Matthew Lillard Was Up For Role of Negan in The Walking Dead

There are a lot of “almost happened” casting decisions in Hollywood lore, and the latest one is unexpected: Matthew Lillard was almost Negan. Lillard, best known for his role as Shaggy in the live-action Scooby-Doo films and Stu in Scream, revealed at Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta that the role was actually his for a few minutes because Jeffrey Dean Morgan was taking a while to respond.

“I got a call,” Lillard said (per FanFest). “They said they want you to audition for The Walking Dead. It’s a big part. I’m like, ‘Okay cool.’ I didn’t watch the show, sorry. So I went in to audition and they loved it. They were like wow they really loved it you’re in the running for this part. I’m like oh that’s great. It usually means it’s going to somebody else. And they were like hey they want you to come back and do it again. They don’t want you to be as funny, they want you to be a little more dramatic. I was like okay. So I went back in and did it again. And they were in Atlanta and I was working and doing the audition in LA. So they were like it’s between you and another guy and they want you to come in one more time. And they want you to come in one more time and they want to see if you can do both of them at the same time. Funny and dramatic.”

The other person was, of course, Morgan. Lillard said that the offer was out to Morgan soon after, but he took so long to respond that casting directors called Morgan’s agent and said they were moving on to Lillard, and Morgan then accepted. The rest, as they say, is history. Morgan has yet to confirm his part in Lillard’s account.