'It was like being The Beatles': Jeffrey Dean Morgan talks about The Walking Dead fan frenzy in preview special

Jeffrey Dean Morgan compared being a cast member on The Walking Dead to being a member of The Beatles.

The 50-year-old actor during a season seven preview special on Sunday recalled walking into a San Diego Comic-Con hall as part of a panel for the hit AMC show.

The former Grey's Anatomy star said the fan frenzy was 'mind-blowing'.

Fan frenzy: Jeffrey Dean Morgan during a season seven preview of The Walking Dead compared being on the cast to being a member of The Beatles

Morgan, whose character Negan has had only 12 minutes of screen time so far, said: 'It's just a different deal. The amount of excitement and anticipation for this show is mind-blowing.

'When we walked out onto the convention floor it was like being The Beatles, I would imagine. It was that kind of crazy,' he said.

'I don't know if anybody else does get that reaction. I think this show has got such a special relationship with its fans. A lot of care is made to make sure the fans get what they want, which is a great television show,' he added.

Morgan also opened up about portraying the ruthless Negan in the preview special hosted by Talking Dead moderator Chris Hardwick.

Ruthless leader: The actor said he borrowed Negan's arched back and smile from a panel in the comic book

He revealed that he mimicked Negan's posture and smile from the pages of the original comic book, including a particular panel with his back arched and grinning.

Morgan explained: 'He uses it like a weapon. He can disarm you and it's threatening at the same time, but it's part of his repertoire, it's part of his charm. It's part of his brutality. This is a guy that could smile at you and smash your face in.'

Austin Amelio, 28, who plays Dwight, said watching Morgan transform into Negan was 'amazing and scary and kind of mesmerizing'.

Disarming smile: Morgan discussed how Negan uses his charm as a weapon

Coming soon: Talking Dead host Chad Hardwick welcomed cast member Austin Amelio and superfan Yvette Nicole Brown onto the show

Popular show: Amelio shared stories from the set and Brown brought the fan perspective

'He's like this Willy Wonka of murder, cane twirling and just oozing confidence,' he said.

Superfan Yvette Nicole Brown, 45, who sat next to Dwight in the studio, added: 'There's something about Negan. I'm listening because Jeffrey Dean Morgan is such a charming guy and I feel like it kind of rehabilitated him.'

The Walking Dead season six finale saw Negan wielding his barb wire coated baseball bat, affectionately named Lucille, and promising to end the life of one of Rick Grimes's group of survivors as they knelt in a line in front of him.

Charming guy: Negan smiled before bringing Lucille down on one of Rick Grimes's survivors at the end of season six

Fan version: The special included a fan re-enactment of the final scene of season six

Spot on: Morgan was shown posing with a fan dressed as his character Negan

Speaking about the season finale premiere episode, which will kill off one of the characters, Norman Reedus, who plays Dixon, advised: 'Get somebody you care about and hold their hand. You'll probably cry. You'll probably smash your television set, so surround your room with a lot of happy things.'

Melissa McBride, who portrays Carol Peletier, added: 'It would be wise if you have someone with you that you love. This premiere's going to be rough. There's no way to prepare for what's going to come and if you think you know what's going to happen and the way it's going to happen you're not prepared for what's coming.'

Showrunner Scott Gimple teased in an open letter to fans: 'Enjoy your summer because the beginning is someone's end… What happens in episode one will shatter the lives of those that survive.'

Good advice: Norman Reedus advised watching the season premiere with 'somebody you care about'

Premiere suggestion: Melissa McBride warned the season premiere would be 'rough' while Chandler Riggs recommended keeping your cats close

Open letter: Hardwick read a letter from showrunner Scott Gimple about the upcoming season

He also promised 'unthinkable dangers' and warned 'there will be blood'.

An exclusive sneak peak of season seven, which aired during the special, showed Amelio's character Dwight riding what appeared to be Daryl's motorbike and wearing his leather vest.

Speaking about his character's rivalry with Daryl, Amelio said: 'I get a lot of people coming up who are really skeptical of me and then I'll get some people who just walk by and then give me the finger.'

Got burned: Amelio's character Dwight is shown with burn marks to his face

He described the forthcoming Negan scene as 'really, really emotionally heavy'.

Amelio added: 'I can't even imagine being on the show for five or six years with most of those people. It was one of those things where you kind of walked away after it happened and it hung with you for a couple of days.'

The actor, who had never seen an episode of The Walking Dead before landing a role on the show, revealed that Andrew Lincoln – who plays Rick – was the first person to welcome him on set.

Good times: Brown and Amelio had fun during the preview special as they shared their opinions on the show's characters

'He came over to my trailer immediately and knocked on it. He was talking to me and had a Southern drawl and I was like ''this guy's so nice'',' Amelio said.

'My brother texted me and had seen an interview with him and said ''Do you know Andrew has a British accent?'' I was like ''No I had no idea. We just had a 30-minute conversation''. I had no idea.'

The preview special also teased the upcoming storyline with Carol and Morgan Jones, who separated from the rest of the group at the end of season six.

Evolving relationship: Morgan Jones and Carol Peletier have a new storyline between them in the upcoming season

Lennie James, who plays Morgan, said he was interested to see how Morgan survives in The Kingdom among a new group of people without Rick as an anchor.

'This is Morgan meeting people as Morgan, with people who have no knowledge of him and no awareness of his history,' he said.

'One of the things that's most interesting to me about Morgan is he smiles in The Kingdom and it will be interesting to figure out why that happens,' James said.

Key character: Lennie James discussed Morgan living in The Kingdom

McBride, who plays Carol, said she found it a challenge to portray a character who is the opposite of Morgan.

'It's always a stretch because Lennie, the actor who plays Morgan, is just so wonderful to be around,' she said. 'Working with Lennie James is like having a popsicle on a really hot day.'

The 16-episode season seven of The Walking Dead will premiere on October 23 on AMC. 

Big fan: McBride shared her joy working with James on the show