The Walking Dead: Danai Gurira On Michonne's Journey So Far, Current State With Rick

Spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 4 follow.

Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead showed the first signs of friction between Rick and Michonne in what was turning out to be an otherwise healthy relationship. However, playing house in the apocalypse only worked out for so long. Negan and the Saviors came along to wreak havoc on the Safe-Zone's thriving community.

For Michonne, however, the effects of Negan's arrival have been different. She is the only character who looks ready to stand up to their oppressors which can be attributed to who she was before the apocalypse and every bit surviving has taught her along the way.

Michonne actress Danai Gurira weighs in on the character's journey so far:

She came in very closed down and very impenetrable. That was her particular response to her post-traumatic stress and how it was manifesting. She wasn't really willing to let anyone in or to be vulnerable. The first person she let in was Andrea and even with her, it was very limited… When she met Rick and the community, she had to evolve into something that could be a member of the community and could function in a way that was communicative and where her heart was exposed. So, it was really this journey of getting to the point where she opens her heart to people that she connects to and is willing to go that length. It was really an evolution of learning how to metabolize her losses and trauma, but also how to open up to those who she knew were trustworthy.

Her instincts and her brawn didn't go anywhere, but it was all about letting her heart out. I think that's been a lot of what her evolution has been and that has allowed her to really find and truly grieve what she lost – which we see her do in Season 4 – I think that's what allowed her to get to the point where she could have these tangible relationships and become someone in a community that people care about and respect.

The relationship with Rick and Carl was also a rebirth of a family she had lost, and it turned out that Rick was the love of her life. That progression has been very interesting to play because she went from someone who spoke very little and didn't trust people to someone who's far more level-headed and willing to help people who she sees in the same place she was in. Michonne still has instincts and will get done what needs to be done. She's very smart, she's very mature and she's a powerful woman. She's got a femininity that's very powerful and her physical strengths are a part of her femininity. I think all of that is very cool and interesting to play.

On Rick's big confession about Judith belonging to Lori and Shane:

In Season 4 when she has to hold Judith and she finally cracks, it becomes clear to the audience that she was a mother and that she lost her child. I think even in Season 3, with her connecting to Carl, we see that she has maternal instincts and that she cares about this young man. When she does finally grieve her losses – which is Season 4, Episode 9 – she sees that walker who looks just like her and she's walking with the dead again after losing the prison, but she decides to choose life over death and kill that whole field of walkers. That was a catharsis for her and a choice to continue connecting to the living and not the dead.

Of course there are other moments throughout, but I think the next one would be in Season 6 when she falls in love with her best friend. That vulnerability was scary to go back to, but because of Deanna's influence on her and seeing Deanna's walker that day, she let her heart take the wheel in that moment on the couch [with Rick]. They both recognize what they had already known was between them but never took a moment to take it in. I think that moment where she opens up her heart to Rick to start something romantic with him is very vital. The scene beforehand with Carl is also very vital because he looks at her like a mother. I think that really busted her heart open and makes her ready to open up to loving his father. Of course when they get caught by Negan and everything shattered, that was another crucial moment of transformation: Who are we now? And how are we going to recover?

On Rick and Michonne's relationship going forward:

He knows she's in a different mindset. She doesn't want to live a life of being a slave to these thugs. That's not a life. There's a moment of deadlock between them and he even questions if she's hidden any other guns. There's a moment of distrust we've never seen. I think what he does with telling her about Judith is really a way of helping her understand where he's coming from. Being that vulnerable to her is a way, I believe, to open her up to where he is because right now she simply does not agree and can't see the perspective he's holding onto so tightly. For her, the beauty of who he is manifests in the fact that he's been taking care of this young girl and loves her as a daughter in every way, even though she's not his child. That's who he is. He sacrifices for the love of others and that's what makes him a great leader.

MORE WALKING DEAD:

Negan's Five Most Outrageous Lines In 'Service' / Eugene And Rosita Love Story Ahead? / Danai Gurira On Michonne Filling Key Comic Book Role / 'Go Getters' Sneak Preview Released / What Did Michonne Find? / Austin Nichols Say Spencer Wants To Be A Leader / Were Daryl And Rick Sending Morse Code Messages?

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.

(via The Walking Dead)