Dead City: Jeffrey Dean Morgan Unpacks One of Negan's Most Brutal Scenes Yet

In the latest episode of The Walking Dead: Dead City, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the star of the show, had a surprising reaction to Negan's use of a cheese grater in a particularly graphic brawl.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: Dead City Episode 3, "People Are a Resource."

According to Entertainment Weekly, Morgan discussed a specific confrontation where Negan confronts Luther, his former ally turned enemy, after Luther comes across a wanted poster featuring Negan's face. The ensuing brawl between the two characters sees Morgan's Negan reach for a cheese grater, using it as a surprisingly effective weapon. "The face-grating killed me," Morgan remarked. "I was genuinely surprised that Negan would resort to using a cheese grater in a fight. But given that Luther is a big guy, standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing over 200 pounds of muscle, Negan had to find a way to defend himself. Negan is not physically imposing like Luther."

Despite the significant size difference, Morgan explained that Negan's past experiences and the surge of adrenaline during the fight justified his victory. "When survival instinct kicks in, you start thinking about what you can use as a weapon to fight back. In this case, a cheese grater was conveniently within reach and it helped Negan fend off his opponent," Morgan clarified. The actor also acknowledged that the brutal moment might have seemed like a regression for Negan's character but emphasized that he did try to avoid the fight. "There's a whole sequence leading up to the cheese grater scene where I'm attempting to avoid engaging in a physical confrontation with Luther. I warn him multiple times, saying, 'I don't want it to come to this. It doesn't have to escalate like this'," Morgan revealed.

An OId-School Negan

Morgan has extensively discussed the challenging circumstances that Dead City thrusts upon Negan, assuring fans that while the character has made efforts to change his ways, it doesn't mean he won't resort to ruthless actions when necessary. "Negan has come a long way in the original show, but in Dead City, we find him in a different predicament," Morgan expressed. "He's been separated from the group for a few years now, and in some ways, he has regressed a bit because, above all, he is a survivor. Survival is his primary instinct."

In The Walking Dead: Dead City, Negan finds himself forming an unlikely alliance with his former adversary Maggie Greene (played by Lauren Cohan) as they embark on a perilous mission that leads them deep into a walker-infested New York City. Their primary goal is to locate Hershel, Maggie's kidnapped son, who has been taken by a mysterious villain known as The Croat, a person with connections to Negan's haunting history.

New episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City premiere every Sunday on AMC and are also available for streaming on AMC+.

Source: EW