‘Sons of Anarchy’ Star Ryan Hurst Speaks out After Joining ‘The Walking Dead’

Actor Ryan Hurst has spoken out after news broke that he was cast as the villain Beta in The Walking Dead.

Hurst, best known for playing Opie on Sons of Anarchy, took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to tease his role and build hype.

“SHHHHHH!!!! Just a Whisper,” he wrote, adding a hashtag for the hit AMC show and an illustration of the character he will be playing.

Hurst’s caption is a reference to Beta‘s background as a member of The Whisperers. In fact, Beta originally appeared the Walking Dead comic series’ 154th issue as the group’s second-in-command.

In the comics, Beta rises up to become the leader of the Whisperers, but it is unclear if that is what is in store for Hurst’s on-screen version of the character.

SoA fans will recognize Hurst from his five-season stint as Opie. He was one of the key supporting characters throughout his run due to being a close friend to Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and full patch member of the Sons crew.

In addition to his role on SoA, Hurst has been a steady character actor in recent years. He played the unsettling Chick Hogan in Bates Motel, Li’l Foster Farrell in The Outsiders and Edgar Roy in King & Maxwell. He also has a role lined up in Amazon’s Bosch. He’ll be playing new character Hector Bonner in at least two episode of the series.

With his stellar resume and likeness to the original character, Hurst’s casting has been a hit with TWD fans thus far.

“So excited for this, your gonna be such an amazing addition to this show!” one fan wrote.

Another fan added, “Just a whisper…you are THE WHISPERER. So excited for you [Ryan]. Welcome to TWD Family….can’t wait to see your scenes.”

The Walking Dead returns Sunday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. on AMC.

Sons of Anarchy ended in 2014, but all season are streaming on Netflix. The show’s spinoff series, Mayans M.C., premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 10 p.m. ET.

Photo Credit: FX