It’s not about the fees and the pursuit of more significant roles.
“The Walking Dead” has become a real phenomenon in the world of television shows, and much of the credit goes to the brave Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln. He, along with Daryl (Norman Reedus), became the mainstay of the series, and it seemed that it will always be so. But before the start of season 9, it was revealed that the actor was leaving the show, which made fans wonder what reasons prompted him to do so.
Of course, the first thing it might have occurred to him was that either for nine years Lincoln was simply tired of playing Rick, or he asked for an excessive fee, or even wanted to take up larger projects. But in reality, the actor left the series because of his family. Those close to Andrew live in the UK, and the shooting of The Walking Dead took place mainly in Atlanta, and the actor could not spend as much time at home as he would like. Therefore, he prioritized and decided that the role was not worth such frequent and long separation from his family.
Lincoln’s decision to leave The Walking Dead was a turning point for the series. The showrunners, having lost the main character, were forced to literally reinvent the story, and the six-year leap that happened in season 9 allowed us to show what happened to the main group of survivors without Rick. After that, the ratings for the show went up, and at the moment, fans are eagerly awaiting the premiere of the final eleventh season.
But Lincoln did not finally say goodbye to the role. He will reprise his role as Grimes in the feature-length trilogy currently in development.
