The Walking Dead: Scott Wilson Knew Hershel Would Die Because Of His Speech

On The Walking Dead, there are often ominous signs a character is about to bow. Among them is development. Whenever an ancillary character is given excessive emotional beats, they typically have one foot out the door.

For example, let’s look at Sasha’s most recent season on The Walking Dead. She was given a romance with Abraham. She took on the mission of killing Negan and, along the way, opened up to Rosita during an emotional conversation. How did it all go for her? She died.

The same can be said for Hershel Greene who rose into a position of leadership during The Walking Dead‘s third season. The instant Hershel actor Scott Wilson read the iconic “risk your life” speech which implored the group to act selflessly, he knew his days on the show were numbered. Hear it from Wilson himself in the video above.

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“Soon as I read that, I knew I was dead,” Wilson said during a panel at Walker Stalker Con. “That’s it. That scene, Hershel became more proactive. Usually, he was reactive. He was reactive to the issues of the characters around him. He was good but he was reactive. In that, he comes out and he was proactive and he says, ‘This is what you should do,’ and he’s reaching the point where you can do without him.”

Wilson does, however, have a prideful take on how he believes his beloved Hershel Greene should be remembered.

“Well, it isn’t like Hershel was a saint,” Wilson said. “He went into town, to the bar… The interesting thing about Hershel to me, was that he thought walkers could be redeemed. He thought they could be brought back. We just needed a cure. He found out at the barn scene, from Shane, that there was no bringing these guys back. His wife was in the barn, his friends, his neighbors, everyone was in the barn. So, he went into town and had a few drinks and realized he had been wrong but he never changed who he was.”

Hershel only wanted the best for the people around him.

“He was looking out for the best interest of the people who had become walkers before he found out they couldn’t be brought back,” Wilson said. “And, after he found out, he was still looking out for the best interest of the people that were there, so he never really changed who he was. It was just a loss for him that he knew he wouldn’t be meeting the people that he knew again. It was an interesting character and a lot of people think he started thinking differently but, basically, he didn’t.”

MORE WALKING DEAD: Season 8 Trailer Details Revealed / FTWD Teases Mutant Super Zombie / Steven Yeun Breaks Silence Since Leaving TWD / Is Jadis Going To A Whisperer? / FTWD: Who Killed Spoiler Revealed / Ross Marquand Promises A Massive TWD Season 8 / How Fear’s Madison Might Be Connected To TWD

Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season in October of 2017. The first trailer is expected to arrive at San Diego Comic Con in July. For complete coverage and insider info all off-season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.