The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln Spills On Brutal Character Death & Rick’s Return

The Walking Dead had a big loose end when it came to season nine, as series mainstay Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln) didn’t have an “ending,” so to mark the occasion that The Ones Who Live has concluded, actor Andrew Lincoln has spoken about the character’s return. ( Spoiler Warning for The Walking Dead ahead)

After Rick Grimes’ departure in season nine of The Walking Dead , many fans were left wondering ‘where is Rick?’ This is seemingly a question Andrew Lincoln also thought about, as he has been asked the question many times ahead of the release of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live , and the spin-off (which ended this March) answers that question. But Andrew Lincoln has been on a press tour regarding the spin-off, and he has shared some of his takes on the series, specifically his thoughts regarding Glen’s death and his character’s return.

In an interview with Empire , Lincoln suggested that the death of Glen may have been a bit overblown in The Walking Dead , but referred to the scene as ‘extraordinary’. Lincoln says “I do still think [Glenn’s death] might have been when we over-egged the omelette,” explaining that the scene was incredibly emotional, and series newcomer (at the time), Jeffrey Dean Morgan, was alarmed.

While filming the scene, Lincoln says, “He had to do this extraordinary monologue on his first day at work, and everybody was on their knees and weeping when they weren’t on camera,” Lincoln recalls. “[Jeffrey Dean Morgan] came over and went, ‘Is this normal?’ I went, ‘Yeah, everybody just keeps going.’ It was an extraordinary night.” Lincoln also refers to Morgan as “One of the nicest guys you’re ever going to meet, playing one of the most unpleasant characters” in his role as Negan in The Walking Dead .

Although Glen’s story ended that day in season seven, The Walking Dead continues with spin-off series’ that flesh out the world and continue the stories AMC started with the original. With Daryl Dixon, Dead City , and The Ones Who Live , The Walking Dead appears to be anything but dead, and Andrew Lincoln has also explained why he chose to return to the series.

Speaking to RadioTimes , Lincoln explained that he was asked numerous times on the street, “Where’s Rick?” Lincoln said, “There was an unfinished story. And I was talked into it by Danai [Gurira, who plays Grimes’s love interest, Michonne] and Scott [M Gimple, one of the series showrunners]. But I didn’t want it to feel like a spin-off. I wanted to complete a story that we left unfinished” as reasons why he returned to the series after many years.

For the future, both Daryl Dixon and Dead City have been confirmed for respective season two’s, and there is no confirmation that Rick Grimes will return… yet.