As reformed bad boy Daryl in the hit series The Walking Dead, Norman Reedus has emerged as a firm favourite with the show's fans, especially the women. He gets all kinds of fan mail, including, bizarrely, silicone breast implants.
"Yeah, I get a lot of mail," the 43-year-old actor says when speaking to Life! and other reporters during a recent set visit in Atlanta, Georgia. The silicone souvenir had been sent by a fan who "felt I was depressed, and it was something to cheer me up", he explains.
That fan must have confused him with his surly character because Reedus is on top of the world right now.
For one thing, The Walking Dead's stellar ratings streak looks set to continue - its third season premiere set a new viewership record in the United States recently.
It drew 10.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched basic cable drama telecast ever in the country.
This popularity came despite an ensemble cast whose most famous names had initially been Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually, 2003) and Sarah Wayne Callies (TV's Prison Break, 2005-2009).
But Reedus, who has a 13-year-old son with his former long-term partner, the Danish supermodel Helena Christensen, may yet prove to be the breakout star of the show, with several promising film roles lined up for this and next year, including the action comedy Pawn Shop Chronicles, opposite Elijah Wood, and Sunlight Jr, an indie movie with Naomi Watts.
Unlike the other main characters, Daryl was not in the original Robert Kirkman graphic novels that inspired the show, nor was his brother Merle (played by veteran screen villain Michael Rooker), a foul-tempered racist who was last seen in Season Two chained to a building surrounded by zombies.
Reedus' sensitive portrayal of Daryl, the show's crossbow-toting anti-hero, has been so successful, however, that Kirkman, who also produces and writes for the show, has decided to write him into the comics, too.
This story was first published on Oct 23, 2012 on StraitsTimes.com. To read more visit http://sph.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/lifestyle/story/women-love-walking-dead-star-norman-reedus-20121023