While Daryl Dixon never even appeared in The Walking Dead comics, actor Norman Reedus has almost become the star of the show. Fans have become obsessed with the rugged crossbowman and some have even promised to boycott the AMC series if his character is killed off. To satiate the hunger of some Walking Dead fans, here are eight things you probably didn’t know about Norman Reedus.
1. He has a titanium eye socket
In 2005, Reedus was involved in a car accident in Berlin. The actor was “jettisoned through the windshield and landed on the sidewalk.” He had to undergo surgery on the left side of his face and as a result, he now has a titanium eye socket, which would make him a pretty cool superhero.
When asked on Reddit what weaponized upgrade he would want for his titanium eye socket, Reedus turned down all of the listed options like night vision, x-ray vision, and hand sanitizer dispenser and instead asked for a “tornado maker.”
2. Reedus’ big break was… unconventional
Before he became an actor, Reedus was fired from his job at a Harley Davidson shop in Venice, California. That night, Reedus was discovered at a party when he got drunk, put on a pair of giant sunglass, and started screaming as loud as he could. After seeing this display of lunacy, someone asked Reedus if he wanted to be in their play.
3. He originally auditioned for the role of Merle
Reedus originally auditioned for the role of Merle Dixon, but the part went to Michael Rooker instead. However, showrunner Frank Darabont liked Reedus’ audition so much that he created the role of Daryl Dixon specifically for him. We’re not sure what his audition looked like, but we like to imagine Reedus stumbled into the casting director’s office drunk, wearing a pair of giant sunglasses and screaming as loud as he could.
4. He’s lives in the woods while filming
Prior to The Walking Dead, Norman Reedus had never ridden a horse or shot a crossbow, but since his breakout role, Reedus has embraced the part whole heartedly. While filming The Walking Dead, Reedus even lives in the woods.
5. He’s a video star
Reedus has appeared in seven music videos including Flat Top by Goo Goo Dolls, Cats In The Cradle by Ugly Kid Joe, Strange Currencies by R.E.M., Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead, Violently Happy by Björk, Wicked as it Seems by Keith Richards, and Judas by Lady Gaga.
6. He’s close friends with Andrew Lincoln
Daryl is Rick’s right-hand man in the show and Reedus is actually pretty close friends with co-star Andrew Lincoln in real life. Reedus even keeps a bag of Lincoln’s beard hair in his fridge and joked in a Reddit AMA “im going to clone him multiple times over and send and army of andys out in to the world.”
7. His tattoos are incredibly personal
Observant fans might have noticed that Reedus has several tattoos which include a devil on his right arm, a star on his right hand, two demons on his back, a heart on his right wrist, a snake on his left leg, his father’s name on the left side of his chest, and his son’s name (Mingus) on his right forearm. Although the biggest piece of news here is that his son’s name is “Mingus Reedus”.
8. Reedus has some crazy fans
Over the years, Reedus has been the target of some… passionate The Walking Dead fans. One fan even sent Reedus a silicon breast implant, which he now collects, “I just want to collect breast implants. I’m going to take them out of all the women’s bodies and just make a giant pile of them and lay my head on them. So, yeah — send more breast implants.”
While attending Walker Stalker Con, one “Walker Stalker” decided to make her photo op even more memorable when she bit Reedus on the chest. He didn’t press charges, but he did post a photo on Instagram in response to the incident:
