Black Panther’s Letitia Wright Breaks Silence On Activist Attempt To Cancel Her
Letitia Wright is finally addressing the backlash against her controversial tweets and Instagram posts.
Black Panther 2 star Letitia Wright has finally answered questions about her controversial social media presence. In an interview with The Guardian, the actress talked about grieving Chadwick Boseman, embracing Christianity, and her hopes to make an impact with the roles she plays. She was also asked about retweets she made in 2021 that appeared to endorse a transphobic, homophobic, anti-vax preacher.
Worldwide, Letitia Wright is best recognized as Shuri, the sister of T’Challa, the King of Wakanda and the superhero Black Panther in the movie of the same name. T’Challa was played by Chadwick Boseman, who tragically died from colon cancer in 2020, shocking the world and causing fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to wonder about the fate of the Black Panther franchise. These speculations were laid to rest in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released in theaters on November 11.
However, after her controversial retweet of the pastor, there was a question as to whether or not Letitia Wright would continue to be part of the franchise. She deleted her social media account the day after her retweet of the pastor, but not before one last parting shot. Before deactivating her Twitter, she tweeted “If you don’t conform to popular opinions but ask questions and think for yourself … you get cancelled.”
Fans were outraged at the retweet of the pastor because Letitia Wright is known for playing activists and the role model Shuri. Of the character, the actress herself said, “She has inspired so many young kids around the world, especially young Black women, to enjoy and be proud of themselves in the Stem [science, technology, education and maths] category of education. She’s a character that so many young girls want to be.”
The controversy reportedly bled onto the set of Black Panther 2 when Letitia Wright continued to repeat her protests of the Covid-19 vaccine to the cast and crew. Both her retweet of the video and her continued behavior regarding the vaccine were in response to on-set mandates by Disney intended to curb the spread of the virus during filming. She filmed a video denying these accusations and posted it to her Instagram, but has since deleted that account as well.
In the Guardian interview, Letitia Wright answered questions about the controversy by stating that she has “apologized and moved on.” While she was very tight-lipped about the incident, she responded to accusations of homophobia, transphobia, and anti-vax beliefs by saying that is not who and what she is. When asked if she was vaccinated, she replied, “Next question.”
Letitia Wright did say she was sorry for the pain she caused her fans but seems to want to put the entire episode behind her, especially as she starts new projects. Regardless of her controversial opinions, it would seem that her character Shuri will be taking over for her brother T’Challa as the next Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She also started her own production company called Threesixteen, named after the famous passage in the Bible.
Letitia Wright may have canceled her social media over her controversial shares and comments, but so far, her career seems to have survived. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever grossed $181 million on its opening weekend as fans got their first look at Shuri following in her brother’s footsteps, which was only $20 million behind the opening weekend for the first movie in the series. If her career doesn’t fall to controversy, she has a bright future with Disney and Marvel Studios.
