Walking Dead actor says he asked the show to kill him

While not as merciless as Game of Thrones, the AMC hit series The Walking Dead has proven that they have no problem killing a major — beloved — character at any moment.

However, before fans revolted when The Walking Dead killed Carl Grimes this year — and both Glenn and Abraham last season in the premiere — and Herschel way back in the day — there was Dale.

Honestly, not only was the death of Dale completely shocking but it was the first overly gruesome death of any beloved character on The Walking Dead at that point.

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Interestingly, actor Jeffrey DeMunn said in an interview with Cleveland.com that it was his idea for The Walking Dead to kill his character off the show. DeMunn, who stars now in Showtime’s Billions, signed on to the show when season 1 showrunner Frank Darabont was casting.

DeMunn also appeared in Darabont’s breakout movie Shawshank Redemption, and the two had a solid relationship. Fans might remember that AMC fired Darabont after the first season due to a conflict of interest, a move that has resulted in lawsuits for the last eight years between the two sides.

Jeffrey DeMunn is Team Darabont and that is why he wanted off The Walking Dead as soon as possible.

"Dale’s death was my decision. I was furious about how Frank was pushed out of the show. I spent a week not being able to take a full breath. And then I realized, ‘Oh, I can quit.’ So I called them and said, ‘It’s a zombie show. Kill me. I don’t want to do this anymore.’ It was an immense relief to me."

Fans might remember that Dale was the calm and collected voice of reason on The Walking Dead. He was always helping ease tensions when Rick or Shane or Daryl started to get out of line. He was also a close companion to Andrea, and his death was a catalyst for her eventual downward spiral.

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When Dale left, a hole remained in the cast until Herschel showed up down the line (and we all know what happened to Herschel).

He also was the first major character that The Walking Dead showed lying on the ground with more intestines outside his body than inside it.

Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) – The Walking Dead – Season 2, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

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Are you surprised that Jeffrey DeMunn asked The Walking Dead to kill off Dale? Was he right in standing up for Frank Darabont at the cost of a major role? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Twitter for more on your favorite shows!