So how is it that Jeffrey Dean Morgan can go from playing a killer like Negan to a softhearted dad? Well, turns out it’s just a 45-minute journey, and that is wild to me.
Recently, Morgan has taken on the role of Joe, a father in the latest series on Amazon Prime, Sterling Point. But of course, to us The Walking Dead fans, it can be hard for us to imagine how he can go from a bat-wielding maniac (occasionally) to a loving father, as he was filming both this and the third season of Dead City simultaneously.
Morgan actually spoke about that in a recent interview with The Seattle Times when discussing Sterling Point. The actor revealed that it was mainly the plane ride between both Canada and Boston, where Dead City was filmed, that he would metaphorically “shift” into a Negan mindset:
“It was like a 45-minute flight, and I’d use that time to get into my headspace to change between characters.”
To me, that is crazy. Then again, I’m not an actor, so I don’t really know what it takes to shift from character to character. But the idea of completely changing up your personality in a 45-minute plane ride so drastically makes my head hurt. But I suppose that’s why Morgan has always been a bit of a chameleon to me—he can take on different roles without blinking an eye.
When discussing Sterling Point, Morgan also spoke about how lovely it was not to play just a bat-wielding fool like he has been for nearly a decade (since his debut in the season 6 finale of The Walking Dead). Playing a role that encompasses being a father means the world to him, as that is what he is in real life:
“The fact that I’m still playing Negan is pretty crazy to me…The opportunity to play just a father—not someone wielding a bat and killing people—a father that’s going through the issues of raising his son, trying to keep his marriage together, then having all this stuff fall into his lap and trying to juggle that, was very appealing to me.”
In fact, Sterling Point has become more of a family affair for Morgan and his own son, Augustus (referred to as Gus), as he has a small part in the series, according to Entertainment Weekly. So to see him take on that part with his dad is really freaking cool.
But to be fair, it is also insane that Morgan is still at it years later as Negan; I can fully agree on that. That cliffhanger still haunts me to this day. But to see him take on a role as simple as Sterling Point is refreshing. That being said, I am fully prepared for whatever chaos Dead City is going to bring, and I, for one, will enjoy it while going back and forth between Morgan as a killer and Morgan as a dad.
If you want to catch Morgan (and his son!) over on Sterling Point, you can check the show out on Amazon Prime.
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