Season one and two star of The Walking Dead, Michael Rooker, has had a lengthy career in many movies and shows, and since being on the hit AMC series, has gone on to star in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, as well as many other cool projects. But it turns out that the actor, who played despicable brother Merle to fan favorite character Daryl (played by Norman Reedus), didn’t feel that he or his early co-stars got paid their fair share.

In a recent visit on the podcast Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, Rooker commented on previous remarks he had made about the very little money the actors received in the first couple of seasons. He said:

“Were they cheap? Of course they were cheap. Come on, give me a break! Are you serious? Nobody got any money those first three, four seasons. And we killed it, dude. We worked our asses off and we made that series. But nobody got any money.”

All that changed when the series gained its massive popularity. And Rooker can see why it took until then for the big money to roll in. He said:

“But of course, you know, the show becomes popular and they started paying people after that. But I don’t blame them, I’d do the same thing,” Rooker said. “Why would I want to pay top dollar on a show that’s not proven? If I could get really good actors to do this for less money, go for it. That’s my producer brain thinking.”

He finally went on to say that the cast is obviously being taken care of now, and it’s a good thing because The Walking Dead isn’t an easy show to work on:

“But the older [stars], Norman and all those guys get plenty of money. And they deserve it. Dude, everybody gets hurt on that show. We’re running through woods, jumping over logs, dodging rattlesnakes, I mean, come on. Everything.”

Everything he said tracks, it’s just too bad that he got killed off before he got the big paychecks! The Walking Dead Season 10 finale, entitled “A Certain Doom,” will air later this year on AMC.