One of the many staples of AMC's The Walking Dead has been the cast's grungy aesthetic, including star Andrew Lincoln's notorious scruff.

But the actor behind leading man Rick Grimes arrived at the zombie drama's fifth-season premiere party with a clean shave. Lincoln's new look is a far cry from the thick beard his alter ego sports in the official key art for season five of The Walking Dead.

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While the cast took a break from filming in Atlanta for the Universal Studios premiere — where The Walking Dead has its own a maze as part of its annual Halloween Horror Nights — the show is in the middle of production on episode 12 of 16. So what gives?

"Either I'm not in the show anymore or there's a flashback where I found a razor," Lincoln told The Hollywood Reporter with a laugh. "[Losing the beard] was more pleasant for my wife!"

Pressed for further details, Lincoln played his cards close to the vest.

"It's an extraordinary and interesting thing that goes down," he said of why Rick may suddenly appear beardless. "I can't really go into it because I don't want to spoil it."

Season five of The Walking Dead begins Oct. 12 on AMC. Check back to THR's The Live Feed for more scoop from the cast and creators in the coming week.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com

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