Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead" introduced fans to a favorite character from the original comic book in Paul "Jesus" Monroe, renamed Paul Rovia in the show. Jesus is a bit of a mystery so far. He's willing to beat up Rick and Daryl and steal from them, but he also doesn't mind saving their lives. That mix of good and bad has fans of the show intrigued about his character.
"There's a lot about Jesus we don't know yet, but I think you can tell a lot by how he behaves with Rick and Daryl. He says himself, 'I think you know I'm not a bad guy,'" English actor Tom Payne told TVGuide.com following his "Walking Dead" debut. "Maybe because he didn't kill them, he's not so bad. But maybe he didn't kill them then because he's going to kill them later. Maybe before he ends up in the bedroom at the end, he's killed everyone in Alexandria. You just don't know. There's a lot of mystery, which obviously is quite enjoyable to play and I think is great for the show - that even at this point, six years in, you can still shake things up and bring in new energy. It's great to be the person who does that."
"The Walking Dead" prides itself on its diversity among cast members. There are characters of all different shapes, sizes, ethnicities and sexual orientation. Jesus may continue that trend, as he was gay in the comics.
"What I find interesting from the comics is that it's not a big deal," Payne said. "He just is who he is. And I enjoy the fact that in the show, they want to do right by the characters. So, um...you'll find out! What I will say is that the showrunners and everyone who works at the show respect the vision of the characters. I think everyone will be happy."
Also in the comics, Jesus is ironically known as one of the more dangerous characters thanks to his superior hand-to-hand combat skills. While we got to see a bit of that on display in last weekend's "The New World," Payne promises more action to come.
"Because in this world, what you keep to yourself is your strength. So we worked on what was necessary for that scene, but maybe in the future you'll see a little bit more from him in that regard. But he only shows as much as he needs to in a single moment. He shows a lot by how he gets out of the ropes both times, and that's a big reveal, how you can't keep him down. He's a pretty tricksy character."
