Negan’s character on The Walking Dead is a stern-faced rebel, so it’s no wonder Henry Rollins, the front man of renowned punk band Black Flag, thought he was a shoo-in for the part.
If you’ve noticed the similarities between Rollins and Negan, that’s because Negan’s character in The Walking Dead comic book series was actually based on the punk rocker who rose to fame in the ’80s during his band’s active years.
According to Rollins, we weren’t the only ones who thought he’d be perfect for the part. In an interview with Forbes, the actor and musician said, “The internet was wild with speculation because in the upcoming season they were going to introduce the character.”
Rollins tried out for the part and really liked the script — he even thought he looked near identical to the character in the comic books. Unfortunately, the directors didn’t think he was the best fit, even if he was basically playing himself during a zombie apocalypse.
“There were five pages of really cool dialogue with all these curses and it was beautiful, but I didn’t get it,” Rollins said. “I had to sign one of those documents where you can’t talk about it but now it’s over and done with… So yeah, I was up for that part. I get great auditions, but rarely does anything come my way.”
Personally, we think Rollins would make an excellent Negan. In real life, the musician doubles as a writer and motivational speaker — he’s definitely the kind of person we’d like leading us in the wild world that is The Walking Dead.
Negan is played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and we think he does a pretty good job, too. Who do you think would make the better Negan?
