Michonne has been wielding her katana with so much accuracy since she was introduced in the Season 2 finale of "The Walking Dead," but Danai Gurira, the actress who plays the fan-favorite character, has admitted that she still has a lot of things to learn about the single-edged sword.
"It's a very powerful and fascinating weapon," the 36-year-old Zimbabwean-American actress said of Michonne's katana at Fan Expo Canada held at Metro Toronto Convention Centre late last month, according to Comic Book Resources. "You watch a lot of the films where the experts are using it - I'm constantly learning more about it, and I have to, because there's so much to learn. I'm nowhere near an expert at it."
Gurira revealed that she has been able to connect with Michonne through the katana.
"It was something I had to get attached to," she said of her character's weapon. "I learned more about her as I was training with it in the very beginning, before I started shooting. It was really something I could understand. This is an extension of her power. She found a new identity in this weapon as she is stepping into this new apocalyptic realm."
"It's been really awesome to connect with Michonne through the weapon," she explained. "It helped me understand her and how she didn't need to talk much in the beginning. It wasn't about talking. It was about getting the job done."
Aside from her katana, Michonne's flowing dreadlocks also adds to her badassery. But as fans know, it is just a wig worn by Gurira to achieve her character's comic book look.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gurira said that wearing the wig makes her immediately turn into her character.
"The Michonne wig is fantastic," she said. "The Michonne wig transforms me. It makes me her. I put it on, I don't see me anymore."
But she admitted that wearing the wig could be difficult especially when the temperature rises on the set. "Sometimes it's 100 degrees in the swamps of Georgia. That can be a little tricky with the wig," she explained.
Michonne is expected to get closer to Rick (Andrew Lincoln) next season as she as she keeps on taking on a mother-like role to Carl (Chandler Riggs), Bustle reported.
"The Walking Dead" Season 5 premieres on Oct. 12 at 9:00pm ET/PT on AMC.