On a gray Los Angeles day, I pull up to the location I was sent. Checking my maps several times to ensure I had the right address. This was the place I parked and reluctantly walked in. Where was my cover interview you might ask? Where else would you expect us to meet the noble rebel Norman Reedus? A lofty high-rise in Los Angeles? A sprawling mansion in Beverly Hills? No, that didn’t seem right! We caught up with Norman in a perfect setting to meet up with a Boondock Saint, in an abandoned warehouse in East Los Angeles.
As I enter the warehouse I am taken back by the large open room before me. The wrought iron beams and sturdy brick welcome me in. I hear “I Fell In Love With a Girl” by The White Stripes playing in the background. I see none other than Norman Reedus standing in the corner with legendary photographer John Russo behind the lens.
I have been on many NOBLEMAN shoots, but none like this. I pause and laugh quietly to myself. “Of course, this is where we would meet him, this is so perfect!” I say to myself as I get prepared to introduce myself to everyone. It was in this warehouse in East LA next to John Russo and his amazing team, that I learned a valuable lesson. Since when does everything have to be so clean and put together?
You show me a NOBLEMAN, and I will show you a man who might be well groomed but he hasn’t always been that way. Being a NOBLEMAN is synonymous with living joyfully and striving for excellence. You can never get to the top without getting dirt under your nails or a tear or two on your clothes. The NOBLEMAN spirit is that of courage, charity, and kindness. One who exemplifies such attributes on and off stage is none other than Norman Reedus.
Most known for his role as Daryl Dixon on the worldwide phenomenon AMC’s The Walking Dead. Audiences everywhere (including myself) quickly took to Daryl and his lone wolf with a big-hearted demeanor. The crossbow-wielding warrior with a soft heart valiantly crusaded across the vast zombie wastelands of Georgia.
NOBLEMAN had the honor to sit down with Norman to discuss everything from motorcycles to movies and more. Norman is not a man who knows how to slow down, that’s for sure. With the summer release of the Jeff Nichols film, Bikeriders. Norman joins one of the most star-studded casts of Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, and Austin Butler. His highly anticipated upcoming projects include Ballerina, a movie based in the John Wick universe the sequel to the groundbreaking video game Death Stranding 2.
Daryl Dixon, an addition to the already vast Walking Dead universe has already released two critically acclaimed seasons. Following our favorite crossbow-wielding warrior to the shores of France. Norman tells us that he believes that season two of Daryl Dixon is some of the best episodes ever of The Walking Dead.
Your character Daryl Dixon, has meant a lot to audiences all over the world. How do you handle that, and what does that mean to you?
Norman: A lot of people come up to me about Daryl, and say, “Your character helped me get through this chemotherapy, it helped me when my father died, it helped me get through hard times.” I think it’s because of how that character is, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and he never lies. He means what he says. These are his feet on the ground and he knows where he stands. This is who he’s going to be. He’s very comfortable with that. He does things that put him out of his comfort zone to help other people.
I put so much work into that character. I’ve changed that character. I’ve sort of had a trajectory, the waves behind me in that trajectory, seem like the right waves. Daryl Dixon was written quite differently, and I fought to change him and alter his path a little bit here and there. Those paths I think are what a lot of people ended up relating to. Like he was supposed to be a racist drug addict, like his brother Myrle. I wanted him to grow up along the way and be uncomfortable that he grew up in a racist family.
Daryl sometimes doesn’t seem like a character on a television show, he seems like a real person. I think a lot of people confuse me with that character. Which is good and bad at times.
What has been the best piece of advice that you have received?
NR: My pop used to say, “Life’s about choices”. That always made the most sense to me. You can choose to look at it this way or that way. You can choose to act this way, you can choose to act that way. I know it sounds simple but it’s very true. Spur-of-the-moment choices and how you perceive things in front of you can sort of make or break your path. – FULL ARTICLE IN PRINT ONLY
Words by Tom Burleson
Photography by John Russo
Styling by Jennifer Austin
Grooming by Kade Russell Jones
