As fans, we form a bond with the stories we love, but perhaps even more so with the actors who bring those stories to life. Over time, we grow so accustomed to seeing a certain face deliver a character’s lines, a certain voice carry their emotions, and a certain presence embody their every move, that it becomes impossible to imagine anyone else stepping into that role.
Walking Dead fans know exactly what we're talking about. Rick Grimes isn’t just a character. You can’t imagine him without that particular actor giving him every ounce of grit, vulnerability, and stubbornness. But let's imagine this for a moment. What if someone else had taken that role? What if Andrew Lincoln hadn’t been cast as Rick? For years, fans have come to see Lincoln as the face of The Walking Dead. Yet behind the scenes, the role nearly went to someone else entirely.
Jon Bernthal was close to taking on the role of Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead
It might be wild to think about, but it's true. Jon Bernthal, who is best known for starring as Shane Walsh in the zombie series, was just one step away from becoming Rick Grimes. The Walking Dead casting directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas spoke with Business Insider in a 2017 interview and revealed these juicy deets.
Of course, Lincoln wasn't the only actor to go up for this iconic role. That's not how auditions work. While it's unknown how many actors actually auditioned for Rick, Bernthal and Ethan Embrey (Can't Hardly Wait) are two others who went through the process. But while rumors circulated that Embrey came closest to snagging the role, the truth is that Bernthal was the one who got the furthest.
Bialy told Business Insider that Bernthal made it past the auditioning stage and advanced to the final rounds of testing, which is either a screen test or a chemistry read. Embrey, on the other hand, never made it that far.
"But I would say probably Jon was the closest to get it, 'cause we tested him. There's a big difference... between auditioning for a part and testing. Being in that final three that do either a screen test or a chemistry test, is a very different process than just auditioning and coming in the room with us."
So, why didn't Bernthal end up as Rick? According to Bialy, while Bernthal was incredibly close, showrunner Frank Darabont ultimately felt he was better suited for Shane. The show's casting team then had to continue their search for the perfect Rick Grimes and eventually landed on Lincoln, a relatively unknown actor in the U.S. at the time. What a twist of fate that was! But ultimately, everything went the way it should.
Bernthal is a phenomenal actor, no doubt, but the role of Shane was a much better fit for him. The same goes for Lincoln. It's hard to imagine anyone else bringing Rick to life the way Lincoln did. A huge reason why The Walking Dead is so iconic and beloved is its perfect casting.
I'm not saying Bernthal wouldn’t have crushed it as Rick, but who’s to say the show would have resonated with fans in the same way, or become the cultural phenomenon it is today? Sometimes, it’s all about the right actor in the right role at the right moment, and for The Walking Dead, that moment belonged to Lincoln.