Guyanese born Letitia Wright continues to ride the wave of success in Marvel cinematic universes Black Panther series that is once again heating up the movie screen, this time, with “Wakanda Forever.”
Wright rose to fame after her performance in the Black Panther movie in 2018 as ‘Shuri’, the on-screen sister of ‘Tchalla’ the character played by now deceased Chadwick Boseman.
Wright’s phenomenal success has caught the attention of the world, especially her Guyanese brothers and sisters, and even the President of the Republic, Irfaan Ali, who has extended an invitation to the 29-year-old, break-out star who migrated from Guyana with her parents at age 7.
In wishing the actress best wishes on her outstanding achievement, the head-of-state in a letter dated Nov. 15, stated, “I write to congratulate you on your resounding success. I am moved by an interview which you did and in which you mentioned the country of your birth and how much you wanted to make the people of Guyana proud. I thank you for the recognition which you brought our country and the immense feelings of pride which your superb onscreen performances have evoked.”
“I would like to extend an invitation to you to visit Guyana. The government of Guyana would be honored to host you,” he said, adding “The people of Guyana will be more than delighted to welcome you warmly to your beloved Motherland. I trust that your schedule and plans will permit such a visit at the earliest opportunity.”
“May you continue to make our county proud,” President Ali wrote, as he expressed best wishes for her continued success.
The actress, in an interview with a correspondent of Ebony Magazine online was asked, how Guyanese had received her as this great actress. To which she replied, “Long before me, we had the amazing TV show in the UK called Desmond, (character name) a Guyanese man, and his wife, who owned a Barber shop in Peckham, London.”
“This is an urban type of area where a lot of black communities gather. It was a hit show. I grew up watching ‘Desmond,’” said Wright, who referred to the late great Guyanese-born Norman Beaton whose situation comedy “Desmond,” aired from 1989-1994. She went on to say that Beaton represented Guyana very well. “He made us proud and since then I haven’t seen anyone from Guyana do it like that.”She was very humble speaking about her success, saying, “I’ve always been acting in the UK and the Guyanese people never said oh you’re “repping” Guyana. There were just one or two tweets about my career. It was not like, hey you’re doing Guyana proud, but this time, it’s like everybody’s talking, which is cool.”
“I have lots of cousins in Guyana you know, who are proud and that’s great, but this (Black Panther) has really made people proud and I’m grateful for that it,” she said with a chuckle. “It is kind of overwhelming, you don’t want anybody to put so much pressure on you, because, if I make a mistake, they’ll say your making Guyanese look bad. I just want to be able to be a human being and grow, said Wright, who has been on several press junkets around the world, to promote “Wakanda Forever.”
She has starred in “Sing 2,” “Death on the Nile,” “The Silent Twins,” “Ready Play One,” “Aisha,” “Avengers End Game,” “Mangrove,” “Urban Hymn,” “Guava Island,” and many others.
Without putting out spoilers, this reporter had the great opportunity of viewing the emotional, yet exciting flick, and would like to commend Wright on her extraordinary performance in the movie that has a few wonderful surprises. It is magnificent and entertaining. The cinematography, costumes, scenery, storyline, and stellar cast, all make “Wakanda Forever” a must-see film.
