Jon Bernthal Legit Cried When He Was Killed Off On The Walking Dead – Looper

During a recent interview on “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” Jon Bernthal expressed his frustration at having to leave the series right after it began to pick up steam and become a sensation – and admitted that he actually cried when he saw them shooting a scene without him.

“I remember like walking out and seeing them sort of shoot this first episode that I wasn’t gonna be in, and I wanted to go say goodbye to everyone,” said Bernthal. “And instead of saying goodbye, I just sat on this rock in the woods and watched this beautiful sort of symphony of the barn was on fire, and there were all these zombies … and I sat there and I weeped.”

Bernthal described just how painful it was to see all of the cast and crew, who had become like a family to him at this point, continuing without him and realizing that he wasn’t a part of it anymore. He finished by reiterating how grateful he was to have gotten those first two seasons on “The Walking Dead,” though it’s clear he was incredibly bummed about Shane’s death in the moment.

Thankfully, Bernthal did actually get to return to the series during Season 9, when he appeared in a hallucinatory vision of Rick Grimes. Although Bernthal was clearly distraught at losing such an important role after just two seasons, the impact that Shane had on the show cannot be overstated — and his return in Season 9 is proof of just how important Bernthal was to the story of “The Walking Dead.”