Walking Dead alum Michael Cudlitz says newest role is "one of the most collaborative experiences"

Actor and director Michael Cudlitz is fondly remembered for portraying Abraham Ford in AMC's The Walking Dead. In the season 7 opener, Abraham and Glenn (Steven Yeun) were brutally bludgeoned by the series' newest villain, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). This scene was deemed unnecessary and overly brutal for many viewers, significantly affecting viewership. In 2023, Cudlitz was cast as Lex Luther in The CW series Superman & Lois.

The series is currently in its fourth and final season, a project that Cudlitz states is "One of the most collaborative creative experiences of my entire career." He has starred in the series for seasons 3 &4 and directed episode 8, "Sharp Dressed Man," of the final season. He is no stranger to the director's chair as he directed episodes of The Walking Dead and World Beyond.

Cudlitz talked with Entertainment Weekly about Luther's transformation in the eighth episode, which focused on Luther, requiring Cudlitz to perform a juggling act of acting and directing. Viewers appreciated the new Luther introduced in season 3, who was drastically different from the clean-cut version most people associate with the DC villain. In episode 8, Cudlitz's Luther revealed a new look more in keeping with the traditional look of the character. This was all part of his master plan to ruin Superman and Lois.

"It was awesome. I felt like we'd come full circle, finishing up the season with, like you just said, this iconic, traditional, current-day Lex look." - Michael Cudlitz

Superman & Lois will release the final two episodes of the series on Nov. 25 and Dec. 2.

Below you can listen to Cudlitz talk about being cast as Lex Luther.

Michael Cudlitz

Since his departure from The Walking Dead, Cudlitz has been very busy. He returned to TWDU to direct 4 episodes of the main series and two of the spinoff The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Some of his more recent roles include Bosch: Legacy, Manifest West, and Red Stone.

In 2023, he had a role in the movie Beautiful Disaster starring Dylan Sprouse and Virginia Gardner. The story follows Abby (Gardner) who is the process of reinventing herself when she meets bad boy Travis Maddox (Sprouse). He becomes more intrigued with her as she continues to resist his charms, but can she continue this path while also battling against her dark past? Cudlitz portrays Travis' father, Jim. The movie also stars Autumn Reeser, Libe Barer, Brian Austin Green, Austin North, Rob Estes, and Samuel Larsen.

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