When “The Walking Dead” ended last season, we caught a glimpse of a hooded stranger who rescued Andrea from death at the hands of a zombie – by slicing off the “walker’s” head with a katana sword. Perhaps even more startling, the stranger had two zombie “pets” chained to her whose arms and jaws had been cut off.
Who is she? As viewers will see when AMC’s hit series returns tonight, she’s Michonne, a tough warrior woman. She’s one of the most popular characters from the comic-book series on which the TV show is based, about a band of people desperately trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by the zombies.
Michonne is portrayed by Danai Gurira, an actress previously seen on HBO’s “Treme” and in the film “The Visitor.” Gurira, who was born in the U.S. and grew up in Zimbabwe, is also an award-winning playwright.
Gurira sat down with Speakeasy at New York Comic Con, where she and other “Walking Dead” cast members appeared this weekend, to talk about the show, her new role and the qualities she shares with Michonne. An edited transcript:
Gurira sat down with Speakeasy at New York Comic Con, where she and other “Walking Dead” cast members appeared this weekend, to talk about the show, her new role and the qualities she shares with Michonne. An edited transcript:
Michonne is a much-beloved character by fans of the comic – is the reaction you’ve gotten so far more “we love you” or “we love Michonne, you’d better not mess this up”?
I haven’t heard the latter too much at all. I think they’re just happy she’s being embodied, they’re happy that she’s come to life, to three-dimensional life, and that’s mainly what I’ve seen, just a lot of love.
What drives a woman like Michonne? She obviously has to be a very capable woman to be wielding a sword and parading around with two armless jawless zombies.
I think she is a very intense and mysterious woman. I think we can all understand that she’s also driven by the repercussions, who you become when that type of trauma hits, what becomes of you, do you turn into a different person, what sort of person do you turn into. And I think that’s what’s interesting about Michonne – you wonder who was she before this happened, and what haunts her, that thing in her that allows her to turn into a different person when the apocalypse hits.
What can the fans expect from the new season?
They can expect everything that they would not expect. They can expect to remain on the edge of their seat. They can expect to never be comfortable. They can expect to be unable to predict just about anything. And they can expect to be utterly entertained.
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How has it been joining an ensemble that obviously has made the show very successful?
They’ve really, really embraced me. It all has a very welcoming and very intense energy and a very, very committed energy toward this piece of work that they’ve made very excellent. They’ve set a tone, and so they trust you to bring your A game to continue that realm of what they’ve created. And so I felt very trusted, and at the same time very graciously shown the ropes.
In what ways do you think you are and are not like Michonne? What did you bring to the character, and what do you think she brings out in you?
I think I definitely have a lot of the tough-girl syndrome, which I think she has. It’s good for her to have that in the realm she’s in – if you’re going to have it ever, please, let it manifest in a zombie apocalypse!
Tough girl does not equate to bully, by the way. Tough girls generally have very big hearts and are very pursuant of justice, which I think is very much Michonne and it’s also something I can connect to. Also, I think one of the things tough girls have the biggest trouble with is their ability to be vulnerable and to be completely unguarded with people. And that’s something I think as I’ve grown in life, I’ve gotten through and left that. But Michonne, I think, she definitely has that going on.
The sword. Did you have training in how to use it, have you ever done anything like that before?
The katana is amazing – it’s so sophisticated, it’s so specific. It takes a lot to really get comfortable with it, but once you are, it’s kind of an amazing feeling, to feel comfortable and connected to that weapon. That said, I will be in continual learning mode for several years, because to become a guru of that weapon is not something that comes easily or quickly.
Who is she? As viewers will see when AMC’s hit series returns tonight, she’s Michonne, a tough warrior woman. She’s one of the most popular characters from the comic-book series on which the TV show is based, about a band of people desperately trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by the zombies.
Michonne is portrayed by Danai Gurira, an actress previously seen on HBO’s “Treme” and in the film “The Visitor.” Gurira, who was born in the U.S. and grew up in Zimbabwe, is also an award-winning playwright.
Gurira sat down with Speakeasy at New York Comic Con, where she and other “Walking Dead” cast members appeared this weekend, to talk about the show, her new role and the qualities she shares with Michonne. An edited transcript:
Gurira sat down with Speakeasy at New York Comic Con, where she and other “Walking Dead” cast members appeared this weekend, to talk about the show, her new role and the qualities she shares with Michonne. An edited transcript:
Michonne is a much-beloved character by fans of the comic – is the reaction you’ve gotten so far more “we love you” or “we love Michonne, you’d better not mess this up”?
I haven’t heard the latter too much at all. I think they’re just happy she’s being embodied, they’re happy that she’s come to life, to three-dimensional life, and that’s mainly what I’ve seen, just a lot of love.
What drives a woman like Michonne? She obviously has to be a very capable woman to be wielding a sword and parading around with two armless jawless zombies.
I think she is a very intense and mysterious woman. I think we can all understand that she’s also driven by the repercussions, who you become when that type of trauma hits, what becomes of you, do you turn into a different person, what sort of person do you turn into. And I think that’s what’s interesting about Michonne – you wonder who was she before this happened, and what haunts her, that thing in her that allows her to turn into a different person when the apocalypse hits.
What can the fans expect from the new season?
They can expect everything that they would not expect. They can expect to remain on the edge of their seat. They can expect to never be comfortable. They can expect to be unable to predict just about anything. And they can expect to be utterly entertained.
http://adf.ly/DbU2k.....shrinked
How has it been joining an ensemble that obviously has made the show very successful?
They’ve really, really embraced me. It all has a very welcoming and very intense energy and a very, very committed energy toward this piece of work that they’ve made very excellent. They’ve set a tone, and so they trust you to bring your A game to continue that realm of what they’ve created. And so I felt very trusted, and at the same time very graciously shown the ropes.
In what ways do you think you are and are not like Michonne? What did you bring to the character, and what do you think she brings out in you?
I think I definitely have a lot of the tough-girl syndrome, which I think she has. It’s good for her to have that in the realm she’s in – if you’re going to have it ever, please, let it manifest in a zombie apocalypse!
Tough girl does not equate to bully, by the way. Tough girls generally have very big hearts and are very pursuant of justice, which I think is very much Michonne and it’s also something I can connect to. Also, I think one of the things tough girls have the biggest trouble with is their ability to be vulnerable and to be completely unguarded with people. And that’s something I think as I’ve grown in life, I’ve gotten through and left that. But Michonne, I think, she definitely has that going on.
The sword. Did you have training in how to use it, have you ever done anything like that before?
The katana is amazing – it’s so sophisticated, it’s so specific. It takes a lot to really get comfortable with it, but once you are, it’s kind of an amazing feeling, to feel comfortable and connected to that weapon. That said, I will be in continual learning mode for several years, because to become a guru of that weapon is not something that comes easily or quickly.
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