Tom Payne talks filming on The Walking Dead vs Prodigal Son

Tom Payne played the character Paul Rovia aka Jesus, on The Walking Dead for three seasons. He quickly became a fan favorite on this series and his death was a shock. Now you can see him playing Malcolm Bright on the hit series Prodigal Son.

When he first came on to the scene on TWD, he was introducing himself to Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) with outstretched arms telling them they could call him Jesus. His demeanor was heavy with arrogance and he immediately made enemies of the duo when he stole their truck loaded with supplies. Luckily, things turned around and Jesus became not only an asset but a leader at Hilltop. He was well respected and thought things through before acting.

The death of Jesus was a shock, but honestly, it was such a cool death. The scene was dark, in a cemetery, the air full of fog, and walkers surrounded the group—walkers who would eat you without a second thought but weren’t capable of wielding a knife. So, when Jesus was attacked, it was a shock, especially since the attacker had a walker’s face and spoke.

It was a sad episode, but Jesus went out as a hero trying to defend his friends, who were more like family.

Tom Payne talks about filming The Walking Dead vs. filming Prodigal Son.

In an interview with Collider, Payne talks about his time on TWD and compares it to his workload filming Prodigal Son.

While he was on TWD, he was part of the cast and now, on Prodigal Son, he leads the cast. This makes time spent on the set vastly different.

When he was filming TWD, he stated that his apartment in Atlanta felt more like a crash pad than a home. He was able to fly back to LA when he liked since his schedule wasn’t completely packed.

As Malcolm Bright, he is the lead of the series, so his filming schedule keeps him very busy. Even in his downtime, he is doing interviews and appearances. He enjoys being the lead who can set the tone for the day when they arrive with a smile and happy to be at work.

If you haven’t check out Prodigal Son yet, you really need to. It is an amazing series with a stacked cast. Payne has really found his niche with this series. Best wishes in the seasons to come.