Warning: spoilers for The Walking Dead: season 8, episode 8

While most actors express grateful platitudes once they’re killed off a long-running TV series, The Walking Dead’s Chandler Riggs has no problem appearing generally miffed he’s no longer employed.

The 18-year-old actor, who has played Andrew Lincoln’s young, one-eyed son Carl on the series since its inception, became the latest Walking Dead star to be brutally axed from the exhaustingly grim zombie drama last night, when it was revealed Carl had been concealing a zombie bite for several weeks, with his death now imminent.

Speaking to Hollywood Reporter, Riggs confessed his disappointment with the decision, which entirely deviated from the original Walking Dead comic book series.

“It was devastating for me and my family because the show has been such a huge part of my life for so long,” he said. “For a few days, we didn’t know what to do; I just bought a house in Senoia [near where the show films in Georgia]. That was a big deal that I wouldn’t be on anymore.”

Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes in The Walking Dead Credit: AMC

Carl’s death also led Riggs, who began playing the character at the age of 11, to change course in his personal life, having originally been planning to attend college this year.

“I was planning on going to college until I found out,” he said. “I decided that I wanted to not go to college for at least a year and move to L.A. and focus on acting and music. It ended up being a great thing because now I get to do all kinds of other stuff that I haven’t been able to do in the last eight years.”

After revealing that he’s yet to speak to Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman about his exit, Riggs also expressed some sadness at not being able to play out the storylines that Carl has experienced in the comic books, including assuming the role of leader of the survivors after being trained by his father.

“I was excited to do a lot of those storylines in the comics because there’s a lot of really cool stuff,” adding: “I didn’t expect for Carl to ever get killed off.

“But it serves a good purpose in the story. There’s still a little more left in Carl’s story — [when The Walking Dead returns in 2018] — and that impacts Rick, Michonne and everyone. Although Carl’s story is coming to an end it’s not over yet.”

Having since moved to Los Angeles to find other work, Riggs is currently shooting an independent film in which he plays, in his words, a “redneck lowlife.”