‘The Walking Dead’ Season 4: Daryl and Beth’s Unorthodox Hug in ‘Still,’ Norman Reedus Came Up with the Idea!
Fans saw the emotional side of Daryl Dixon in "The Walking Dead" season 4, episode 12, "Still." Thankfully, Beth Greene was by his side and comforted him with a hug. Daryl told her that he feels responsible for not stopping the Governor from attacking the prison and Hershel Greene's death.
Beth grabbed Daryl from behind and hugged him. It was not the usual face-to-face hug and Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) explained the moment to AccessHollywood.com.
"We worked that out. That originally was a face-to-face hug, and it was her going, 'Stop it! Stop it!' and hug me and crying, and 'Stop it, stop it,' and hugging me. ... I kind of came up with that backwards hug thing and dude, that director really pushed that to make that really awesome," said Norman.
"Daryl, feeling her hug him from behind was larger to me than a face-to-face hug. It was the support. Like she's standing him up, and it wasn't so much the visual of it that I was thinking about, it was more of, he's lost in this - him screaming and all of that stuff - it's coming from a place of fear. He's afraid and to watch a tough character be afraid and lash out like that and go full circle and end in tears, is such a heavy thing, but to have someone come up behind him and lean against him and hold him up, even symbolically is like, I was going off what that would feel like to Daryl more than the visual of it, and I just felt like if he could feel that behind him, it would be more of a moment."
Norman rightly explained the hug, and it was certainly a powerful moment for them. As a matter of fact, Daryl really needed that hug from Beth. No matter how tough he appears from the outside, he, too, needs love like the rest of the characters in the show.
In "The Walking Dead" season 4, episode 13, "Alone," Daryl and Beth's story moves forward. Watch the next thrilling installment on Sunday, March 9, 2014 on AMC.