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As we approach the final episode of The Walking Dead, no character has come along further than Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).
Brought on to the series as the ultimate villain in the tail end of Season 6, he has learned the error of his ways over the course of several seasons.
But can the sins of the past truly be forgotten? Can the erstwhile villain of The Walking Dead be forgiven for killing Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) upon his introduction? We asked a man who has had many great scenes with Jeffrey Dean Morgan over these past few episodes, Khary Payton, this question.
Much like his character King Ezekiel, Payton is truly the embodiment of positive energy in the show. His response, while colorful in language, was equally hilarious and serious. Bear in mind that in the episodes of The Walking Dead leading up to the finale, Ezekiel reminded Negan that they are not friends.
What does the man donning the role think? Read on to find out!
Khary Payton is in two minds about Negan's redemption arc in The Walking Dead
Two episodes prior, Negan took the fall for Ezekiel, saying that he was the traitor in the Commonwealth labor camp. This was an unnaturally selfless move for a man who was known to put his own motivations and objectives ahead of the group he was in:
"Well, for the longest time, I was team – F*** Negan because you know what? F*** that guy. But the last episode or so has got me thinking. You know? Maybe there is some truth to his redemption. And the truth is I feel like we’re all worthy of some sort of redemption. So, I suppose that if that is truly the case, then I have to say that that’s the case for Negan as well. I think he has come far."
Payton continued:
"I still don’t know if I’m going to invite him to Thanksgiving dinner. But you know, he’s come a long way, baby. But he still hit Glenn, and I was looking forward to working with Steven Yeun. So I’m still 75% f*** you Negan. But 25%? 25 is coming a long way."
Feeling especially bold, SK POP then asked Payton how the final episode of The Walking Dead will conclude:
"How dare you? How dare you ask me how this is going to end, if I’m going to tease it? You know how cold it was when we were shooting that? How much blood that Ross (Marquand) had to slide his butt into? He got all weird and nasty. I’m not telling you a thing. And in fact, I refuse to let anybody tell you anything. You will see this in all its bloody glory in 6-7. It’ll be great. You’re gonna love it."
Looking over at the rest of The Walking Dead roundtable cast, Payton asked Seth Gilliam the following:
"Well, that being said, Seth, tell them what happens."
Ever hilarious, the man who plays Father Gabriel said:
"Well, it won’t be a cliffhanger. That’s pretty much all I can say."
Catch the final episode of The Walking Dead on AMC and AMC+ on Sunday!
