“It was a long audition process, and then I didn’t hear from them for a few months,” Walker said. “I mean the whole world was struggling to figure out what we were going to do next at that point. And then one of the showrunners, J.D. [Payne] called me and he pitched the part and pitched the commitment, which is large. And I could hear on the phone that there was a PA system and a lot of noise in the background, and I still wasn’t sure. And I said, ‘J.D. where are you?’ And he said, ‘I’m in the hospital.’ And I said, ‘Are you okay?’ and he goes, ‘No. My wife’s having a baby.’”
That Payne would be focusing on the casting of his “Lord of the Rings” series during a life event as momentous as the birth of his child put a lot into perspective for Walker. As the actor said, “He’s got the level of commitment you’re going to need to get this show to be where it should be. It would be a huge mistake to not take part.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
