from the fans and the commitment and the loyalty was really like, ‘Okay, we’re ready to go back and finish up.’ And it’s been 15 years. So, I think on this show, indeed, we’ve tried to open it up, shooting in Europe, and kind of a whole new world. So, I always have been grateful for the support of the people who come to these shows.”

When it comes to conventions, the massive attendance is nearly as sprawling as the scores of the undead that our heroes have faced in every episode. Reflecting on one of the latest fan conventions, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon star Norman Reedus said, “We just had one in Málaga, the very first ever Comic-Con, San Diego/Málaga, and it was packed. It was like The Beatles. I mean, as far as you can see, from left to right.” Chiming in, showrunner and executive producer, David Zabel, said, “It’s like 3,500 people, and they turned away another, like, 700.”

While the Comic-Cons have certainly left an impression on Reedus, he says he’ll never forget the flagship’s Season 6 premiere back in 2015, which saw him enter Madison Square Garden in the most true-to-character form possible — on a motorcycle.

“We’ve always gotten a lot of love at Comic-Cons. But that Madison Square Garden event, when I rode the motorcycle up, I was terrified. Then they had a rainstorm that night, so they’re bringing me back to the back, and the guy’s screaming, he’s like, ‘Be really careful! There’s cardboard everywhere because of the wet feet.’ And I’m like, ‘Wait, what?’ He’s like, ‘Be careful!’ I’m like, ‘Where’s the cardboard?’ And he’s like, ‘Five… four…’ And I was terrified. That was a sold out Madison Square Garden event. I remember getting up to the top and looking at Steven Yeun, and he’s like, ‘You did it.’ I was shaking. I was so nervous I was going to crash… We’ve always had a packed house. We have really good fans and people. They’re definitely a part of us.”

The Fans’ Connection to the Characters

Image via AMC

Plenty is true when considering what has made The Walking Dead the global juggernaut that it’s become. As for its following, it’s largely thanks to the writing, casting, and performances of the actors that draw the fans in and allow them to fully invest themselves in the story. Reflecting on an incredibly touching moment between him and a member of the fandom, Zabel said:

“I have a little intimate one. I haven’t been around as long as these guys have, but it’s been amazing actually joining up and seeing the fan base’s commitment to the show and to these characters. Last year in New York, we’d just screened a piece of an episode in which Isabelle, the character played by Clémence Poésy, died, and this guy came up to me — he was about 22 — after the thing. He was holding all kinds of Walking Dead swag and Daryl Dixon swag, and he was crying, and he said, ‘Isn’t Daryl ever going to be happy? When is Daryl ever going to be happy?’ And it was really moving to me. It was really moving to me because he was so invested in the character and what Norman’s done and what the show has done around that, that it was one of those moments, I think, which is what you’re asking about, where I was like, ‘Wow, this really means so much to have a fan base that just is so invested in who these people are and what’s going to happen to them and what’s happening to them.’ So, that was definitely a moment where I was like, ‘Wow, it’s pretty cool that I get to help tell these stories and advance these characters in this world, when there are people out there to whom it means so much.’”

As for Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead universe, Scott M. Gimple, who has been with the franchise since its second season, it was being part of the fandom that made his gig all the more exciting from the jump. “The thing that sticks out to me, actually, is, before I was showrunning the show, I was some sort of writer-producer,” he explained. “I don’t know what my title was. Honestly, I don’t. But it was Season 2, I do remember that, and I was just sitting in the audience for the Walking Dead Season 2 panel, and it was like, ‘Oh, man,’ just seeing them talk about it and seeing what they showed. I was like, ‘Man, I get to work on this show.’ I was a fan of the show in the first season. I didn’t work on the first season; I started on the second season. So, I don’t know, being able to continue that fan thought, that fan space, that fan whatever — I got to be a fan while working on the show, and be psyched about getting to work that Monday.”

Stay tuned to Collider for more to come from NYCC.

Release Date

October 1, 2023

Network

AMC

Showrunner

David Zabel

Franchise(s)

The Walking Dead