It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing the villainous Negan on The Walking Dead, but as it turns out, it could have been Matthew Lillard in the role. As reported by Fan Fest News, Lillard spoke with fans at the Scream Panel at Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta, detailing just how close he came to getting cast in the part. According to the actor, he was called in to audition and felt he did well, though he didn’t seem convinced he had secured the role.
“So I got a call. They said they want you to audition for The Walking Dead. It’s a big part. I’m like okay cool. I didn’t watch the show, sorry. So I went in to audition and they loved it. They were like wow they really loved it you’re in the running for this part. I’m like oh that’s great. It usually means it’s going to somebody else.”
Lillard goes on to explain that he was called in for a second audition for Negan later on, with producers telling him the role would either go to him or one other actor (presumably Morgan). As with the first audition, Lillard felt he delivered a strong performance, but he would ultimately wind up losing out on the part.
“And they were like hey they want you to come back and do it again. They don’t want you to be as funny, they want you to be a little more dramatic. I was like okay. So I went back in and did it again. And they were in Atlanta and I was working and doing the audition in LA. So they were like it’s between you and another guy and they want you to come in one more time. And they want you to come in one more time and they want to see if you can do both of them at the same time. Funny and dramatic.”
Lillard adds:
“I went in and I must have done it in that room working with the casting directors they really wanted me to get it. And they’re like they’ve offered it to somebody bigger than you, but the guy isn’t responding so you’re in the running. It comes down to me and this guy and I get the call that I don’t get the part.”
Negan is, of course, the most vicious villain to be featured on The Walking Dead. Nobody can forget his introduction, which involved murdering two fan favorite characters almost immediately upon his arrival with the season premiere of Season 7. That episode also officially serves as the peak of the series in terms of ratings, as it remains the most-viewed episode in the history of the series. The popularity of The Walking Dead has since been waning, though Negan remains one of its most popular characters.
Lillard is very well-known for playing Shaggy Rogers in the live-action Scooby-Doo movies. He has also lent his voice to the character in a variety of animated projects in subsequent years. Still, fans of the actor may not have a difficult time picturing him in the role of a dastardly character like Negan. It’s easy to remember him as the horror-obsessed maniac Stu Macher in Wes Craven’s Scream. In later years, he would also excel in more serious roles like ones seen in TV shows like Twin Peaks and Criminal Minds. He can now be regularly seen on the NBC series Good Girls.
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