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Letitia Wright

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Letitia Wright
Wright at the premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022
Born
Letitia Michelle Wright

(1993-10-31) 31 October 1993 (age 31)
Georgetown, Guyana
EducationNorthumberland Park Community School
Identity School of Acting
OccupationActress
Years active2011–present
Notable workBlack Panther (2018)

Letitia Michelle Wright (born 31 October 1993) is a Guyanese-British actress.[1] She began her career with guest roles in the television series Top Boy, Coming Up, Chasing Shadows, Humans, Doctor Who, and Black Mirror. For the latter, she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She then had her breakthrough for her role in the 2015 film Urban Hymn,[2] for which the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) named Wright among the 2015 group of BAFTA Breakthrough Brits.

In 2018, she attained global recognition for her portrayal of Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther, for which she won an NAACP Image Award and a SAG Award. She reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). In 2019, she received the BAFTA Rising Star Award. She also appeared in Steve McQueen's 2020 anthology series Small Axe, which earned her a Satellite Award nomination.

Early life and education

[edit]

Letitia Michelle Wright was born on 31 October 1993 in Georgetown, Guyana. She has one brother, Ivan Bombokka. Her family moved to London, England, when she was eight years old, and she attended Northumberland Park Community School.[3][4]

On 1 February 2023, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Arts and Letters from the University of Guyana at an Extraordinary Convocation Ceremony.[5][6][7]

Career

[edit]
Wright at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con

Wright performed in school plays, but she credits her desire to be a professional actress to seeing the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee. She found Keke Palmer's performance inspiring, remarking that the role "resonated. It's one of the reasons why I'm here".[8] She attended the Identity School of Acting, enrolling at the age of 16.[9][10]

In 2011, she appeared as a recurring role in the series Top Boy and in two episodes of Holby City.[10] She had a small role in the 2012 film My Brother the Devil, for which she was recognized by Screen International as one of its 2012 Stars of Tomorrow. Michael Caton-Jones cast Wright in her first leading role in Urban Hymn (2015),[10] which brought her to the attention of Hollywood.[3][11] The same year, she appeared in the Doctor Who episode Face the Raven, and the following year, she began a recurring role as Renie on Humans.[10] During this time, she also appeared in the play Eclipsed (written by Danai Gurira) at London's Gate Theatre.[12] In 2017, Wright starred in the Black Mirror episode "Black Museum"; her performance earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.[9]

Wright co-starred in the 2018 film Black Panther, playing the role of Shuri, King T'Challa's sister and princess of Wakanda.[13] Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film also starred Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, and Danai Gurira.[14][15] Wright won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture for her work in the film,[16] and reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War, which was released two months later.[17] Also in 2018, Wright appeared as Reb in Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the 2011 science-fiction novel Ready Player One.[18] Wright features as one of the cameos in Drake's music video for "Nice for What".[19]

In 2018, Wright was also featured in a play called The Convert, which was staged at London's Young Vic Theatre. The play was the story of an English-speaking missionary in the 19th century, where the Africans were trained to speak Victorian English and engage in Christianity. This play was set in 1895, when a Black male Catholic teacher and missionary called Chilford occupies a mission house in Rhodesian Salisbury.[20] Wright plays the character of a Jekesai, a young Rhodesia girl who is being forced into marriage by her uncle, but luckily is saved by Chilford.[21]

In 2019, Wright won the BAFTA Rising Star Award.[22] In April 2019, Wright appeared alongside Donald Glover and Rihanna in Guava Island, a short musical film released by Amazon Studios,[23] before reprising her role as Shuri in Avengers: Endgame.[24]

In November 2018, it was announced that Wright would be starring alongside John Boyega in a novel adaptation of Hold Back The Stars.[25] Wright appeared in 2022's Death on the Nile.[26] She was also cast in Steve McQueen's mini-series Small Axe, set in London's West Indian community between the 1960s and 1980s.[27] In the first episode, Mangrove, which premiered on BBC One on 15 November 2020, Wright plays British Black Panther leader Altheia Jones-LeCointe, who, along with eight other Black activists, was arrested and charged with inciting a riot after a peaceful protest in 1970.[28] Wright earned "Best Supporting Actress" nominations for this role, bringing "focussed energy and passion" to her depiction of the real-life Jones-LeCointe, as noted by The New Yorker.[29]

In February 2020, it was announced that Wright had accepted to play twin sisters June and Jennifer Gibbons in the film The Silent Twins, based on the 1986 book of the same name by Marjorie Wallace, with shooting beginning in April. The film was released in September 2022.[30]

Wright returned as Shuri for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which depicts Shuri becoming the new Black Panther following the death of T'Challa; the film marked her first leading role. Released in November 2022, the film was made in honor of Chadwick Boseman, who died from colon cancer in 2020.[31] During the filming of a chase sequence in August 2021, she fractured her shoulder and suffered a concussion following a motorcycle accident, causing production to pause while she recuperated.[31]

Personal life

[edit]

