Chadwick Boseman and Letitia Wright inBlack Panther(2018).Photo: Marvel/Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock
Letitia Wrightfelt late costarChadwick Boseman’s presence while making the highly anticipatedBlack Panthersequel.
Wright, 28, played Black Panther’s tech-genius little sister in the 2018 Marvel blockbuster, and she reprises the role inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, which was filmed after Boseman’sdeathfrom colon cancer in August 2020 at the age of 43.
Wakanda Forevercostars Wright,Winston Dukeand Tenoch Huerta spoke to PEOPLE at the D23 Expo on Saturday about honoring Boseman, who played the titular superhero, and expanding the franchise’s scope.
Recalls Wright: “I will always have moments on set of doubt, and I’ll be like, ‘Oh man, I don’t know if I can do this.’ I could just hear [Boseman] be like, ‘Sister, you’re great. You got this. I’m proud of you.’ That really just kept me moving forward.”
Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Tenoch Huerta.Corey Nickols/Getty for IMDb
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“You don’t realize that this movie wasn’t as playful in between takes as the first one. When Chadwick was around we were rapping and laughing. It just wasn’t the same dynamic,” says Duke. “That’s one thing we can tell you: It wasn’t the same dynamic. But it couldn’t be, because it’s not the same circumstance.”
“What it did have is a lot of love, a lot of inclusion,” he says. “I thinkBlack Pantherhas always been a really rich tapestry, and all the colors always make that tapestry grow.”
“The joy was at times very easy to find because you’re also with people who are full of joy. And it just happens that we’re dealing with a tragedy. We’re dealing with immense loss of a person that we really loved and we knew as a person. Because we didn’t know Chadwick as a figure on the screen, from far away, aspirational; we knew him as a friend, as someone’s husband, someone’s brother, someone’s son, and a funny dude. It’s very hard at times but really fun.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris in theaters Nov. 11.
source: people.com
