Norman Reedus' Favorite TWD Scene Actually Made Him Cry Real Tears
After The Walking Dead finale, Norman Reedus recalls his favorite moment from the post-apocalyptic series. And what a scene it was!
The Walking Dead premiered on October 31, 2010 and ended on November 20, 2022. During its 12-year run, the show completely changed the way viewers saw zombies and gained millions of fans.
One of the most popular discussions in The Walking Dead fandom is about favorite scenes. While viewers tend to pick the spectacular and shocking scenes, actors often pick the moments that were special for them to film.
Norman Reedus' favorite scene, however, is often mentioned in fan discussions. According to the actor, it turned out so well because he and the director went off-script.
When asked by EW which The Walking Dead scene meant the most to him, Reedus shared behind-the-scene story about filming episode 5 of season 9 titled What Comes After. At the time of the episode's release in November 2018, many viewers were shocked by the apparent death of main character Rick Grimes.
The episode shows Rick badly wounded and surrounded by walkers.
He slips in and out of consciousness and has various visions of his family and friends. At the end of the episode, Rick realizes that his friends are his family. He leads a horde of walkers to a bridge, hoping that their weight will cause the bridge to collapse. When it doesn't, Rick has to blow up the bridge, possibly sacrificing himself in the process.
The moment is made even more tragic when Rick's allies arrive at the last minute to watch him disappear in the explosion. While others try to turn the walkers around, Rick's sworn brother Daryl Dixon, played by Norman Reedus, uses the final seconds to lock eyes with him and silently bid him farewell.
Even though Rick didn't actually die in the scene, it became one of the most tragic moments in the show's history thanks to the brilliant acting of both Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus.
Reedus told EW that the scene was changed slightly on set. Daryl was supposed to run with the group and see Rick's possible death from a distance. But both director Greg Nicotero and Reedus felt it should be a private moment between the two friends.
Reedus confessed that he had this real feeling of loss while filming the scene, which made him and the entire cast cry on and off camera.