The Walking Dead: Norman Reedus Teases Daryl's New Relationships and Role in Season 10

The Walking Dead will continue to put Daryl Dixon at the forefront of coming narratives in Season 10, with Norman Reedus getting more to do with the role than he did for a few years following Negan's introduction. In fact, it was once statistically proven that Daryl had literally been talking less in Seasons 7 and 8, before new showrunner Angela Kang shot new life into the character with Season 9. Going forward, Daryl seems be tackling new relationships and leadership roles, which will be driving his story in Season 10.

"We did season nine and they gave me a lot to do and it's panned out for us," Reedus told ComicBook.com at The Walking Dead Season 10 premiere. "Nine was a great season. It's wild because I feel like Norman, you know with all the great actors and actresses that have been on this show, Daryl carried sort of the weight of these ghosts that have taught him certain things into the show and the things he learned from Hershel, things he learned from Rick, they're sort of helping him make decisions in this new season and I feel it as Norman."

On the heels of Scott Wilson's passing and Andrew Lincoln's exit from the series, Reedus has new inspiration to deliver with his performance as Daryl but also as a leader on set. "I feel I want to do a good job because of how hard those guys worked and they said, you know, set the rules. Alpha comes knocking on the door and she's like, 'I want my daughter, who's the leader here?' And I'm visiting and nobody says anything and I'm like, 'Okay, I'll talk to her.' It's like that a lot, it sort of mirrors life."

In the coming episodes, Daryl's relationship with Carol will be explored further while a new dynamic with Connie is also introduced. For example, the character is learning sign language as a means to communicate with Lauren Ridloff's Connie, the first deaf character and actress on the series. "I think it's great that you see Daryl trying to learn new things and learn how to communicate," Reedus said. "Both of those characters could definitely help us and so, you know, let's communicate. And both those actresses are such good actresses, it's fun. There's been some ASL that I've messed up on set and said a dirty word here or there by accident and they're like, 'No,' and I'm like, 'What'd I do?', and they're like, 'It's down here, it's not up here!'"

What do you want to see from Daryl in the coming episodes of The Walking Dead? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram and Twitter!

The Walking Dead returns for its tenth season at 9pm ET on October 6 on AMC.