You’ll Never Guess Who Matthew Lillard Auditioned to Play on THE WALKING DEAD
For horror fans, Matthew Lillard will forever be remembered as affable psychotic Stuart from 1996’s Scream. Playing Shaggy in a couple of Scooby-Doo movies only cemented his image as a loveable misfit. So it’s surprising to learn that, at one point in his career, he auditioned to play one of TV’s toughest alpha-males: Negan on The Walking Dead.
While it’s hard to imagine anyone besides Jefferey Dean Morgan playing Negan, Lillard told fans at Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta that he came close to nabbing the job. Fan Fest News quotes the Scream actor:
“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 [for Negan] 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.
“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.”
You can see what Negan is up to (and just try to imagine Lillard playing the part!) when the next episode of The Walking Dead airs this Sunday at 9 pm on AMC.
Are you a fan of The Walking Dead? Can you imagine Matthew Lillard playing Negan? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
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