What happened when The Walking Dead’s new villain found out he got the part

The show might not be coming back until February, but we can’t stop thinking about The Walking Dead. Specifically, we’re freaking out about Negan, the next big villain to enter the picture. From what we’ve heard, Negan is not a person you want to mess with, and if the comics are anything to go by, he’s going to leave us all reeling.

Given that kind of reputation, what was it like when actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan found out he got the part? As it turns out, he’s a huge fan of the comics, so he already knew that the “big bad” his agent said he’d been offered was none other than Negan. During a Q&A at PassCon (a “supernatural” convention in Pasadena last month), Morgan revealed what happened when he got the part.

“When my agent and manager called they said, ‘You’ve been offered this thing on The Walking Dead … it’s to play this big bad.’ They didn’t know the character’s name, because I think it was supposed to be a secret. And I’m like, ‘Is it f–king Negan?’ And they’re like, ‘I don’t know, we’re going to have to call you back in a second.’ And I’m like, ‘No, it’s f–king Negan. And I’m f–king doing it.’

Although he is (obviously) excited, Morgan is also aware of the challenges in playing such a diabolical role.

“I think the challenge for me in this role is going to be, is there any heart in Negan?” he told fans at PasCon, as Vulture first reported. “For me I look at that as a challenge as an actor, and that’s the kind of thing that I embrace and really look forward to. I am super excited about it.”

We are too. OK, maybe we’re a little freaked out as well. One question: is it February yet?

(Image via Image Entertainment)