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The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus opens up about "exhausting" final season, and teases Daryl spin-off

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By Amy West published 3 May 2022

The actor also explained why Melissa McBride pulled out of the future project, and revealed that other characters may cameo

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(Image credit: AMC)
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The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus has opened about how "exhausting" it has been filming the zombie show's final season over the course of a whole year, and teased what's to come from his upcoming solo spin-off.

While appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Daryl Dixon actor was asked by the eponymous host how "emotional" it was to wrap the series recently after 12 years, and what the last day on set was like. 

"There was a lot of drinking, a lot of confetti canons. It felt surreal. A friend of mine, she taught me a phrase, it's 'Is the juice worth the squeeze?' I love that. I said it to the group, I said, 'The Walking Dead juice has always been worth the squeeze' – and I realised how perverted that sounded."

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"I get it, it's a lot of work to do these shows," Fallon chimed in. "And you've been on for 11 seasons now?"

Norman Reedus discusses wrapping #TheWalkingDead and gives a tease of what’s to come with the Daryl spin-off series! pic.twitter.com/pli2KtRWIfMay 3, 2022

"This last season, we were doing it for a full year, which was exhausting, and you're in the woods and you're crying, you're killing, screaming, fighting... You've seen the show, it's not Succession," he laughed. "You're not on a yacht, eating caviar. We're eating squirrels and killing each other."

Fallon then quizzed Reedus about Daryl's future beyond the main show, which was going to see the character travel around the US with his apocalypse bestie Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride), until she pulled out of the project last week.

"I know it's going to be much different than the [original] show. It was originally Carol and I, Melissa McBride and I, but she's taking time off. Like you know, 12 years is a gruelling schedule and she wanted to take some time off. So she's doing that and she deserves it.

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"I imagine those characters are going to meet back up at some point," he teased. "I might even meet up with some other characters down the road." We can't wait to see who.

The third and final batch of The Walking Dead season 11 episodes will air on AMC in the US and Disney Plus (via Star) in the UK later this year. In the meantime, why not take a trip down memory lane with our look back at the best Walking Dead episodes. If you're not already subscribed, then sign up to Disney Plus here.

Amy West
Amy West
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Entertainment Writer

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

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