While many eyes are peeled for the arrival of Negan in The Walking Dead Season 6's second half, another crucial new character from the comics will make his debut on the small screen: Paul Monroe. Referred to as "Jesus" by many, Monroe is an intriguing character to bring to life onscreen. Tom Payne, the actor who plays Jesus, recently described joining the show and also shared his thoughts on the pivotal part.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Payne discussed whether or not he had watched The Walking Dead prior to playing Jesus, and also revealed his real life connection to Andrew Lincoln:
"I obviously knew about the show but had only previously seen the pilot. Andrew Lincoln and I had worked together previously and also shared the same American voice coach... Andy and I are actually both from the same place in England and it’s always nice to support your hometown talent!"
Payne also touched on his approach to playing such a huge fan favorite character:
"I stuck to what I had in the script and discussions I had with [showrunner] Scott Gimple. It was a short period of time to prepare and a lot of information so I had to prioritize. Now I’m totally up to date with the comic books and can’t wait for the new copy each month!"
Readers of the comics know Jesus is a very skilled fighter—with and without a weapon in his hands—and Payne talked about that physicality in his role, as well as his character's razor-sharp wit:
"What I like about him is his control. He is physically and mentally capable, but is careful not to reveal his strengths too quickly. He has the measure of people pretty quickly upon meeting them and is always thinking about the best way to handle any situation he finds himself in."
The Walking Dead Season 6's second half premieres on February 14th. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates, and to read the full interview with Tom Payne, visit:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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