The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus opened up about the embarrassing night that got him into acting.
Speaking to Variety, Reedus recalled being fired from his job at a motorcycle shop before being invited to a party with one of his friends. "A friend of mine said, 'Hey, let me take you to a party to make you feel better. It was one of those big Hollywood parties in a big house," Reedus explained. "I was being an idiot, and got up on the second floor, looking down in the living room and just started yelling at people. This manager came up to me and said, 'Hey, you ever thought about being an actor?"
The encounter would eventually lead Reedus to appearances in 1997's Floating, Six Ways to Sunday, and the Guillermo del Toro sci-fi classic Mimic. Two years later, Reedus' career reached new heights when he starred alongside Willem Dafoe and Sean Patrick Flannery in Troy Duffy's cult classic action film The Boondock Saints. Although The Boondock Saints was received poorly following its original, limited theatrical release, the film has maintained a fervent fanbase and helped to launch Reedus into the role of Daryl Dixon on AMC's The Walking Dead.
Daryl Is Getting His Own Show
Reedus' character on The Walking Dead only made four appearances over the course of the series' inaugural season in 2010, but Daryl quickly became a fan favorite and has gone on to appear in nearly every episode of the show since. Reedus is currently slated to star in a The Walking Dead spinoff series which was originally set to co-star Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier. In April, it was announced that McBride had left the project.
Fellow The Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan took to social media to defend his fellow series veterans after rumors circulated regarding McBride's exit. "Nobody more gutted at Melissa’s decision than [Norman]," Morgan said. "Rumors aren’t from crew. They’re from some asshat who’s never seen a set before. I was there. It was hard on both of them because they do love each other. Y’all make assumptions that are really hurtful. Stop it."
Reedus is on track to become the first The Walking Dead cast member to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ahead of the series' final season. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on Sept. 27, at 11:30 a.m., as the 2,734th star is placed in front of Hollywood Toys & Games near the star belonging to genre icon George A. Romero. The star is set to be unveiled by Guillermo del Toro and The Walking Dead showrunner Greg Nicotero.
The final season of The Walking Dead resumes on Oct. 2 on AMC. The currently untitled Daryl spinoff is slated to premiere sometime in 2023.
Source: Variety