How Did Norman Reedus Land His Role in The Walking Dead?

Since bursting onto our screens in 2010, The Walking Dead has arguably become one of the most successful zombie series of all time. All around the world millions of fans tune in for each season, waiting on tenterhooks to watch the zombie-filled drama unravel.

In fact, the show was so successful that during the show’s fifth season, the average viewership stood at an average 14.4 million views per episode, a staggering amount in comparison to most shows. Over half of these viewers were adults between the ages of eighteen and forty-nine,

Due to The Walking Dead’s mass appeal, it is only understandable that fans have developed bonds with their favorite characters, and together, they have created the ultimate Walking Dead Fandom. However, there is one character that has become a particular fan favorite among the female demographic — Norman Reedus. So, how did he land his role in The Walking Dead?

What Other Series Has Norman Reedus Starred In?

As well as starring as Daryl in The Walking Dead, Norman has also been cast for many other roles over the course of his career. He has starred in his own AMC show ‘Ride With Norman Reedus‘ as well as starring in Marvel’s Blade II (2002), Deuces Wild (2002), Sky (2015), Triple 9 (2016), alongside many other roles. He also did voice-over work for the video game Death Stranding, playing the character of Sam.

However, not all the movies that Norman has starred in have received great praise. The film Deuces Wild in which Norman starred as Marco received some seriously unimpressive ratings, with a 51% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Many fans would consider this disaster of a film one of the worst movies that the Hollywood actor has ever starred in. However, despite the criticism, Norman still put on an incredible performance.

More recently, excitement has been building among fans for a new Walking Dead spinoff, which is set to be released when Season 11 of The Walking Dead ends. The spinoff was originally meant to feature Carol and Daryl, but unfortunately, news broke that Carol will no longer be filming the exciting new mini-series. It is rumored that this might be due to the filming location and that Melissa – who plays Carol – feels it is not logistically possible to make the move to Europe. However, there is still hope we could see her again in the future.

How Did Norman Reedus Land His Role In ‘The Walking Dead’?

After twelve years of seeing Daryl Dixon slay zombies on their screens, some fans have been left curious as to how the star actually landed the role, especially seeing as Daryl doesn’t actually star in The Walking Dead comics.

It turns out that Norman Reedus actually originally auditioned for the role of Merle Dixon, however, the producers liked him so much that they created a special role just for him, a new fictional character named Daryl. It’s safe to say they must’ve been seriously impressed with his acting. The rest was history. He has since gone on to star in all eleven seasons of The Walking Dead, much to fans’ delight.

After landing such a life-changing role, it’s not surprising that Norman has become best buddies with some other cast members. After all, what’s not to love?

During his time on the show, fans have noticed that Andrew Lincoln (who plays Rick Grimes) and Norman have become particularly close, often posting snaps together on Instagram for fans to swoon over. The pair have also often been seen pranking each other behind the scenes.

For example, Norman once tried to force a bunch of goats into Andrew’s trailer, and another time he managed to glitter bomb him. Due to their tight-knit friendship, it is understandable that Norman felt down in the dumps when one of his closest friends left the show. If that isn’t a true sign of friendship, then what is?

How Much Did Norman Reedus Get Paid For ‘The Walking Dead’?

Judging by Norman’s net worth of $25 million dollars, there is no doubt that he probably gets paid a small fortune for his role in The Walking Dead. However, just how much does the star get paid to be on the show?

Over the lifespan of the show, the amount Norman has earned for each season has skyrocketed. For the first season, the actor reportedly made $8,500 per episode, and as the show grew in popularity, this was bumped up to $350,000 per episode. This is quite the jump. However, he now reportedly earns up to $1 million dollars per episode, a jaw-dropping amount considering the show’s humble beginnings. This is on par with other main cast members.

Other cast members such as Andrew Lincoln, who plays the role of Rick Grimes, are reportedly paid $650,000 per episode. Considering that on average there are usually at least sixteen episodes per season, this adds up to some main cast members earning millions of dollars per season — not too shabby!