Norman Reedus Says The Walking Dead Will Address Daryl’s Sex Life

Norman Reedus has heard "rumors" The Walking Dead will address Daryl Dixon's sex life, or the lack thereof. Now in his tenth season as the bow-shooting apocalypse survivor, Reedus' Daryl is the rare leading character to never have had a clear love interest: some thought a potential romance with Beth Greene (Emily Kinney) was blossoming until she was killed off in Season 5, while a dedicated portion of the fanbase has longed to see Daryl be coupled with longtime best friend Carol (Melissa McBride). Another faction of the fanbase wishes to see a romance develop between Daryl and Connie (Lauren Ridloff), who has formed a close bond with Daryl since first appearing in Season 9.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Reedus said on Popcorn with Peter Travers when asked about Daryl's lack of a sex life. "I've heard some rumors that they may address some of that. They talked to me a little bit."

A possible romantic development could happen in Season 11, now in development, but Reedus says creatives like showrunner Angela Kang and chief content officer Scott Gimple keep The Walking Dead "top secret."

"It's funny how much they talk to me and don't say much. I could spend hours with our bosses and they're like, 'I can't tell you that,'" he said. "But it's weird on that show, because in the beginning they told us everything. We'd get like six scripts before we even started the season, and now everything is just in secrecy. Because some of the zombie extras will go through the trash, and that stuff will be online, it's like everything has to be shredded. It's so top secret now."

During a 2017 appearance on Talking Dead, Reedus said he doubted Daryl "dated ever," even before the apocalypse. The actor later told The IMDb Show Daryl is "like a flamingo or a penguin. I think if he's gonna find [love] he's gonna stick with it."

"There's a lot of nookie going on in our show, and I'm not in any of it," Reedus noted. "I did kind of convince everybody that I was kind of a virgin and kind of a loner early on in the seasons, and I think they kind of ran with it for a while. I feel like Daryl doesn't really have game." Should Daryl ever participate in a love scene, Reedus added, "I would want it to be just super awkward."

Asked by TV Line in 2018 about a possible romantic storyline materializing in the then-upcoming Season 9, Reedus said that "when it happens, it's gonna be a big deal."

"But I'm glad that we have played him the way we've played him. I think if we would have had some hot steamy barn sex somewhere, it would be over and done, it wouldn't be a thing," he explained. "I don't think he's that type of a guy. I think he's the type of guy that when he does it, he'll be in love. Like he will fall in love. He wears his heart on his sleeve. Everything he means he says, when he cares about someone, he cares about them."

Reedus added, "And I think playing it in that direction is better than having an episode or a scene in one thing. It means more to him. He's sensitive."

New episodes of The Walking Dead Season 10 premiere Sundays on AMC. For all things TWD, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.