Danai Gurira on the Emotional Development (and Swords!) of The Walking Dead‘s Michonne

There are only three episodes left in the third season of The Walking Dead, and that means only three episodes of Michonne being awesome and amazing and better than just about everyone else (OK, so I’m a little biased) before the show breaks for the summer. In an interview with CBR News, actress Danai Gurira had some interesting things to say about how the consumate badass she plays will be getting a little more in touch with her emotions as time goes on.

Says Gurira of Michonne’s transition:

I think she has, sort of, allowed herself to go through a healing in a sense, and I think that involved stepping back, touching back into who she used to be. Even before anything went down, you know? Trusting and understanding that connecting with people again is not a liability; it’s actually something that you need in this realm. I think she gets that and I think thats what you see her doing; reconnecting who she’s always been.

And it’s something that’s going to continue as the show goes on:

I think what’s really fascinating about her now, is that I think her instincts — as we’ve all seen — are very palpable. Instinctually she knew — and I think there was a lot of evidence, honestly — she knew that the Governor was bad, and instinctually she knew that Rick and this group was a place where she could actually hang… I think instincts plus heart equals empathy, and I think that’s what she’s stepping into now. I think she’s stepping into being a person — at least what we see in “Clear” — who can say what needs to be said, you know? She’ll say what Rick needs to hear, touching on his grief issues in a way that no one else has. He needs to hear that he’s okay, and she gives him that, because she can see what he needs. I think instincts plus heart equal that sort of empathetic thing that’s revealing itself now, and I find that really exciting. I find that that makes her extremely powerful, to be so formidable physically but then to also step into that, I think that’s very exciting.

Same. Michonne’s always been an extremely badass character, of course, but now she’s turning into one who’s more emotional, too, and I love it. Because, of course, badassery and sentimentality aren’t mutually exclusive. Emotional repression makes complete sense in the world of The Walking Dead, where walkers and evil humans are around every corner. But characters have to change over time. And while the writers have other characters spinning their wheels in terms of character development *coughAndreacough*, Michonne’s actually evolving. Praise the zombie gods!

The interview delved into some lighter topics as well, with Gurira giving her opinion on cosplay (“I was at a Comic Con last weekend [ECCC], and these folks came to have a picture with me and they were all done up like Michonne and her pets. It was an experience, it was an experience. They went all out, let me just put it that way”), Michonne’s ninja moves in the cafe in episode 12 (“Michonne wouldn’t [tell you what they are], so I can’t either”), and whether her swords have a name (they do, but “It’s between me and them. They’d be hurt if I shared it.”)

Hmm. Any guesses? Stumg and Drang? Slice and Stab? Shaggy and Scooby-Doo?

(via: CBR News)

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