The Walking Dead’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan reveals the anatomical connection between Negan and his bat “Lucille.”
The Walking Dead Season 7 will brandish one of the most highly-anticipated moments in recent television history with the cliffhanger-delayed reveal of which described “beloved” character had their skull turned into a crimson dip covering bone-chip nachos thanks to the debuting Negan’s barbed-wire bat he affectionately named “Lucille.” However, according to Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan, the signature weapon carries phallic connotations contrary to its feminine name.
In an interview with EW, main cast newcomer Jeffrey Dean Morgan goes into detail about the bizarre relationship that Negan has attained with an inanimate blunt object. In describing the feeling of holding the signature (I daresay iconic,) prop, Morgan actually echoed the, “this is Lucille and she is awesome” line that Negan himself stated in the controversial Season 6 finale, calling it, “awesome.” However, his description of Negan’s deep connection to Lucille gets especially provocative, when he states:
“There’s something about her, especially when there’s blood dripping off her. There’s a certain beauty that she has. And for me it’s an extension of Negan. They become one in these scenes together. It’s his d**k. I mean, for lack of a better thing, it really is.”
Take the Den of Geek 2016 Reader Survey for a Chance to Win a $100 Amazon Voucher Right Here!
Morgan’s description echoes a famous line from Negan in the comic series in which he stated, "my d**k's so hard right now, I should wrap it in barbed wire and call it 'Lucille II'." Even from the limited amount of time with which The Walking Dead has been acquainted onscreen with Negan, it’s pretty clear that Lucille is more than just a prop in passing to the ravaging rogue. On a political layer, it is the deadly scepter representing to his regal position as leader of the Saviors and, by default, the remnants of civilization itself. As Morgan explains of the immediate gravitas Lucille seems to endow:
“It really kind of, for me, informed my character and who I was — just kind of the heft of her and the love that he has for her. It makes him hard, for God’s sake, just holding her. But it was great care taken with Lucille from the guys that built her.”
Moreover, as comic book readers have profoundly discovered with the Here’s Negan miniseries recently published in Image+ (I will avoid spoilers), the implications of Negan’s signature weapon being a piece of lifehacked sporting equipment with the name “Lucille” serve as a poignant amalgam referencing Negan’s (tragic) former pre-apocalyptic life. While Morgan doesn’t touch on this angle, his further description of the Negan/Lucille dynamic does seem to complement the idea. As he further explains:
“It’s how he walks differently with her, he holds her, and it’s a part of him. He uses her to emphasize certain points, not just ‘I’m going to kill you.’ There’s a thing that he has with Lucille, and it’s as close to love as maybe Negan will ever have. He loves Lucille. She’s a character of her own. I mean, she really is, and I love the way he talks about her and he feels about her and how he treats her. But yeah, the first time I held her I knew — this is it.”
Of course, the auxiliary cast member that is Lucille will be getting plenty of screen time (albeit while dripping in blood,) when The Walking Dead returns from its frustrating summer hiatus. Based on what's in the Season 7 trailers, Negan is – with almost comedic frequency – brandishing that piece of hardware like a demented Linus security blanket. Yet, said "blanket" will immediately be the instrument of what should be a shocking character demise – perhaps two, if a certain rumor holds true.
The Walking Dead Season 7 debuts on AMC on October 23, hopefully ready to see its cliffhanger gamble pay off.
