The Walking Dead alum Xander Berkeley cast in new project

Xander Berkeley played Gregory, leader of Hilltop on The Walking Dead, for three seasons. If you are a fan of Berkeley’s, you know he is an extremely talented actor, which enabled him to portray such a sniveling, backstabbing person.

Berkeley told The Hollywood Reporter that he took the part of Gregory for his death scene.

"“It was in the comic book, so people would say to me, ‘Do you know about that? Have you seen the comic book?’ And I would say, ‘Yeah, that’s why I took this job. I was always looking forward to the hanging, because it was death that I had yet to experience, and I’ve made my living dying.”"

Gregory made quick enemies when Rick’s group was introduced to the Hilltop inhabitants. He was condescending, narcissistic and a coward who hid behind the walls of Hilltop. He was hospitable in the fact that he wanted the dirty rag-tag looking group to wash up since he tries to keep Hilltop clean.

During his first meeting with Maggie, he gets her name wrong, most likely to keep the upper hand. Instead of listening to what she has to say, he tries to flirt with her. This whole time he feels this group has nothing to offer Hilltop, but when they take care of the group who attack Gregory on Negan’s orders, he changes his tune.

Up next, Xander Berkeley will portray George Shultz in the Reagan movie.

Berkeley is extremely talented and has had a long and impressive career. He can be seen in projects like Mommie Dearest, Candyman, The Rookie, Air Force One and 24, to name only a few. He is also a very talented painter, sculptor and make-up artist. He did his own makeup in 24 when his character started to experience the effects of radiation sickness.

It was recently announced that Berkeley would portray George Shultz, who died at the age of 100 this past week, in the movie Reagan. Shultz is a former secretary of state during Reagan’s term.

Berkeley told Newsweek it is an honor to portray one of America’s unsung heroes.

"“It was a privilege to portray one of America’s unsung heroes, George Shultz, someone who, without ever trying to draw attention to himself, helped negotiate a peaceful end to the Cold War, without a life being lost,”"

Reagan is due in theaters sometime in 2021 and also stars Dennis Quaid, who will portray President Ronald Reagan.

Other upcoming projects for Berkeley include Lockdown, a film set in a pandemic where an actor auditioning via video has to pass tests to keep people around him alive. Another project is called Not Born, which is described as a comedy-drama. The synopsis for this reads: “What happens when you secretly pay a friend to romance your Mom?”

Berkeley will also be in attendance at Wizard World’s Candyman virtual event. This will be an amazing opportunity to listen to a panel of the original cast, including Berkeley, Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen and Bernard Rose. The event runs February 13-20, and you can find all the information on the Wizard World page.  

Be sure to watch for Xander Berkeley in his upcoming projects.