Nyong ’o and continue their mission of
telling stories spotlighting women both in
and from Africa. Yet it was still difficult to
leave the place she has called a profes-
sional home since 2012. “It’s always hard
to accept that it’s time to allow yourself to
go in another direction,” she says of the
change. “And so it was incredibly hard to
come to that place, but I had to. I had to
start articulating it to myself and then to
others, and it took a while to do that.”
Her former TWD family members have
no problem articulating the respect and
love they feel for their departing friend.
“The thing that she’s always brought is so
much passion,” says showrunner Angela
Kang. “This was her first series-regular
gig, and she threw everything into it. Her
work ethic is incredible, and she also
knows how to have a good time.”
As someone who has shared powerful
onscreen moments with Gurira for eight
seasons, Norman Reedus has experienced
the full emotional gamut from his costarand friend. “She attacks every scene with
a ferocity and a grace that’s really inspir-
ing to work with,” Reedus says. “I’ve seen
her in the most vulnerable state and also
the most aggressive. We’ve gone through
it together. So it’s more than just losing a
cast member. You’re losing somebody
that you have such a tight bond with.”
The man who plays Daryl Dixon also
has no doubts that Gurira has the tools to
succeed as a showrunner: “She’s not a
follower. She’s a natural-born leader,
that girl. I’m happy for all the things that
are going on in her life, but I’ll miss her
every day.” That didn’t stop Reedus from
surprising his costar with a farewell gift
in the form of a private fireworks display
on her next-to-last day of filming.
“It was very emotional,” says Gurira
about her final days on The Walking
Dead. “I was really blown back by how
much love I received from everybody.”
Of course, on a set known for some pretty
epic practical jokes, the cast and crewcould not resist one final prank at Guri-
ra’s expense. “I go back to my trailer after
having this amazing reception, and there
were about 50 zombies in my trailer!”
she says, laughing. “They were all over—
lying on my couch, on my chair, in the
shower. They were everywhere!”
While Gurira received a grand send-off
from the cast and crew, showrunner Kang
was responsible for making sure the char-
acter got one as well. Kang ’s first step in
arcing out Michonne’s last stand was to
get plenty of input from the woman play-
ing her. “It was a lot of conversations over
many months with Danai about what can
be a fun and satisfying way to try to send
off this character and pay her tribute,”
says Kang, “as well as put her in a story
that has impact to the season at large.”
For her part, Gurira appreciated the
voice she was allowed to have in mapping
out Michonne’s final chapter. “You’re car-
rying your character’s soul at this point of
the show,” she explains. “And Angela
embraces that about those of us who have
been on the show a long time—the knowl-
edge and the nuance and understanding of
everything the character has gone
through. And that just made it even more
special that I got to be a part of it that way.”
Gurira may have physically already
left The Walking Dead, but the show will
never truly leave her. And the lessons she
learned during her eight years deep in
the woods of rural Georgia are now
embedded in her soul as she begins her
new adventure running Americanah. “I
want to be a person who brings that type
of environment to a workplace wherever
I go,” says Gurira. “I witnessed how
beautifully it works, and I want that to be
what I bring forth as I help create other
environments.” Even if those environ-
ments just happen to include 50 zombies
chilling in your trailer. �↑ Gurira looking as intense as ever in her last Walking Dead episode2018Black Panther As
Okoye, leader of
royal guard the Dora
Milaje, Gurira won
over MCU fans with
her wig-raising battle
scenes alongside
Lupita Nyong’o.UPCOMINGAmericanah While the
series will be her
first as a showrunner,
the international love
story aligns with
Gurira’s playwriting
centered on stories of
African women.2016Eclipsed Her first
work to transfer to
Broadway, telling the
stories of five Liberian
women during war-
time, garnered her a
2016 Tony award nom-
ination for Best Play.2017All Eyez on Me Gurira
had a pivotal role
in the Tupac Shakur
biopic playing the
iconic rapper’s activist
mother, Afeni, who
died a year before the
film was released.2008The Visitor Gurira’s
first movie role was
opposite Richard
Jenkins, who gave an
Oscar-nominated
performance, with
Tom McCarthy
(Spotlight) directing.2012The Walking Dead The
actress cemented
herself as one of the
most important
action heroines in TV
history playing fan
favorite Michonne on
the massive hit.THE WALKING DEAD: ELIZA MORSE/AMC;FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE/WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF: COURTESY OF MACALESTER COLLEGE;IN THE CONTINUUM: KEN HIVELY/LOS ANGELES TIMES/GETTY IMAGES;THE VISITOR: JOJO WHILDEN;THE WALKING DEAD(SIDEBAR): GENE PAGE/AMC;ECLIPSED: JOAN MARCUS;ALL EYEZ ON ME: QUANTRELL COLBERT;BLACK PANTHER: © MARVEL STUDIOS 2018APRIL2020.DANAIGURIRA.LO B.indd 43 FINAL 3/3/20 12:52 PM