The Walking Dead’s Chad Coleman on the Midseason Premiere: “I Guess I Didn’t See It Coming”

When he first read the script for the heartbreaking midseason premiere of The Walking Dead, actor Chad L. Coleman was surprised to see the end coming for one of the series’ most iconic characters.

That the character in question was Tyreese, played by Coleman, probably made it a little harder to swallow. And while fans have been expecting the ax to fall on the gentle giant for a while now (his character in the comic books was long gone by this point), the actor himself wasn’t quite there yet, according to comments he made during a Reddit AMA earlier this evening.

“I was surprised when I found out. I probably said ‘Wow’ about 500 times. I guess I didn’t see it coming,” Coleman told a fan who asked about his response to the recent episode, which centered on his character’s death. “My favorite thing being on the show was being given some incredibly challenging work, and working alongside some incredibly talented writers, actors, producers, and a great crew. And to be be able to make an impact. I mean, all actors want to be relevant. So to know that you guys love it, in the way that you do, is incredibly gratifying.”

He added numerous times during the Q&A that the hardest part about leaving wasn’t shooting the episode itself, but losing the regular contact with the close-knit Walking Dead family on set.

Coleman is currently serving as an executive producer for Treadwater, a graphic novel and motion comics franchise. The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.