Norman Reedus says bringing The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon to Spain for Season 3 reminded him of the energy and excitement he experienced when he first began working in the zombie-apocalypse franchise more than 15 years ago.

"When you speak to a Spanish crew member, they want to keep going. They want to talk. France, it is a little bit less. New York, not at all," he laughed.

"People love to go to work every day. They talk about what we're doing. They're excited about what we've done. It feels a lot like the earliest earlier seasons of the flagship show. It feels like that. I've been chasing that ever since. It's like lightning in a bottle."

Reedus was also awestruck by the locations he has gotten to film in since Daryl was kidnapped from the United States and brought first to France, then to England and, eventually, Spain.

"The places that we film have a lot to do with our story-line. We filmed in Belchite where the Spanish Civil War was," Reedus added. "The architecture, the people, it's been a real joy."

This season also shows Daryl occasionally at odds with his long-time best friend Carol (Melissa McBride) over what battles are worth fighting and which people are worth saving.

"Daryl's a character that doesn't lie. He's gone from this [outcast] to somebody that he can be proud of being," Reedus said.

"Both of those characters have suffered abuse. That was kind of the common thread that brought them together in the beginning," he added. "You could hire two actors to play people that are that close, but you wouldn't feel it like you feel it with [our] Daryl and Carol. I think we've earned that. We've worked together side by side for a long time. So, I think it's a very genuine, earned relationship."

He said he doesn't even have to think about responding to McBride in emotional scenes, his reactions just come naturally.

"She tears up, I tear up. It's just how that works," he added.

Reedus, who insists he didn't set out to be an actor, said he learned a lot about the craft and developing a good work ethic during his many years on The Walking Dead.

"I did a lot of independent films in the beginning. I miss independent films. I was always kind of creepy. I always had that look that I might steal your purse," he quipped.

"But, this job I really got interested in the art of it, the editing of, the lighting of, writing of it. I really got involved, especially in the Daryl Dixon of it. I like to know what everyone does. I'm really interested."

The franchise also gave Reedus the unique and rewarding chance to start out playing a seemingly unlovable character who evolves into a hero and cherished member of a community after the world falls apart.

"He never lies. He doesn't waste time. He's not really interested in the superficial," Reedus added. "He doesn't care if his clothes are ripped, if his hair is messy or he's dirty."

When his brother Merle (Michael Rooker) was alive in the early seasons of The Walking Dead, Daryl seemed destined to follow his path as a racist and a drug user.

"But the writers let me do something with him that I'm really proud of," Reedus recalled.

"I wanted to grow up like that and be embarrassed of it. Be more of an Al-Anon member than an Alcoholics Anonymous member. Once Merle died, it gave him an opportunity to stand on his own two feet and slowly become the man that he wanted to be."

Season 3 wraps up on AMC Sunday night. The show has already been renewed for a fourth and final season.