A new character has come to shake things up on The Walking Dead . Paul Rovia -- aka Jesus -- was introduced in Sunday's episode, "The Next World," and that title alone is enough of a hint that things are going to be changing for Rick & Co. in the near future.

After his big (and well-received) debut as Jesus, Tom Payne got on the phone to talk to me about being thrown in the deep end with his introduction episode. We also discussed how close this season will stick to what is coming up in Jesus's comics story, how excited the cast is about the introduction of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan and whether the light-hearted tone of "The Next World" is going to be sticking around for a while.Full spoilers for "The Next World" continue below.

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Tom Payne as Jesus on The Walking Dead

Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln on The Walking Dead

I had to go obviously by what [showrunner] Scott [Gimple] said and the director. It was kind of tricky. I had seen the pilot episode but I hadn't watched it since. I understood what the show was about and I'd seen the comic books and stuff, but I needed to some help with that. ... Even just being on set and meeting Norman [Reedus] and Andy [Lincoln] and all that kind of stuff, I was just like, wow this is a big deal and oh my god I am coming in and bringing in a whole new energy. It was definitely a great way to come in, but also I think it was different for everyone.And also I came in after that very heavy last episode. Because this show is so tight and everyone is so tight, what happens is it translates to real life. So people were leaving, people who had been there, and it was pretty traumatic. I think they wanted to really bring out the playful nature of the scenes with me and Norman and Andy. I'm so happy it worked -- I was a bit worried about it. I struggled a little bit to understand the tone, because it's not the tone of the show normally, and it wouldn't even have helped me to watch the episodes leading up or anything like that, because it's a whole new thing. So I had to really place my trust in Kari [Skogland] the director and Scott. I had a few phone conversations with Scott late at night like, "Please, tell me if it's working," because I'm really learning as I go with the whole thing.I think they've gotten really good at writing the audition scenes that you come in with. ... A lot of it was them saying, "You have it. Your natural inclination is on the money, just go with that with this character that you now have. Make sure that you remember that at his heart he's this type of person," because also in this episode he's not him. [laughs] He's pretending to be something that he's not. He says a lot of things which might not necessarily be true. But then he makes a huge effort; he's like, I'm going to follow these guys back to where they come from. He has a lot of story which he's not telling, and normally when you read a script you go by what other characters say about you and that helps you, but no one in this show knows who I am.[laughs] And you know what, I only realized that after filming, how much of a big moment that was in the show and how a lot of people had putting those two together for a long time. I think it's so great that they put Jesus in the middle of that as well at the end. I think that's really fun.Yeah! I'm so excited about the memes and stuff that are going to happen. I'm really looking forward to that. And I love the fact that "Jesus takes the wheel" works for this episode as well. It was a great way for him to arrive at the end of the episode and walk in like that is another mystery in itself, like, "Why did he do that? Where has he been before that? Whose bedroom has he been in before?"On Talking Dead, they were like, do we trust Jesus? I don't think he's done anything really to make you not trust him. Yes he was taking supplies, but it's the cutthroat world that we live in at this moment. But he didn't kill them. Was he running from the zombies? I think he was watching them for a while before that scene, and he could have killed both of them and done whatever he wanted to do, but he didn't. It's definitely an episode that you can think about his motives and how he did carry himself.Editor's note: Some minor spoilers from The Walking Dead comic books continue below.

Tom Payne, Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln on The Walking Dead

Andrew Lincoln, Tom Payne, Norman Reedus and Merritt Wever on The Walking Dead

Well, that's a tough question. [laughs] I don't think he's going to end up a wild change from the comic books. Generally you'll find out, when you get to know him a little better, why he's called "Jesus" and who he is as a person. In the preview you can see that he is with a lot of the main characters; he is leading them somewhere. He has motives which are good, at the end of the day. He wants to help, and he wants to talk to people about how we survive this world.In the comic books, we're on like 152 issues now and he's going strong, and he's become a solid part of the team. I mean, obviously as an actor I would love to have that happen in the show. [laughs] Who knows, because they change things in the show, but I think we're at a point in the show where they're following the comic books pretty closely, which is great because there's a lot of great stuff that happens in the comics around this time. I think -- and I hope -- like last night, I was so happy to see that the fans who already know the character liked him, and I think they'll like where we're going to go.He's a very, very clever guy, and he sizes people up very quickly. He doesn't take any bulls--t, really; he's no-nonsense. He knows people. That's where that light tone comes from. ... I think the lightness with which he approached them is a big part of him and how he is. You haven't seen him with people that he doesn't like. He's with people who are cool and he knew weren't going to kill him and were OK, and with those types of people he's a super friendly guy, actually. He might be a little bit tricksy, but he's not out to hurt anyone that doesn't invite it. As far as he was concerned, they didn't. In the car, heading back to Alexandria, I don't think he's asleep; I think he's faking all the way back. He's really intrigued by these guys, and then he slips his cuffs and ends up in Rick's bedroom saying, "We need to talk to each other."I think everyone is pretty excited with where the show is going. Obviously I can't talk about too much, but we do know what happens. I'm super excited. If it does go where the comics go, I'm so excited! It's amazing. I think everyone is pretty excited because to bring my character in and Jeffrey [Dean Morgan]'s character is going to change the show. It's going to change everything about it, really. That's what I find really exciting about coming in, having read the comic books, like, "Oh, wow, this is where things change." After all that happened in the last episode and Alexandria and the people from Alexandria, I come from somewhere else and I bring a whole new direction for the show, actually.It really ramps up in this last half of six. It goes to some pretty crazy places, and I'm really excited to see the rest of it. ... It really is going to be a great end of the season, I think. I just love it, because I've watched the show now. Each season is different. They're in different places, there are different people, but I feel this is a whole new thing for the show, and I'm excited for everyone to see where it goes and get pumped for what could happen next.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.Terri Schwartz is Entertainment Editor at IGN. Talk to her on Twitter at @Terri_Schwartz