As Shuri in Black Panther, Letitia Wright has shown the world that women can be heroes both in physical and mental strength. And she understands why the film is important to so many.
Speaking to Deadline, Letitia Wright opened up about how she feels about Black Panther, and her thoughts on the movie’s significance and overall importance. As an actress, Wright explained that she has always wanted “to do work that will be impactful. I want to do work that will affect people’s lives in a positive way, and I also want to do that for women, too.”
And with Black Panther, she was able to do just that. Wright shared that she has known since she first read the script (even the fake ones sent out to protect the story from leaking), that this story was going to be special. Even then, she felt that women were going to be represented the right way, but that’s not all. It was also about bringing proper cultural representation to the big screen as well.
From the start, Wright and the rest of the cast were in love with the story. As she pointed out, “It was literally just a love of telling this story and putting a spin on what we’ve seen of the diaspora of African people.” And the reaction has been profound for the actress, who said that there are women and young girls who stop her to share how Black Panther has had an impact on them.
She knew from the beginning that there was a need for this kind of representation and she is clearly proud of the work that was done to bring these characters to life in the right way. No one was inferior in this film, and everyone was important. And this is something that has rarely been seen on the big screen.
With a sequel to Black Panther already confirmed, we are not the only ones excited to return to Wakanda. Wright said that she is looking forward to returning to the role of Shuri for the Ryan Coogler follow-up.
Just as there was a need for Black Panther when it first hit theaters, there is a need for the sequel to live up to its predecessor. And we look forward to seeing more of the women who rule Wakanda, and the culture that proved that not only does representation matter, but that it is needed.