‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Star Jeffrey Dean Morgan Opens up on Negan, Rick and the Strange ‘Dora the Explorer’ Connection

Negan may still call Rick Grimes an “a–hole,” but Jeffrey Dean Morgan says there is much more behind that insult.

The latest episode of ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ brought Rick back into the conversation, even though Andrew Lincoln’s character was nowhere to be seen. While dealing with two rival groups from New Jersey, Negan told a story about someone he used to know who asked people three questions before deciding whether they could join his community.

Fans of ‘The Walking Dead’ immediately recognized the reference. Those were Rick’s famous questions about how many walkers someone had killed, how many people they had killed and why.

Negan, however, decided he had no interest in copying Rick’s method. Instead, he came up with a much more chaotic plan involving Lucille, a blindfolded Dillard and a piñata game that was definitely not meant for children.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Morgan explained that Negan’s feelings toward Rick have changed over the years.

“I think Negan a long time ago came to a conclusion that he liked Rick,” Morgan said. “I think he respected Rick, and one of the only people he really respected at that time was Rick Grimes.”

According to Morgan, the two men actually had more in common than either of them would probably admit. Both became leaders and were willing to make difficult choices to protect their people. The biggest difference was how they approached that responsibility.

“I don’t think they were completely far off in things they’d done and who they are. They were both trying to lead people. They were both trying to do right by their communities,” Morgan explained.

The actor added that Rick often struggled with the choices he had to make, while Negan rarely showed the same level of regret.

“Negan just did it in a completely different way — generally in the smiley, evil way,” Morgan said. “Rick had better reasoning and feelings over what he would have to do, whereas Negan never regretted much.”

That history makes Negan’s joke about Rick even more interesting. Morgan said the character could have simply described Rick as an old friend, but calling him an “a–hole” was much more in line with Negan’s personality.

The scene also brought back another part of Negan that longtime fans will remember. Morgan said the moment was designed as a callback to Negan’s first major appearance in ‘The Walking Dead,’ when he used a brutal game of “Eeny-Meeny-Miny-Moe” before killing Abraham and Glenn.

This time, however, Negan replaced the old rhyme with something much stranger: a song from ‘Dora the Explorer.’ Negan sings a violent version of the children’s song “Rompe La Piñata” while preparing to let Dillard swing Lucille at the two prisoners. Morgan admitted to Entertainment Weekly that he had never heard the song before filming the scene.

“I remember when that was scripted, I didn’t know what the f— it was!” Morgan said. “I was like, ‘What is this song?’ I had to Google it, and that’s how I found the song was from Dora the Explorer.”

The actor said the scene was especially fun because it allowed him to bring back the older, more dangerous version of Negan. He also enjoyed working with Jimmi Simpson, who plays Dillard.

“What I loved most about it was that it was Negan from years ago, enjoying this moment,” Morgan said. Morgan joked that Negan may have even found his perfect partner in Dillard during the scene. “I think that’s when Negan knew he found his soulmate. I was like, ‘This is my boy here!’” he said.

The two actors may have had fun filming the sequence, but Morgan admitted he felt sorry for the actors who spent the day hanging upside down.

“I felt sorry for the two actors that were hanging up,” he said. “Because they had to spend all day in that position. But I had a hoot of a day that day!”

For Negan, it was another reminder of the man he used to be. And for fans, the episode offered an unexpected Rick reference, a violent ‘Dora the Explorer’ joke and another look at the strange bond forming between Negan and Dillard.

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