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The Walking Dead Countdown: Why Norman Reedus Likes It Dirty—and Why Season Four Is the "Best So Far"

Exclusive! Will Daryl and Carol get together?

By Kristin Dos Santos Oct 08, 2013 4:00 PMTags
Watch: A Day on "The Walking Dead" Set

If you're a Walking Dead fan whose love of resident bad-boy Norman Reedus ever made you feel dirty, please know, he is so OK with that. He is owning the dirty.

"I get very upset if anyone's dirtier or bloodier than I am," Reedus tells me. "I occasionally try to steal the dirt from [our makeup girl], and take it back to my trailer, and roll around it in."

It's no secret that the actors of The Walking Dead are the dirtiest cast around (thanks for playing, Duck Dynasty!), as they shoot in the blazing heat in Georgia, and are routinely covered in dirt, grime and zombie guts—from head to toe. And now Reedus reveals he's becoming something of a regular at his neighborhood linens store. "I rent a house when I'm down there," he explains, "so I keep having to go and buy new sheets for the house, because I destroy so many pairs of sheets."

And if you ever see a guy covered in blood riding a motorcycle around Atlanta, you might want to roll down your window and shout "Hi Norman!". 'Cause chances are, it's him. (If not, um..call 911.)

"You know I ride a motorcycle back home and stuff, so sometimes I'll be so tired that I just wanna go home, but I'll ride covered in blood, and I get home and there's bugs stuck to my arms. It's kind of nuts."

Also really buggy? Season four of The Walking Dead, which starts up Sunday on AMC. Reedus insists, "This is our best season so far. I mean, the scripts are so good, it's definitely our A-game right now. We're excited. I mean, every time we get a new script, Andy [Lincoln] runs to my trailer and he's like "Have you read it? Have you read it?" I mean we're that excited back there, so I'm excited for people to see it."

In season four, Reedus' character Daryl will continue to exchange plenty of flirtatious chemistry with Carol (Melissa McBride), who even calls him "boo," but he plays coy when asked if they'll actually get together. Reedus also clearly has a deep affection for Beth Greene (Emily), as he impulsively ran over and tackled her in the middle of our interview. In the first episode, Daryl will have to deliver some not-so-comforting news to Beth.

As for the new threat? Reedus ruled out aliens, robots, Smurfs and Godzilla for us.

You're welcome, America!

Check back all this week for The Walking Dead Countdown on E! Online, with exclusive interviews with the cast each and every day.