Only a handful of performers on The Walking Dead have been with the franchise nearly as long as Norman Reedus. The actor made his first appearance as Daryl Dixon in the third episode of the series, before staying with the show for its entire 11-season run. Reedus is currently starring in a spin-off series, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. And if the actor gets his way, he’ll be playing Daryl for years to come.
During an interview with Mr. Feelgood, Reedus said he was willing to keep portraying Daryl for “maybe six or seven more years.” Reedus also noted that the Daryl Dixon series has reinvigorated his interest in the franchise.
“The Daryl Dixon spin-off has given me an opportunity to take the show in a direction that’s different to the original show,” said Reedus. “I didn’t want to make the same show again in a different location. I wanted to reinvent it. And they let me, with the other like-minded people involved, invent something new. So it feels fresh to me. It’s in a different language. It’s shot a different way. It’s not really about zombies, and who’s going to get bit this week, it’s completely different. So as long as I keep reinventing it, it’s fun.”