Just like his fans, actor Norman Reedus couldn’t wait to be back in The Walking Dead universe.

But there was one moment about his return, that the actor, 55, was particularly excited about.

In an interview ahead of the new season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol, out now only on Stan, Reedus explained.

“It was the arrival of Carol, her first day of work,” the actor shared. “I think that seeing her on set got me going: ‘Yeah. I got my buddy back’.”

And what an iconic duo they are!

Reedus brings a “new” Daryl Dixon to Season 2 of the series, so he says. He joins Melissa McBride as fan-favourite Carol Peletier.

Norman Reedus returns as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2. (Stan)

Reedus said it’s a reunion he’d been waiting for – and one that will play out big on screens.

“I couldn’t wait for Melissa to get there,” he revealed. “I was waiting to watch her do her thing, and wow all these people over here! So it was nice to be reunited, for sure.”

Like Carol, we’ll learn Daryl has changed since the pair were last seen together.

“Oh, he’s so different than when he first started,” said Reedus. “I’m not even sure that the Daryl now would like the old Daryl, to be honest.”

“I think when he first started, he was a very… if he looks you straight in the eyes he’s gonna probably punch you in the face,” he said of his character.

“He didn’t want to hear anybody’s suggestions. He was doing his own thing… he wasn’t grown up enough to express himself.

“Now he’s learned from all these people that he’s lived with, and he’s fought with. So if a problem comes up, he kind of takes a step back.

Norman Reedus is excited to be back. (Getty)

“Now he’s hopefully a little more grown-up.”

‘More grown up’ is exactly what Daryl needs to be as he grapples with “parenthood” this season.

“When Daryl first meets Laurent, he just thinks he’s a normal kid and I feel like the pressure that has been put on Laurent is unfair,” Reedus continued.

Louis Puech Scigliuzzi returns as Laurent. (Stan)

He said Daryl grows into more of a “protector” role when it comes to “his parenting skills”.

“He comes from an abusive background himself so he kind of has a tendency to naturally fight for the underdog and look out for them,” he continued.

“I don’t think it’s super comfortable for him at times… but he looks at him as an equal, not really like a father figure in a sense.”

Reedus and McBride join an all-star cast. (Stan)

Set in France, Reedus and McBride join an all-star cast for the new season, including Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Laika Blanc Francard, Anne Charrier, Romain Levi and Eriq Ebouaney.

The brand new season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol is out now, only on Stan.

Nine Entertainment Co (the publisher of this website) owns and operates the streaming service Stan.