There's A Big Reason Why Glenn Isn't The New Jon Snow On 'Walking Dead'

Glenn's supposed killer sets the record straight.
AMC

Jon Snow knows nothing, and neither do us "Walking Dead" fans.

(Warning! Spoilers for everything!)

With Glenn's shocking "death" on last Sunday's "Walking Dead," many fans are comparing him to actor Kit Harington, aka Jon Snow, on "Game of Thrones." Snow also appeared to meet his untimely end on the HBO show, but rumors and leaked images pretty much guarantee the character's return.

So could Glenn be the new Jon Snow on "Walking Dead"? Well, it turns out there's one major reason why he's not.

A big thing that seems to give away Harington's reappearance on "Game of Thrones" is that the actor didn't cut his hair after his apparent death on the show. But it turns out Steven Yeun, who plays Glenn, actually did. In fact, it was one of the first things he did.

Michael Traynor, the actor who plays Nicholas, told The Huffington Post that he and Yeun both hit up the barber shop after shooting the shocking scene.

"We did it together," said Traynor. "That’s kind of how we celebrated the day. We went to the barber shop. We got a little trim. It was good."

Now, Glenn's hairdo isn't really as iconic as Harington's. (No offense, Steven.) But, whoa! There aren't all that many barber shops in the apocalypse. (Not even Jessie's son Ron wants her touching his hair.) It does seem a bit odd for Yeun to go for a cut if he is, in fact, coming back. Then again, it is just "a little trim." Showrunner Scott Gimple already guaranteed we'd see more of Glenn's story in some way, but cutting your hair is definitely not a Jon Snow move.

In addition to the Snow rumors, Traynor opened up about the shocking episode, debunked some apparent "plot holes" fans spotted and talked about how it feels to be the most hated character on TV.

Image: AMC/YouTube

What was it like when you found out what you would be doing?

I read the script, and I emailed Scott Gimple immediately and said, "Oh my God! Brilliant. They're gonna hate me. Let’s do this."

Hah yeah, we all thought Nicholas was having this redemptive arc. Then this happens.

It felt good from the span of time between the season premiere and Episode 6.03. It was lovely to be one of the good guys in the eyes of the Internet. It feels like I'm pulling a ruse on people. I wanted to say, "Hey, don’t fall too in love with him, maybe?"

If Steven Yeun is Jon Snow, then you're the new Olly. How is it being the most hated character in TV?

You want the truth? It feels fucking awesome. It feels great. I get this gig and I had no idea starting out what it would be. I could’ve been like the equivalent of an Alexandrian red shirt on an away team who gets zapped by some walker in my first or second episode. And it’s turned into something where there’s this much of a reaction and this much of a discussion. It’s a really brilliant confirmation from the fan base that I did my job. It’s better than any award. It’s better than any perk or any party that people are talking about the story that I was involved in so, so, so, so … passionately.

Have you seen there's a "Fuck Nicholas" subreddit?

[Laugh] No, really? That’s awesome.

Yeah, you need to check it out. Every link is like, "Hey, maybe Nicholas isn't so bad," then you click and it's like, "Never mind, fuck you, Nicholas." What it's like inspiring the Internet like this?

[Laugh] That's awesome! It’s great dude. I mean, you know, you could've done this role and made it some milk-toast version of him, and I interpret the hate as a compliment to the job I did. I wasn't hired to be some lovable teddy bear in the show. I'm curious if people are going to start saying that to me. It’s like, "Hey, Michael Traynor! Fuck you, Nicholas!" It’s gonna be the new, "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?"

What do you think Nicholas' last thoughts were?

I just don't feel as though he thought he was effective. I think he feels that there was no solution and that he would just complicate things and mess things up or disappoint Glenn in some other fashion, and so he just eliminated the threat that he saw himself as.

He was trying to help Glenn?

I don’t think there was any malice to it. I think that the beautiful phrase of "thank you" sort of encapsulated everything. Now I know. Now I know what’s happening. Now I found a place of peace.

A lot of people wonder why they didn't just use the fire escape?

Oh, it’s blocked up. On the day, it’s so funny to spend all this time walking through how would we escape here, how would we escape there and what’s happening, and then in the final edit sometimes the camera isn’t able to give enough time on each possible escape to show that like, "Hey, we looked at it. It was barricaded," and then by the time we turn around all the walkers are swarming the alley.

OK, cool, but how many chain-link fences are in that town?

Well, it was a chain-link fence factory town. And ... no, not at all [laugh]. It just seems like it was a bad town to go do a scouting mission and try to run into.

I'm sure you're doing a million interviews on this, is there any question you're surprised you haven't been asked?

No one’s asking me what designer Nicholas is wearing, and I feel as though that’s a bit sexist because, you know, clothes make the man.

Who's Nicholas wearing?

It’s his own design. It’s a backstory I did. Nicholas was a fashion designer before the apocalypse. He wanted to make duck hunting look cool again.

Gene Page/AMC

Glenn wasn't in the "Talking Dead" "In Memoriam" segment. Why do you think it was important to leave his death ambiguous?

I think the powers that be -- Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Scott Gimple, Greg Nicotero -- those guys want to honor all the brilliant work that Steven Yeun has done on the show. Scott Gimple has said we would see more of Glenn’s story. And I think that for it to be so abrupt would be a disservice to the fan base and to Steven Yeun. They want to honor whatever the end of the Glenn/Nicholas storyline is. They want to really give it the due it deserves.

So could we see more Nicholas on the show, too?

Oh, that’s totally possible. I am constantly amazed by the inventiveness that comes out of that writers room. Those guys know the story, know the world and really have a sense of what the fans will respond to and do a brilliant job of leading them along in the story. You know there could be more Nick. There could be a spinoff. I see the Governor, Merle and Nicholas kind of at the gates of hell for "Walking Dead: Gates of Hell Edition."

What can we expect the rest of the way in Season 6?

I’ll tell you this, here’s an indicator of how badass and unrelenting this season is. Most of the cast and crew have been there since Season 1 or 2. Those guys are conditioned to handle the show, and those people are exhausted because of how unrelenting it is and the scale of Season 6.

So is Glenn alive?

Glenn will always be alive in our hearts no matter the reality of his fictional status.

Well, all that's left to say is ... thank you.

(And in the nicest sense ... f**k you, Nicholas.)

Image: HuffPost/AMC
Image: HuffPost/AMC

"Walking Dead" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

Also on HuffPost:

The Walking Dead

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot