Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is opening up about what his "Walking Dead" family means to him.
Ahead of the season 2 premiere of "The Walking Dead: Dead City" this weekend, Morgan, who portrays Negan in the series and is an executive producer, said the latter role is "his favorite part" when it comes to working on the show in a creative way.
"That is your family," he said about the cast and crew in an interview with Variety. "This is who I'm going to spend half the year with, every single day, for 14 hours a day, so you want to find people that you love, because we don't want any as assholes on the show."
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He added, "'The Walking Dead' has always been really good at picking great people. These are people who are all still my friends, even if they're no longer alive on the show, and I can't say that about a lot of other jobs I've had."
"Dead City" is the first sequel to "The Walking Dead" franchise. It centers around Negan and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) who are "travelling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long ago off from the mainland," according to a press release.
"The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror," the press release continues. "In season two, in the growing war for control of Manhattan, Maggie and Negan find themselves trapped on opposite sides. As their paths intertwine, they come to see that the way out for both is more complicated and harrowing than they ever imagined."
Morgan, who joined "The Walking Dead" in season 6, which aired in 2015, said that he feels like "one of the veterans" of the franchise now.
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"I feel like I've earned my stripes," he said. "[Ten] years is a long time. This is not an easy show to do in any way, mentally and certainly physically, so I'm amazed by the fact that I'm still able to pull off my part of it."
"The Walking Dead: Dead City" season 2 premieres Sunday, May 4, on AMC at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will be available to stream on AMC+.
