'The Walking Dead' Star Danai Gurira Spills on Rick and Michonne's Big Romantic Surprise: 'It Was Perfect Timing'

After years of watching two of The Walking Dead's main characters evolve from zombie-killing strangers, to life-entrusting allies, Rick Grimes and Michonne finally acknowledged their undeniable chemistry and they did the post-apocalyptic deed.


"It was an expected surprise," star Danai Gurira spilled of the new relationship to host Chris Hardwick on Sunday night's episode of Talking Dead. "I could feel it in the storytelling here and there."

Speaking of timing, fans were treated to a bit of a time jump from where we left off in last week's eye-popping episode. "It's been two months," Gurira explained. "They've settled down. They're actually able to get somewhere near normalcy."

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Gurira revealed that this new "mundane" life in Alexandria was the perfect catalyst for Michonne and Rick's big romantic step.

"These are two characters that are not going to fall for each other until they really have," she said. "They're not going to preconceive it. It really has to be the right moment, and I think this episode was definitely that moment."

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So how did the actors, who have been working together for the past four years, prepare for the highly anticipated smooch-filled sex scene? "We discussed it and we really got underneath it and thought about it a lot," Gurira said before bursting into giggles over her accidental bedroom pun.

"But we didn't rehearse the kiss," she continued. "We just wanted to do that while the cameras were rolling, and when we were done, and we did a first take of it, it just felt -- to use a world that Andy used, and I totally agree with is -- natural."