Andrew Lincoln has opened up about his experience finally watching himself play Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. The franchise star never saw himself portray Rick in The Walking Dead, as he doesn’t like watching himself act. However, he was an executive producer on the upcoming spinoff, necessitating that he be more involved with the production of the series.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Lincoln revealed what it was like finally watching himself portray Rick ahead of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live‘s release. Watching himself act as part of his executive producer role, he compared his struggle to “aversion therapy.” Check out what Lincoln had to say below:

I mean, it was the belly of the beast. It was like aversion therapy. I had a week of vomiting in my car while looking at it, but then was able to distance myself. The way I was able to watch it and get through the initial shock of me playing Rick was focusing on everybody else in it. It was amazing to sort of watch.

Why Rick Grimes Is The Face Of The Walking Dead

Despite not wanting to watch himself act, Lincoln has been portraying Rick since 2010, making his role one of the longest-running in the entire franchise. He was the leader of the core group of survivors prior to season 9, when he was whisked away in a helicopter by Jadis after sustaining major injuries. His appearance in The Walking Dead series finale teased that he was still a captive of the CRM, a militarized organization that will be the main antagonists of the upcoming spinoff.

Despite not being a main character in the franchise since 2018, Rick’s story arc helped shape the series and its exploration of humanity within the zombie apocalypse. Originally a serious yet hopeful Sheriff in season 1, he soon morphed into a murderous survivor that would kill anyone to protect his family. While he later transformed into a leader that wanted to bring survivors together, his journey showcased just how dark anyone could become when faced with a hopeless world of loss.

Since he and Michonne will be returning to the franchise soon, The Walking Dead‘s biggest story might just be told in The Ones Who Live. While it seems Rick’s story will be completed by the time the six-episode series comes to an end, his influence on the franchise is still prevalent. Perhaps there will be a future where he can reunite with other characters like Daryl and Maggie, learning everything that happened following his departure.