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Lennie James: No-one expected Walking Dead to be a hit

Photo credit: Gene Page/AMC
Photo credit: Gene Page/AMC

From Digital Spy

Lennie James has been with The Walking Dead since the beginning... and has admitted that no-one expected the show to succeed.

When the small-screen adaptation of Robert Kirkman's comic book launched in 2010, the public was more interested in vampires - with the Twilight films breaking box office records - than zombies.

"I swear to God, no-one thought we were going to get a second season, let alone seven of them," James told press including Digital Spy.

Photo credit: AMC
Photo credit: AMC

[Above: Andrew Lincoln in The Walking Dead pilot, 'Days Gone Bye']

"At the time, everything was [about] vampires and nothing was zombies and people were saying, 'This is never going to work!' - and now look at us!"

James first guested as Morgan Jones in the pilot episode of The Walking Dead, returning three years later for the acclaimed episode 'Clear' and eventually rejoining the show as a series regular from 2015 onwards.

"The success has taken me, along with everybody else, by surprise," he said. "Anybody who says they thought in any way, shape or form that this show would be as successful as it is, they're a liar and I'll tell them to their face!"

Photo credit: Gene Page/AMC
Photo credit: Gene Page/AMC

James has admitted that he "hated" working on The Walking Dead in the early part of its seventh season, but only because Morgan's storyline kept him isolated from his co-stars.

That problem will be rectified as Rick (Andrew Lincoln) draws the survivors together to declare war on Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in the next eight episodes.

"Certain events are going to decide what sides people take - and it's not going to be a clear division," he hinted. "There are some people who are going to go to the dark side that'll take you by surprise, and there are some people who are going to come over to the light.

"As ever with this show, nothing's going to move in a straight line!"

The Walking Dead returns to FOX on Monday, February 13 at 9pm.


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