Although Andrew Lincoln's recent confirmation that he'll leave The Walking Dead with the upcoming ninth season undoubtedly came as a blow to many fans, it turns out the loss could have been far worse.
Lincoln appeared on EW Radio with his longtime co-star Norman Reedus, who revealed the two originally agreed to leave the hit AMC drama together.
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“We made a pact. I think it was like season 3 or 4," Reedus recalled. "We’re like, ‘If you leave, I leave. Right?’ And that was the thing.”
Lincoln responded to that revelation by asking, “Are you leaving? Is this an announcement? Is this breaking news?” Reedus quickly shut that down with, “Oh, hell no."
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Reedus also detailed how Lincoln's departure has affected him, noting, “He was the first person I saw in the morning. As soon as we wrapped, he immediately called me in the car. We speak all the time. We spent every lunch break in my trailer. We shared a trailer for forever.”
However, Reedus also explained that he understood Lincoln's decision, saying, “When he told me he was thinking about doing this, I get it. I have a son in New York, and I’m constantly bouncing back and forth all these nine years to go see him. And I get it. He’s got two beautiful children, a beautiful wife. His whole family’s awesome, and you can’t be mad at him for going. It’s very understandable, but I’m going to miss the hell out of him.”
The Walking Dead returns on Oct. 7. When, exactly, Andrew Lincoln will depart the show as Rick Grimes has yet to be revealed.