LUPITA NYONG’O reveals the cast of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever visited CHADWICK BOSEMAN’s grave before filming began

 

Tuesday, November 8, 2022 – Lupita Nyong’o has revealed the cast honored their late co-star Chadwick Boseman before filming began for the highly-anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Nyong’o, 39, who reprises her role as Nakia from the 2018 blockbuster Black Panther, was part of a cover story on the sequel for Ebony.

The actress revealed that, before filming began on the sequel, the entire cast visited the grave of Chadwick Boseman.

Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, though he kept the diagnosis private apart from his inner circle. He passed away after a four-year battle with cancer in 2020, with the cancer progressing from Stage III at diagnosis to Stage IV closer to his death.

After his death, Marvel insisted that they would not recast his beloved character T’challa, with the studio stating they would dedicate the sequel to Boseman’s memory.

Nyong’o revealed in the interview, ‘We visited his resting place before we started filming and we had that moment as a cast.’

‘We went with the new cast who hadn’t met him as well. It was our way of continuing this journey,’ the actress added.

‘It really doesn’t feel like we have anything to prove to his spirit. I feel very, very centered about how we brought him along with us,’ she added.

‘(Director) Ryan (Coogler)had an artist make this necklace that has Chadwick’s image on it and he wore it every day. So he’s been with us, he knows what we did,’ Nyong’o said.

Her co-star Danai Gurira, who returns as Okoye, revealed in the interview that Boseman’s death took a toll on the cast.

‘There’s a grief navigation that we were going through as we were stepping back into living in this world without our leader, our King, and our brother. That was a really specific journey to take in it,’ she said.

Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri, added, ‘I knew that he was in a better place, but I selfishly wanted him to still be here … with us, with me.

‘But for myself, I use the film as a love letter to Chad. Every scene, every word I utter is with fullness and with life as he would want me to live it, you know, as he did live,’ she continued.

‘It was hard. But we all used the time to grieve together and support each other. We used the time to fuel the story with our energy, with our love and with the power that was within us because it had to go somewhere, you know?’ she said.