Warning: This article contains spoilers about Sunday’s episode ofThe Walking Dead, “What We Became.”
After eight seasons,Danai Gurira’s katana-wielding warrior has finally moved on.
And that group could end up leading her right back to Rick Grimes.
Gene Page/AMC
Why was now the time for her to leave?
What was it like walking off that set for the last time?
What was the last scene she actually filmed?
Gene Page/AMC
What was it like playing a Savior?
And what did not end up making it into the final episode?
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: First off, walk me through the decision to leaveThe Walking Dead.
Gene Page/AMC
Why was now the time to make the move?
DANAI GURIRA:It was incredibly hard to even imagine leaving.
I loved that show.
I loved the family that I had there, and that I always have.
So it’s been a true gift to my life to have been part of it.
It’s always hard to accept that it’s time to allow yourself to go in another direction.
And it was incredibly hard to come to that place, but I had to.
To really let it have its space in my life and in my artistic pursuits as well.
And I just had to let the space come to pass.
And then stress because it’s just incredibly hard.
But yeah, it just felt like it was the time to do that.
Tell me about your involvement in coming up with this final chapter for Michonne on the show.
What were the things you wanted to see to it were in there and part of the story?
I feel like our team did a really amazing job.
And she has the Virgil mission, that unfortunately does not prove successful.
So it was very great architecture already in place.
They were very generous about allowing me to get involved in various aspects of the story in certain ways.
They were very generous about how I was able to connect in with things.
And so there was a lot of details around that and around her.
There were some things like that, but they were very, very generous.
It was [showrunner Angela Kang’s] generosity that allowed me into the process that way.
Angela is known as a very generous and collaborative showrunner in that regard always taking input from the cast.
That collaborative nature much must’ve been pretty refreshing for you as an artist yourself.
And she’s great.
So I’m very thankful to that.
Let’s talk about some of the things we actually saw in this final episode.
Eight seasons that you’ve been on this journey.
It was extremely trippy.
It was extremely trippy and it was very trippy to watch also.
For her to not have made that choice.
That was very trippy.
I don’t even know how to describe how trippy that was.
It was so nutty being Negan’s right hand.
It was a very emotional and painful experience shooting that scene with Negan, and it was our introduction.
He just came in and had us on our knees, and then we were losing Glenn and Abraham.
It was a really tough component.
It was very straining and very emotional.
So to step on the other side of it was profoundly trippy.
How did you handle that?
They had these fantastic doubles who were there, and they did a great job.
And then good old imagination.
They put down people there who were dressed as close to the actual people as they could be.
And then I connected to them.
Really awful, but it didn’t make the cut.
I don’t know how these things happen.
But there was a double playing Carl, that was very dark.
But, that exchange as well, for her to see that.
We know how much Michonne loved Carl, but the underbelly of that.
And if that hadn’t gone that way.
Basically, we recreated the lineup.
You’re looking at your own double there.
And you say, “You didn’t know who they were.
Or where they were from.
Yes, yes, yes.
That was always this really pivotal contention that we had made that choice to sort of eliminate a threat.
And in a very evil way.
So how did you enjoy your death scene where Norman Reedus pumps you full of arrows?
It was awful, awful.
No one wants to go down like that.
I mean these are people you love, this is your family.
Then Rick’s boots pinning my leg, my arm down.
That wasn’t fun.
I don’t know how else to tell you.
Was there ever any talk of a zombie Michonne appearance in this episode?
Oh no, no, no.
I guess we’ve never done that.
You know, I actually was very thankful for that.
And that’s something that in Michonne’s mind, only she can do that.
If he’s out there and he needs help, only she can bring him back.
So she has to go do that.
And that’s who she’s become.
And that’s something she knows that she is.
But growing it more and more into her own heart and her own humanity.
So I thought that was a great way for her to walk away through her stuff.
And if you look ahead, it ends with Michonne on this mission to find Rick.
Does that kind of confirm that you’re going to be part of thisWalking Deadmovie withAndrew Lincoln?
[Laughs] I mean, we’ll see how it goes, man.
You know what I mean?
That’s all you’re going to give me?
[Laughs] How many years have I been dipping and diving from your questions, man?
What was the last scene that you shot?
When you’re in the bed.
Yeah, that was the last thing.
And then I was avoiding Rick, so it was that stuff.
The stuff where they come into the satellite place, but me being a Savior.
So I wasn’t even in my wig.
So it was interesting because I was dressed as Savior as I exited.
What were the emotions you were feeling as you were filming your last episode?
It was very, very, very emotional.
There was a lot of love.
I received so much love, I was really blown back by how much love I received from everybody.
So it was great.
It was like leaving home.
There’s nothing quite like it.
It was a lot of things, a little heartbreak.
Something scary, maybe somethingStar Wars-y.
And so I’m thankful for that.
I felt like I’d exited well.
That was the feeling.
Also double-check to read all aboutGurira’s next career moveand ourepisode Q&A with showrunner Angela Kang.
And for moreWalking Deadintel, follow Dalton on Twitter@DaltonRoss.
