*Danai Gurira (“The Walking Dead,” “All Eyez on Me”) returns to the Marvel universe in the sequel to the 2018 Academy-Award-nominated film “Black Panther.” Gurira reprises her role as “Okoye,” the confident and influential leader of the Dora Milaje in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
As Wakanda is grieving the loss of its king T’Challa, world powers have targeted the nation for its resources. In the film, Okoye’s leadership is challenged by new threats, exposing a side of the character we haven’t seen.
I talked with Gurira about her expectations for the character and how the cast came together onscreen and off as a family. Gurira shared that she wanted to make sure Okoye was going through what made sense to who the character was and the loss she was experiencing.
“You always hope for a character that gets to stretch and expand. They have to meet a new challenge in who they are and how they navigate the world. So, I was thankful for what Ryan came up with for her.”
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. © 2022 MARVEL.
The actor also explained how the cast’s bonds helped while shooting the film. “We’re deeply connected as a cast; we looked out for each other. The new actors also were astoundingly supportive to us in moments where we didn’t know when and how we would be hit by the grief of what we were navigating.
Gurira said those emotions ran parallel to their characters’ journeys in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She explained that a lot of the disorientation Okoye faced was something she could relate to. “In terms of what I was going through, even though sometimes you can’t see it that perfectly, you realize, oh, that’s what’s happening. It’s happening for her, and it’s happening for me as well. So there was a lot of reliance on each other. I spent a lot of time with Letitia. It’s very much about being there for each other to get through it all and to get through it in a way where we feel proud of what we did for Chadwick (Boesman.).”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” also features Academy Award® winner Lupita Nyong’o (“The 355,” “12 Years a Slave”) as Nakia, Winston Duke (“Nine Days,” “Us”) as M’Baku, Florence Kasumba (“Avengers: Infinity War,” “Wonder Woman”) as Ayo, Emmy® and BAFTA award winner Michaela Coel (“I May Destroy You,” “Chewing Gum”), and Academy Award® nominee Angela Basset (“911,” “Mission: Impossible-Fallout”) as Ramonda.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is available in theatres now.
Danai Guira
Jill Munroe is a Los Angeles-bred entertainment journalist, producer, and host. You can follow her on all social media @StilettoJill or check out JillMunroe.com.
