James Allen McCune, star of The Walking Dead, Confessed He had Nightmares after Filming

If you’re looking for gripping drama, coupled with a whole lot of gore and trauma, look no further than the first few seasons of “The Walking Dead“. Season 2 is particularly noteworthy in this regard; its finale culminates in an especially blood-soaked climax. Unfortunately for Beth’s (Emily Kinney) boyfriend Jimmy – who was played by James Allen McCune – his fate isn’t so fortunate as the Greenes’; he met his end at the hands of zombies. In a 2011 Reddit AMA session with fans, McCune even revealed that playing out those zombie encounters took quite an emotional toll on him too.

“I think everyone [has nightmares],” McCune told one fan who reported being haunted by zombies in their dreams. “It’s one thing to watch a show and get scared, but to see these monsters for entire weeks at a time up close, and to LIVE the situation really messes with your head. There’s some stuff towards the end of this season that kept me up at night for a long time.” Judging how Jimmy went out in the end, it’s not exactly a surprise.

No one will forget Season 2’s harrowing moments

Season 2 of “The Walking Dead” was packed with intense, emotional moments. One such moment that stands out is when Carol (Melissa McBride) discovers her daughter Sophia had been in the barn as a zombie all along. Although it’s a relief for some viewers to see Shane (Jon Bernthal) go after his erratic behavior, Jeffrey DeMunn‘s departure from the show as Dale Horvath came unexpectedly and resulted in an incredibly jarring display of gore and violence.

“The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman told MTV News that when breaking Season 2, they realized they needed a tragic end to one of their principal cast. “[W]e’ve never really had a zombie actually take down one of our main characters — at least not for a while, not since the first season,” he explained. “We wanted to remind people how dangerous these creatures are.” As the grim season came to a close, some of our beloved characters did not make it out alive – Otis (Pruitt Taylor Vince), Patricia (Jane McNeill), and Jimmy. The latter’s final moments were filled with terror as he screamed in fear, which is no surprise that James Allen McCune had nightmares following this traumatic event.