While fans around the world mourn the loss of Glenn Rhee, Michonne’s Danai Gurira laments the loss of her friend and co-worker, Steven Yeun.
It’s been a rough week for fans of The Walking Dead. The loss of Abraham and Glenn has been earthshattering. Moreso for Glenn, as he was a part of the show from the very beginning.
Imagine, though, how hard it must be for the cast. The Walking Dead cast is a tight-knit family. Losing one of their own is especially hard. Steven Yeun may not be dead in real-life, but it will be difficult to work without his presence.
Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne, took to social media to pay tribute to Glenn and Yeun.
Losing Glen as a character in #TWD & @steveyeun as a colleague is something I am yet to fully wrap my mind around. https://t.co/ANUFiAIdqI pic.twitter.com/qhmUinmIiP
— Danai Gurira (@DanaiGurira) October 28, 2016
The Loss of a Friend
“So I’ve been in denial,” wrote Gurira. “The thought, the notion of losing Glen as a character in the show and Steven Yeun as a colleague is something I am yet to fully wrap my mind around. Steven was to me, from the very start, that deeply specific indicator that I was in the right place as I entered the TWD realm. The minute I was cast, he was in touch, inviting me to a lunch he and Lauren organized and trying to come watch my play The Convert which was then in production. Once I made it to GA, he helped me figure out where to stay, even letting me crash in his place over a weekend as I scouted out this new terrain called Atlanta.”
More Than a Friend — A Brother
“His kindness, his passion, his purity of heart, his genuine goodness and his amazing sense of humor makes him one of the best people I know,” Gurira continued. “His dedication to our show, to this family, his deep concern with all things concerning the story we strive to tell, his utter commitment, his outrage, provokes me to be better, to dig deeper. The heart he brought to every frame he occupied inspired us all to never be complacent.”
“One of my favorite things in life is to make Steven laugh. He has one of those laughs that revives the dead, that fills you with inexplicable joy. His ability to make me laugh, that deep belly laugh that makes life a little lighter, is something I am pained to accept I won’t have daily access to. Over the years I have grown to learn how similar Steven and I are, from our migrant families, to our college majors to our faith. He’s my brother. I’ve been in denial, and remain so.”
A New Chapter
“I am so excited, however, to watch his journey continue to unfold, he is designed to break barriers, to fill the world with stories that must and have yet to be told,” wrote Gurira.
“He is built to transcend and will forever be my friend. And that makes me thankful to know him and to start to accept that painful truth, that our work relationship has sadly, at this time, come to an end.”
So remember, as much as we’ll all miss seeing Glenn from week-to-week, the cast will miss their friend even more.
