No question, the long-running AMC seriesThe Walking Deadhas become one of the most popular media franchises on the planet. Based on the comic book series created byRobert KirkmanandTony Moore,The Walking Deadhas captured the imaginations of fans across the globe. And whilethe original television seriesended its run after 11 seasons and 177 episodes, the franchise continues to march on.The Walking Dead: Daryl DixonstarringNorman Reeduswas a huge success, and has already been renewed for Season 2. What’s ironic is that the character of Daryl Dixon never appeared in Kirkman’s original comic book series, and Daryl was created specifically for the live-action TV show. So how did Daryl Dixon even come about?
Speaking toThe Hollywood Reporterabout his original audition forThe Walking Dead, Reedus revealed he never even read for the role of Daryl when he tried out for the series since the character had not even been created yet. Reedus had auditionedreading the lines for Merle Dixon, Daryl’s older brother in the show portrayed byMichael Rooker. Merle is another character who didn’t appear in the original comic book storyline and was created exclusively for the television series. Reedus was motivated to audition forThe Walking Deadhaving been a fan of hit AMC shows such asBreaking BadandMad Men, and he had a feelingThe Walking Deadwas going to be big.
Reedus was eager to audition for the series and said he would go in for anything. Reedus revealed, “They got me in for an audition — not in front ofFrank[Darabont] — but I read Merle’s lines. I’d already been told thatMichael Rooker was playing that partand thought maybe he couldn’t do it or said no for some reason.” So at this point, Rooker had already been cast in the role of Merle. Reedus had nothing to go on except the slim hope that maybe Rooker’s casting wouldn’t pan out, or the actor would say he wasn’t available. However, Reedus performed the audition and returned home after pilot season.
He then got the call to audition for the role again, still reading for the character of Merle, but with different lines. After leaving the audition, Reedus would receive a call saying that anew part was created by Darabont specifically for Reedus. Clearly, whatever Reedus did in his two auditions reading as the character of Merle struck a chord with the writers and producers, as they createda brand-newThe Walking Deadcharacterwho didn’t have a comic counterpart to appear in the series. Thus, the character of Daryl Dixon, the younger brother to Merle, was born. Speaking on his reaction toTHR, Reedus recalled, “I did cartwheels in Chinatown! It was a dream. I didn’t know how long I’d last or if it was just one episode. But the job since Day 1 has been my favorite working experience ever and it continues to be. I feel very blessed to be here.”
Ironically, Reedus wasn’t even sure his new character would last more than one episode. Instead, Dixon would go on to become one of the show’s most popular characters and a veritable linchpin ofThe Walking Deaduniverseand franchise. Over 13 years later, Reedus continues playing Daryl to this day and now stars in his own spinoff series,The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. In the original series, Daryl appeared for the first time in the third episode of Season 1 ofThe Walking Dead, “Tell It to the Frogs,” as another survivor hunting animals for his own group when he first encounters Rick Grimes and his survivor group. Daryl appears to be an experiencedhunter and tracker, but he also has a foul, rough, and belligerent edge.
Throughout the series, Daryl struggles with his relationship with his problematic older brother, Merle, who raised him when they were kids. However, Daryl evolves and becomes atrusted and valued memberof the main survivor group, forming bonds and friendships with them. Eventually, he becomes Rick’s right-hand man. In Season 1, Reedus was only a recurring cast member. The show quickly became a breakout hit, and by Season 2, Reedus' role of Daryl was upgraded to a series regular for the cast. Much as Daryl grew as a character throughout the show’s run,the fanbase for Daryl Dixonalso grew exponentially. Daryl is now one of the franchise’s most popular characters. He was also featured in the spin-off prequel video game,The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, and the mobile gameThe Walking Dead: No Man’s Land.
Norman Reedus' Audition Experience Has a Powerful Message
One lesson to learn from Reedus' experienceauditioning onThe Walking Deadis that he bet on himself. He was motivated to work on a new AMC show, and his instincts regardingThe Walking Deadserved him well. He took a chance, with really nothing to lose, by auditioning for the series. Rather than the expectation of him possibly playing Merle Dixon, Reedus instead got abrand-new character created for the showbecause his talents significantly impressed the creators, and they knew that Reedus should be working on their show. Had Reedus not pursued his ambition, he would never have become a marquee character for one ofthe biggest media franchises in the world, and now he’s starring in a new series as Daryl. Reedus’ act is proof that people have nothing to lose by trying, and even if it doesn’t work out how one expects, amazing things can still result from taking a chance on yourself.
