Andrew Lincoln, who plays thick-bearded Rick on "The Walking Dead," shocked everyone when he arrived with a clean shave at the zombie drama's Season 5 premiere at AMC Universal City Walk on Oct. 2 in Universal City.

And while fans started to wonder why the 41-year-old British actor let go of his trademark facial hair and what could it mean for the upcoming season's plot, his 4-year-old son Arthur was quite emotional when he saw his dad's new look.

"It's very interesting seeing my face again because the last time I saw it was four years ago," Lincoln told Time. "And my son had never seen it clean shaven, so there were a couple of Skype sessions that were quite emotional, to say the least, trying to convince him that I'm still his father."

But what's the real reason behind Lincoln's beardless look? "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.

"It's an extraordinary and interesting thing that goes down," he said of why his character may suddenly appear without his beard. "I can't really go into it because I don't want to spoil it."

In the same interview with Time, Lincoln said that Rick has changed radically since the show was launched in October 2010.

"This is the longest I've ever lived with a character," said the "Love Actually" actor. "This is my fifth year of living with this man, and he has changed radically since season one."

"Playing this guy is kind of a roller coaster," he added. "It's dependent on the scene and the people I'm working with. There are certain people that have been on the show just as long as I, and it's a gift to be able to walk into a scene with them. There's no work needed, you just look at the other person and you know the history you share, and you just start talking and listening. The scenes just come alive."

And when the show returns Sunday, Oct. 12, on AMC, viewers will no longer see Rick "seesawing as much," according to his co-star Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon).

"He's in the most powerful place he's ever been," Lincoln told TV Guide of his character."He's incredibly uncompromising, and he's a dangerous man. Not in a vindictive, malicious way, but in a pragmatic way... The doubt is gone, which makes him incredibly dangerous."