Black Panther Press Junket : Movie is a Powerful Ode to African Culture
Fresh off its Hollywood premiere, Black Panther’s stars and creators shared their experiences at a recent press junket. Furthermore, the cast expressed a unanimous hope that the movie, a powerful ode to African culture will help change viewers’ perceptions.
Last week, I had the chance to preview the movie and attend Marvel Studios’ Black Panther junket.The event featured key cast members like Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett as well as writer /director Ryan Coogler and producer Kevin Feige.
The room at Beverly Hills’ Montage hotel was beaming with excitement. After watching the movie the night before, all the media representatives showered the creators and actors with compliments and questions. Topics discussed ranged from character development to the personal experiences of the actors. For all our Marvel fans, here are the highlights of the event.
Black Panther’s writer personal angle
Black Panther’s writer and director Ryan Coogler opened the discussion by sharing his angle.He continued to share how this project helped him explore his own black identity. “This is the most personal film I’ve ever made. This movie for me started with this question of what it meant to be African.It’s a question that I’ve always had since I learned I was black.
I didn’t understand what that meant. As a kid you’re like, so wait, we’re from Africa? What’s that? I’m 31-years-old, and I realized I never really took time to grapple with what it means to be African. This film gave me the chance to do that.”
Marvel Studios’ decision to feature a black superhero
Producer Kevin Feige shed light on Marvel’s decision to feature a new groundbreaking black superhero.“ The whole Marvel bullpen created Black Panther and made him a smarter, more accomplished character than any of the other white characters in the mid-1960s.
So, if they had the guts to do that in the mid-1960s, the least we can do is live up to that. (We) need to allow this story to be told in the way it needs to be told. Moreover, (we should) not shy away from things that the Marvel founders didn’t shy away from in the height of the Civil Rights era.”
Also, the movie’s writer Ryan Coogler gave everyone a rare insight how the creators developed the characters. “You can go to our film and see something in there from every writer that has touched T’Challa’s character in the Black Panther comics. From Stanley and Jack Kirby’s initial runs, McGregor, Christopher Priest to Reginald Hudlin, Jonathan Hickman and Brian Stelfreeze.”
Why the cast speaks with an African accent
One of the recurrent questions on people’s minds was why the cast speaks with an African accent. Chadwick Boseman volunteered to clarify by explaining the rationale behind the unusual decision.
“Since [Wakanda] had never been conquered, then T’challa didn’t go to Oxford, Cambridge or Yale. He got his education at home so he would not assimilate a language that is the colonizer’s language. ”
Furthermore, he pointed out that “ the intonations and melodies inside of an African accent are just as classical as a British one.All the emotions can be shown through that accent, and we have to take that opportunity to show that.”
BlackPanther is all about girl power
Next, the discussion moved to one of the major themes in the movie, woman empowerment. The women of Wakanda are strong-willed, opinionated and sexy.In short, true badasses!
Angela Bassett, playing O’ Challa’s mother pointed out the importance of women in African culture. “In African culture, they feel as if there is no king without a queen. This story highlights the queen, the warrior, the general and the young sister.”
Letitia Wright playing the feisty Shuri mentioned how she liked the fact the script portrays women as smart and supported by their male counterparts.“ What I love that the men are always behind the women. So everybody’s got their own lane. No one’s like undermined (or told) ‘You shouldn’t be in technology, and you shouldn’t be in math. They’re like, ‘No, go ahead.”
Lupita Nyong’o playing Nakia chose to focus on the way the movie emphasizes women’s sisterhood.“ I love the way this film represents women… that every one of us is an individual, unique, and hold our own space without being pitted against each other.
The movie challenges traditional beauty concepts
Everyone wanted to hear from Danai Gurira playing the Okoye head of Dora Milaje, the all-female fighting force. She shared how it felt to get her head shaved for the role. “When Ryan talked to me about his vision, I was just floored, because you don’t get to hear that often. I loved that moment where she (Okoye) doesn’t want a wig. She doesn’t want to cover up. This is her joy and her pride (to walk) with a bald head with that tattoo on it.
I was the first one to get my head shaved, and in theory, it sounded amazing. And then the day came, and I was like, ‘was it today? And then like you go to the restroom to wash your hands, you look up, and you go, what the…! It took a few days and then all the girls started coming in (bald) one by one and then the pride started to grow.”
The cast’s hope for change in perception
During the press junket, the cast expressed a common hope that this movie will help change the public’s perspective of Africa and its cultures.
As a native Zimbabwean, actress Danai Gurira called this movie ‘a much-needed salve’ for the wounds inflicted over centuries of misinterpretation.“ To see this world brought to life in this way and to see all the power of all of the different African culturalisms is a kind of a salve to those wounds.”
Chadwick Boseman who plays O’Challa reminded everyone that though Wakanda is fictional, it provides a tantalizing glimpse into what Africa could have become if the Europeans hadn’t colonized it.“ I think when you talk about Wakanda even though we’re talking about a fantasy, it (reflects) the idea of an unconquered nation that has not been tampered with by the various means .“
Finally, Andy Serkis playing Ulysses Klaue summed it all up. “I just think this film is important. It should have been made many years ago. But now is a brilliant time because things are changing rapidly in every single aspect of filmmaking. So the needle should swing the other way because we really need to change things.”
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BLACK PANTHER arrives in theatres everywhere on February 16, 2018!
Disclaimer: Marvel Studios invited me to a complimentary screening and press junket for the’ Black Panther movie. However, all opinions are my own.
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