Letitia Wright is a Guyanese-born British actress who became popular on-screen in 2011, playing in several British TV series including Top Boy, Coming Up, Chasing Shadows among others. She was named among the 2015 group of British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Breakthrough Brits. Wright is best known for her active role in the American superhero film, Black Panther.
Letitia Wright’s Biography
Wright was born in Georgetown, Guyana but her family later moved to London when she was just seven years old. Raised in Tottenham, Letitia Wright acquired an education in London. According to her, north London will always be home. The actress has also revealed her struggle with depression and the need to strengthen her bond with God.
She opened up about how she “needed to take a break from acting because” she “really idolized it”. Not one to hide her newly found Christain faith, Wright took to her Twitter page shortly after the premiere of the movie, to cite Psalm 9:1. In her tweet, she praised God for all His blessings upon her and the Black Panther team.
Career
Letitia Wright said she was inspired into acting after watching Akeelah and the Bee and considered the lead, Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer) to be a positive role model. In her quest to become an actress, Wright sent emails to different movie agents, stating her acting experiences. She was finally picked up to partake in minor roles.
Wright gained recognition by Screen International as one of its 2012 Stars of Tomorrow, after starring in My Brother the Devil and Urban Hymn.
Role in Black Panther
The Black Panther premiered in Los Angeles on January 29, 2018, and was released theatrically in the United States on February 16, 2018, in 2D, 3D, IMAX and other premium large formats. It was considered as one of the best films set in the MCU, noted by its cultural significance.
In Black Panther, Wright played a character that is deeply influenced by technology: the mastermind behind it and a victim of it, respectively. She became the movie’s breakout star playing the role of Shuri, King T’Challa’s 16-year old half-sister and princess of the fictional African country of Wakanda. With a short, asymmetrical haircut and delicate features, 24-year-old Letitia Wright convincingly passed for a teenager in the movie. It was released worldwide in February 2018 and her co-stars include Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Chadwick Boseman.
Speaking of how she prepared for the Suri role, Wright said she stayed very close to the script and didn’t look at the comic books so she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the fact that she has such an important part in the Wakandan world. She describes herself as a “local, young girl” who’s trying to fulfill her life’s purpose. As Suri, Letitia Wright is transformed into a ruler of Wakanda – a fictional world. Suri possesses all the enhanced abilities given to the Black Panther via ancient Wakandan ritual; she’s a skilled martial artist, with access to extremely advanced technologies and wealth, and uses acquired transmorphic powers.
After the huge success of the movie, fans have described Letitia Wright as the newest Disney princess alias African engineer. According to the Black Panther director, Ryan Coogler describes her as “the love and the light” of the movie. Urban Hyme director Michael Caton-Jones compared Wright’s prodigious talent to that of Leonardo DiCaprio. Jones said “she was just fascinating from the beginning, loose and fluid. Even Oprah Winfrey got emotional describing her role as Suri in the ninth-highest grossing film ever produced in the US and 41st highest of all-time.
The Blank Panther is reportedly grossing close to $1 Billion worldwide, which makes it the highest-grossing film of 2018.
Other Movies and TV
Besides her breakout movie Black Panther, the following are other movies TV appearances:
Wright has returned as Shuri in Avengers: Infinity War.
She is featuring in Ready Player One (2018), a science fiction action-adventure based on Ernest Cline’s bestseller of the same name;
She featured in Urban Hyme (2015).
The Marvel actress also featured in the award-winning play, Eclipsed written by her Black Panther co-star Danai Gurira (2015).
Now that Letitia Wright has become famous, it is very likely she’ll be a top choice for movie producers. But as one who does wish to Idolize her career, she shared her plans to “take a step back” from work, “travel a little bit more, and live life.”
