The Walking Dead Cast On Why The Season 7 Premiere Was Necessary

Glenn and Abraham having their heads bashed in on The Walking Dead wasn’t easy for anyone — including Negan actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Morgan joined The Walking Dead in its Season Six finale before he carried out the most brutal murders the show had ever seen in the Season Seven premiere. The episode was so tough for some fans, and it spurred a bit of controversy with viewers debating whether it had gone too far. In the end, it just wasn’t fun to lose two beloved characters and cast members in such horrible fashion. Though he had to be the one carrying out their send-off, Morgan shares the sentiment of hating to see Glenn and Abraham go.

The actor shared as much in The Walking Dead: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray collection‘s In Memoriam featurette.

“I’m not gonna lie, that did suck,” Morgan said. “I hated doing that.”

The cast and crew are aware of how integral to the series the moments were, though they seem to agree with Morgan regarding how difficult the days were on set.

“To lose those two soldiers and dear, dear friends… I sort of was in denial about the whole thing,” Rick Grimes actor Andrew Lincoln said. “It’s essential. What you’re feeling is what we want the audience to feel.”

“It’s always a challenge when we know a character is gonna go on the show,” series executive producer and director of the Season Seven premiere Greg Nicotero said. “We did the table read and people cried while we were just reading the script and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be rough.’”

Glenn actor Steven Yeun accepts his character’s death on the series in favor of furthering the story to deeper places. “I think this only makes the show better and it allows myself to have a completeness to it all,” Yeun said.

“The loss of those two characters will impact the show forever,” executive producer Denise Huth adds.

“They live and breath and love the show,” Lincoln said. “They’re best friends for life. That’s what it is. That’s what this show is.”

The Walking Dead: The Complete Seventh Season is available on Blu-ray and DVD on August 22nd, complete with additional featurettes and a number of deleted, alternate, and extended scenes.

The Walking Dead‘s sibling series Fear the Walking Dead returns September 10th. The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season on October 22, 2017. The Season Eight premiere will mark 100 episodes overall for the popular AMC series. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.