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Danai Gurira is promoting Avengers: Endgame, which needs no promotion, and she’s also still in The Walking Dead, which is good of her. I feel like she could have left that show a while ago considering how her career has skyrocketed but she’s a professional and waited it out. There are legitimate reports that her character, Michonne, is leaving next season (the ninth season just ended), but she wouldn’t confirm or deny that to Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel also tried to get some Avengers spoilers but she wasn’t having it. She did tell a funny story about carrying a sword when she was walking her dog. She wasn’t method acting! She saw a coyote when out with her dog, whom she described as an 18 pound mutt, and started carrying the sword to protect him as she had plenty around. It wasn’t until another dog owner avoided her that she realized how much she was channeling Michonne.
I walk my dog too late at night. He’s like an 18 pound rescue mutt. He’s tough but he’s small. I have never seen one in my life and there is a coyote standing like half a block away. I run up to my house. I looked it up online. [They recommended] pepper spray or like a big rock. In my house there are many practice swords. They are made out of wood or very hard plastic. I was like ‘OK, this is how I’m walking him because I know how to use this thing.’
From then on I’m walking my dog, Poppy, and I have a sword in my hand. I hide it when I get to a main road. There’s one time this guy did see me. His dog saw my dog and they wanted to play and then he saw what was in his hand [and called his dog Abigail back]. I’m like ‘dude, I would have fought for Abigail too.’
[From Jimmy Kimmel Live]
Then she said when her dog was doing his business she holds the sword and scans the area for coyotes. That story is so cute! I would have liked it to end with the guy recognizing her but she looks different than Michonne with the hair and not everyone knows that show. She doesn’t seem like the type to embellish stories either. Danai keeps her personal life private and we don’t hear much about her love life or if she has a significant other. I checked her Instagram and she doesn’t even post photos of her dog! At least give us that, come on. Also I scrolled far enough back to see photos of her campaigning for Hillary and I started crying. Just take me back for a day please. I would like to be oblivious to this new reality.
Here’s Danai’s interview!
This outfit!
Photos credit: Avalon.red, WENN, Getty and Backgrid
This is how you walk your dog like a total badass. A very protective dog mom.
I can understand her concern. I had a smallish dog and I remember a few times, I carried a small-ish novelty baseball bat with me. But it was too heavy, so I left it at home after a few times and just stuck to buy areas.
I carry mace and a pocket knife, when walking my 15 lb dog. We’ve walked out of my condo complex to come snout-to-snout with a coyote. This was in midtown Phoenix, too.
Thankfully, it just walked away.
I love her, and what a fabulous story.
Lol, this made me laugh. I too saw a coyote on a dog walk. I screamed bloody murder and scared it that way…not recommended.
That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do (if the coyote is approaching you). Usually they’re quite timid around people.
Nothing is quite as bone-chilling as hearing a pack of them howling/yelping at night. Makes me so glad to be indoors.
I left some food out while camping on a beach in Mexico, and coyotes came for it—one of them bit right through a can of tuna.
Thanks for admitting to leaving out food whilst camping; it’s pretty much the worst thing. For me the most heartbreaking is when humans attract wildlife, and said creatures are harmed in the process. On another note I love her style, the red carpet has improved dramatically in the past few years.
It was in an ice chest but I hadn’t snapped it to seal it shut. Hearing them rustling around, growling at each other and feasting in the night certainly taught me that lesson!
I love her.
I hope she has a long career.
I would be scared too if I saw someone walking around with a sword. Lol
There used to be this guy in SF who always carried a katana style sword… like, on the bus! I definitely gave him space.
Danai is such a badass and I love her dog mom tale! Wish there was a photo of that!
Also that dress from the NAACP Awards red carpet is GORGEOUS. Not sure what’s going on in the back, but the piecing and stripe matching are excellent, and it fits her like a glove. Stunna! Anyone got an ID on it?
I watched the DNC ‘Fight Song’ earlier this week and sobbed. For way too long. I cried for what should have been and for whatever this fresh he’ll is right now.
Ugh- Coyotes are no joke! Coyotes got one of our kitties and it still makes me mad. I’m with Danai- protect your puppy! So excited to see her career take off, love her!!!
I hope Abigail’s owner sees this interview and arranges a play date with Poppy.
Coyotes are common here. Even though I’ve grown up around them, hearing them at night still freaks me the hell out. I never let our old cat out at night, and eventually made her an inside only cat (previous owner had let her be indoor outdoor for 13 years, so it wasn’t an easy feat, but it was best for her multiple health issues) and other than that cat, I’ve only had inside cats. I don’t leave my dog unattended, though she’s at least the size of a coyote.
I know my husbands dad had to shoot a warning shot out the window one night because they’d left their dog outside later than normal and a pack of coyotes had come into the yard. They booked it out of there fast.
It’s pretty rare for a person to get killed by one, but it can happen. I have a love hate with them. They’re beautiful. And I would have a hard time harming something that looked so dog like. But if it came down to my safety, the safety of a child, or one of my animals, you better believe I’d make an exception if I had to. Luckily they’re pretty skittish.
I love her. That’s really all. She’s been my girl crush since she started on TWD.
She’s so cute! Can’t wait for her to leave the Walking Dead so I can put that show to rest. She is the ONLY reason I watch that sh!t show. Also heard she is going to be in the Walking Dead movies with Andrew Lincoln. I will be watching those because I love both of them.
Danai is so talented. I’m waiting for her to move into creating more content. She wrote and directed on Broadway a few years back. I hope she’s able to leverage this Marvel gig for these type of opportunities. And her style is beyond amazing.
Danai is awesome. I love seeing her becoming more successful and recognized.
The Walking Dead needs to end already. I get that it’s also a graphic novel with a ton of characters, but once the majority of your core cast members are gone, it’s time to end the show regardless of how the comic plays out.
Well, I carry a paintball gun and bear spray with mine. A few weeks ago I tried hazing/scaring a coyote away, it didn’t care, bc they are getting really used to people in our neighborhood. It then got up and started to jog towards me and the dogs. I picked up the littlest (10lbs) and yelled at the other (15 lbs) to get back in the house. Thankfully we were right near my front door, although I did slip in my garden shoes and twist my ankle (in a boot now bc it wasn’t healing being on my feet constantly) as the coyote was jogging towards us — felt like a bad horror movie with the monster coming. Me falling kinda startled the coyote for a second bc it paused, long enough for the doggies and me to scamper into the house but it was in my driveway (I live in a suburb of Tampa). It was scary! I called Fish & Wildlife to report an aggressive coyote, since they don’t usually come towards you. They advised me to get pepper spray and the paintball gun, so that’s what I did, and I only let 1 dog out at a time while standing right near it. I think I probably look nuts to neighbors that happen to drive by when we’re outside!