Norman Reedus: “Do you really think Daryl is a romantic?”

The Walking Dead series: Daryl Dixon makes its return to Paramount + and also brings Carol Pelletier back into the picture. But don't expect a love triangle in season 2. The star actor of the saga tells us everything. Interview.

He is entering his 14th year in the world of zombies. Norman Reedus remains in France for season 2 of his series Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonwhich debuts today on Paramount+. A season where romance will enter the biker's life, with Isabelle (Clémence Poésy). Will Carol's return change everything? The actor tells us everything.

PREMIERE: You are back in France for this season 2. What’s changing?
NORMAN REEDUS: We have bigger scenes. More action. We still filmed a lot at Mont Saint-Michel. There are more characters. I like that we shed light on these secondary characters, that we talk more about Laurent, Genêt… And then Melissa (McCarthy) is back this year and that changes everything.

This season 2 is actually subtitled The Book of Carol. We guess these two will meet again…
In season 1, Daryl gets lost, meets new people who change the way he sees things. In season 2, Carol tries to find Daryl. So obviously, the public guesses that they will end up meeting again. The question is when? How ? That's what's important. And you will see, this reunion is truly delightful. The fans have been waiting for them and they will deliver.

Where is their relationship today?
Time has passed. Their relationship has evolved a lot over the years. They have known each other for 13 years. They have supported each other for 13 years. They changed with each other. They have already moved away, isolated in the woods, on a boat, etc. But each time, they end up finding each other. And this time, Carol tells herself that she can no longer just wait for his return. She senses that something is wrong. She has this feeling and goes looking for him. They have a connection there…

Why is Carol so important to Daryl?
The first seasons of Walking Dead were the adaptation of the comics. It really was the Rick Grimes Show, according to the comics. However, Daryl is not in the comics and Carol is very different. And in a way, they've been meaning to each other all these years. And their relationship thus won fans. The two characters supported and nourished each other for 13 years. This friendship between two characters who are not even in the comics is one of the strongest in the saga. We believe it because it rings true. There was never any question of him moving on, Carol. Let Daryl forget it.

Daryl didn't want to move on at the end of season 1?
He at one point considers staying and leaving his old life behind. But that's not what he does. He doesn't refuse to go on this boat that leaves in the last episode. He struggles to make his way to the boat. And then he sees Laurent on this hill who is surrounded by zombies. And Daryl isn't the type to let a kid get eaten by zombies. He chooses to go save this child and reluctantly sees the boat leave.

There is this budding relationship with Isabelle. How do you see it?
Daryl has been fighting his whole life. He was on the run his whole life. As an adult and even as a child, having grown up in a violent home. And then he says to himself that perhaps there is something more. That perhaps there is a life to be dug with her. He's not one to recite great love poems, but he wonders what possibility this relationship could bring. He had never considered this option before. The idea does not displease him. Because, obviously, he has feelings for Isabelle! They went through this mission together, they revealed their darkest secrets to each other. This isn't a relationship with little heart emojis! Of course not, it's not that simple. It's just that he discovers another possible way of life. Where is his place ultimately today? With her or with her friends from before?

Has Daryl become a romantic character in some way?
Do you really think he's romantic? Is that all it takes for him to become a romantic? No, I don't think so… I don't think he has what it takes to be a romantic.

And with Carol arriving in season 2, should we anticipate a love triangle?
No, there won't be a love triangle. I would just say that.

You've been playing Daryl Dixon for 15 years. Do you know how many episodes of Walking Dead did you play everything?
No…

In 180 episodes!
It's crazy!

How much do you think it has changed since then?
He is totally different from the character he was. I try to play a Daryl who has aged and matures before our eyes. He's a bit of a nervous guy, who was just fighting with everyone, killing zombies. And then he did heroic things and now he's less impulsive. He asks himself every time: what would Hershel do in my place?

As an actor, do you still find new things to play?
Of course, all the time. I see Daryl as a real person, constantly growing and evolving. His attitude changes, his way of responding to events changes all the time. He has a very different perception of life, death, the mortality of being. He reacts differently to his surroundings. Especially now that he is in France, immersed in a different culture.

Rick made his return this year to the saga. Can you imagine ending the series with a reunion between Rick and Daryl?
I don't think about it. These are ideas that circulate among fans on the forums… Afterwards, why not. It could be interesting to see them reunite. What would that give? In Europe? In America? I don't know anything about it at all. Maybe he could shoot a crossbow arrow in his back by mistake and scream, “Oh my God, that was Rick! I killed Rick (laughs)!”