LOS ANGELES (AP) — Letitia Wright hit the Marvel Cinematic Universe scene as King T’Challa’s joyfully witty younger sister in 2018’s blockbuster “Black Panther.” But in the new sequel, the actor’s usual easygoing character delivers a more serious tone while dealing with grief.
Wright’s character takes center stage as Shuri who ventures into womanhood after the death of T’Challa. She’ll be looked upon to take the iconic Black Panther mantle in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which releases in theaters Friday. Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa died in August 2020.
In between “Panther” films, Wright took on a few movie projects that exercised her dramatic acting chops.
“I always try to do things that are outside the box and what people wouldn’t expect,” said Wright, who starred in dramas “The Silent Twins” and “Aisha.” She also stars in “Surrounded,” which releases next year. The actor said each of those projects challenged her enough to “stretch me as an artist.”
“That naturally helped me grow a lot more,” said the actor, whose Shuri character also appeared in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” as Wakanda’s princess and chief scientist. “We know Shuri as the fun, vibrant sister of the first film. … But in the film, we really followed that journey of womanhood for her.”