Last night, Adult Swim aired a special Walking Dead episode of Robot Chicken called “Look Who’s Walking.” It featured the real voices of the characters from the show, including Danai as Michonne! It was hilarious! 😀 If you haven’t seen it (or just want to see it again), you can watch clips from the episode at AdultSwim.com or you can get it on iTunes. You can view some screen captures from the episode in the gallery.
Entertainment Weekly released another exclusive from the set of the recent cover shoot! In this video, Danai describes her first day on set filming The Walking Dead, in which she overheated and had to lie down. You can read more about her early days on set in the article at EW.com, but there’s an excerpt below.
“I remember my first day on The Walking Dead very vividly,” says Gurira. “It was definitely a huge adjustment. I was coming into the most humid heat I had ever experienced in my life. I was wearing a beautiful but new to me dreadlocked wig and I had very short hair for a very long time so I was like, ‘What is this?’ And then the whole day, it was just me. It was a scene in the beginning between me and Andrea and then it was just me, so it was a very interesting, amazing experience because I got to connect so directly with the crew, who of course are such a huge part of the TWD family.”
Gurira also notes that she may have pushed things a bit too far on the first day. “I remember I was working on my moves,” she recalls. “I was going into that convenience store to find some Aspirin or something to help Andrea, and I was working on the moves over and over again. I’m a rehearser, so I’m going over them over and over again and I just totally kind of overheated. But I was fine. But then I went and laid down to just catch my breath and it was like six people were on me like, ‘Oh my God, she’s overheating!’ And they’re taking so much care of me and I’m thinking, I’m fine but let them do their thing. ‘Cause they just know how to handle everything. They were nervous for me. They tried to ease me into this whole thing. It was amazing.”
Danai is featured in the October/November issue of BUST Magazine! In it, there’s an article where Danai talks about her beginnings in the entertainment industry, her current projects, and feminism. I’ve added high-quality scans to the gallery and I’ve got an excerpt from the article below. You can read the entire article at Bust.com.
When asked how she remains present while managing her multiple roles as a writer, advocate, and actor, she clarifies that she is just as deliberate and purposeful as the powerful women she portrays. From playing Afeni Shakur in the Tupac biopic All Eyez on Me, to Okoye, her warrior character in Black Panther, Gurira’s personas represent a lineage of sovereign women who take ownership of their lives because of their “love of their people” and themselves.
“I try to live a purposeful life pursuing what I feel is my calling,” she says. And that calling includes creating roles as a writer that “give other black women a chance to shine. All my plays have African female protagonists and lead characters because I’m American born and Zimbabwe raised,” she continues. “I’m a product of both places and have lived my life attempting to connect them and bridge the gap.” Read more at Bust.com
This is a pretty cute video from behind the scenes of the recent EW shoot, where the cast tries to explain all of what’s happened in the first 7 seasons in 30 seconds!
Danai Gurira and the cast and production team of the upcoming Marvel film Black Panther were present at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 47th Annual Legislative Conference on September 22, 2017. She took part in the Imagining a Bigger World – Marvel’s Black Panther, Cultural Heritage and STEM panel along with other panelists and celebs, including Black Panther director Ryan Coogler. I haven’t found any videos yet, but if you know of any please send them in!
Danai Gurira supports many organizations and causes, including the Love Our Girls campaign. She founded this non-profit organization to help bring awareness to issues and challenges affecting women and girls all around the world. Please visit their website at LOGPledge.org to learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved. #LoveOurGirls
