Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride happy 'Walking Dead' attracts diverse fan-base

Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Melissa McBride and Norman Reedus say they are happy Walking Dead fans from different backgrounds are connecting because of their zombie-apocalypse drama.

The pair appeared with co-stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Austin Amelio, as well as executive producer Gale Anne Hurd, at a New York Comic Con press conference Saturday.

Asked by UPI how it feels to put something out into the world that attracts such a diverse and passionate fan-base, McBride was the first on the panel to answer.

"It feels so good. It feels so good! I meet people that will go to some of the conventions, people that have met each other from around the world that never would have, had they not had the show in common and they're lifelong friends now," the actress said.

"I feel the same," Reedus added. "I remember I tweeted out a link to a person's hospital bill. A little kid, something bad happened to him and the family was trying to raise money for him. This was Season 2, I think. By the time I got home, they raised all the money and I was like, 'Whoa, I can do that.' So, from then on, I just try to do stuff like that all the time."

Reedus said he doesn't love when people argue online, however.

"You can post a picture on Instagram of a kitten and someone will go: 'Dogs are better! What's wrong with you?' I like [the one] side, the other side I don't totally get. But it's like Melissa said, I meet people all the time who say it's helping them get through stuff or they're lifelong friends. It's cool."

"Its why we have the #TWDFamily. It's not just everyone up here, it's everyone who's a fan of the show," Hurd explained. "It brings a diverse group of people together. I think we heard The Walking Dead is one of the few shows on television that is equally popular in red and blue states, and I think, more than ever, we need a dialogue between people and to find some commonality and really start to repair some of the tears in the fabric of our society and if this show and the zombie apocalypse and all these great people up here can help do that just by existing and continuing to make the show, I think that is fantastic."

Season 8 is scheduled to begin on Oct. 22.