I Hated Doing That: 'The Walking Dead' Season 7 Premiere Was As Hard On The Cast As It Was On Fans

When Season 6 of The Walking Dead wrapped up, fans of the zombie series knew something was going to happen, but they had way of knowing just how intense the Season 7 premiere would actually be. Just as it was for some fans, the intensity of the premiere was brutal on the cast, as well. Having Glenn and Abraham both be turned into batting practice for Negan was almost too much for #JeffreyDeanMorgan, the actor responsible for bringing the ruthless brutality of Negan to life.

With the incredible amount of violence in The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere, fans were left shocked at the loss of two beloved characters in such a brutal manner. Morgan shared his feelings about the premiere in a featurette in The Walking Dead: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray collection—and just like Negan, he was to the point:

"I'm not gonna lie, that did suck. I hated doing that."

Although the gratuitous violence caused some fans to stop watching the show, the ones who chose to stick around were rewarded with one of the most suspenseful seasons of the series. With all the challenges of creating an engaging story for #TheWalkingDead, the cast understood the importance of the scene in which both Glenn and Abraham fell.

What else did the cast have to say?

Jeffrey Dean Morgan wasn't the only actor to have difficulty accepting the events of the last season's premiere, as the rest of the cast had equally emotional times with the deaths of Glenn and Abraham. #AndrewLincoln, whose character Rick Grimes has seen a lifetime of death and brutality, understood the need for the scene even though it was difficult to put on screen.

"To lose those two soldiers and dear, dear friends... I sort of was in denial about the whole thing. It's essential. What you're feeling is what we want the audience to feel."

Even though their death was over a year ago, it still sits as one of the most powerful reminders of how pivotal a character death can be. If you want to hear more memories and comments about the shocking premiere, the Blu-ray collection is available on August 22nd. The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season and 100th episode on October 22nd.