Wright has opened up about her struggles with depression. She told Vanity Fair in 2018 that when she first experienced depression at the age of 20, she "was in the dark going through so many bad things".[32] Wright credits her Christian faith, which she discovered after attending a London actors' Bible study meeting, with helping her overcome the depression.[32] To focus on her recovery and her faith, she turned down film roles.[32] She later explained she "needed to take a break from acting" and "went on a journey to discover my relationship with God, and I became a Christian."[33]

In December 2020, Wright generated controversy from media for sharing a video from the YouTube channel On The Table on Twitter, in which Tomi Arayomi, a senior leader with the Light London church, questioned the legitimacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and accused China of having spread COVID-19, amongst other statements; the video was later deleted.[34] Wright later clarified, "My intention was not to hurt anyone, my ONLY intention of posting the video was it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies. Nothing else."[35][36] She subsequently left social media.[36]

In October 2021, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Wright had parted ways with her U.S. team of representatives due to the response of the video and her alleged promotion of "anti-vaccine" sentiments on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.[37] Wright returned to social media to deny these claims.[38][39] Wright's Wakanda Forever co-star Angela Bassett stated that she had never heard Wright share anti-vaccine sentiments during filming, while Marvel vice president Nate Moore claimed that she was not sharing her views on set and that her status did not affect production.[31] Later that month, Wright condemned The Hollywood Reporter for an article that included her amongst awards-season prospects with "personal baggage", in which its author Scott Feinberg compared her past comments with men accused of abuse and sexual misconduct.[40] She reiterated that she had already apologised for her comments two years prior and had remained silent on the topic, and accused both the publication and Feinberg of having an "agenda" against her, which she described as "vile" and "disgusting" behaviour.[41]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2011 Victim Nyla
2012 My Brother the Devil Aisha
2015 Urban Hymn Jamie Harrison
2018 The Commuter Jules Skateboarder [32]
Black Panther Shuri
Ready Player One Reb
Avengers: Infinity War Shuri
2019 Guava Island Yara Love [8]
Avengers: Endgame Shuri
2021 Sing 2 Nooshy (voice) [42]
2022 Death on the Nile Rosalie Otterbourne [26]
The Silent Twins June Gibbons Also producer [43]
Aisha Aisha Osagie [44]
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Shuri / Black Panther [45]
2023 Surrounded Moses Washington Also producer [46]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2011 Holby City Ellie Maynard Episodes: "Tunnel Vision" and "Crossing the Line"
Top Boy Chantelle Recurring cast (season 1)
Random Girl 3 TV movie
2013 Coming Up Hannah Episode: "Big Girl"
2014 Chasing Shadows Taylor Davis Episode: "Only Connect: Part 1 & 2"
Glasgow Girls Amal TV movie
2015 Banana Vivienne Scott Recurring cast
Cucumber Vivienne Scott Recurring cast
Doctor Who Anahson Episode: "Face the Raven"
2016 Humans Renie Recurring cast (season 2)
2017 Black Mirror Nish Episode: "Black Museum"
2020 Small Axe Altheia Jones Episode: "Mangrove"
2021 I Am... Danielle Episode: "I Am Danielle"

Producer

[edit]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2018 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Black Mirror Nominated [10]
2018 Saturn Awards Best Performance by a Younger Actor Black Panther Nominated [47]
2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards Best On-Screen Team Nominated [48]
Scene Stealer Nominated [48]
2018 Teen Choice Awards Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actress Won [49]
Choice Breakout Movie Star Nominated [49]
2019 Black Reel Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated [50]
Best Breakthrough Performance, Female Won [50]
2019 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture Won [16]
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated [51]
2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Won [52]
2019 British Academy Film Awards Rising Star Award Herself Won [22]
2020 Chicago Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Small Axe Nominated [53]
2020 Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated [54]
2021 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie/Limited Series Nominated [55]
2022 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance – Motion Picture Sing 2 Won [56]
2023 Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Nominated [57]
2023 London Film Critics Circle Awards Award for Actress of the Year Nominated [58]
2023 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Actress Nominated [59]
2023 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actress Nominated [60]
2023 Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actress in a Superhero Movie Nominated [61]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Guyanese-British Actress Ms. Letitia Wright Addresses the National Assembly | Parliament of Guyana". www.parliament.gov.gy. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  2. ^ "BAFTA and Burberry Reveal 2015 Breakthrough Brits" Archived 29 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine. BAFTA.org, 10 November 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b Alberge, Dalya (4 April 2015). "Letitia Wright, Britain's newest rising screen star, says black actors need more positive roles". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  4. ^ Having been brought up in Tottenham and attending Northumberland Park Community School. Time Out. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  5. ^ KNews (1 February 2023). "Honorary Doctorate to be conferred on Letitia Wright". Kaieteur News. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  6. ^ Campbell, Kurt (1 February 2023). "'I always waited for my time' – Letitia Wright moved to tears on receiving Honorary Doctorate from UG". News Room Guyana. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  7. ^ INEWS (1 February 2023). "Guyanese-born actress Letitia Wright conferred with Honorary Doctorate". INews Guyana. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  8. ^ a b Rittman, Alex (8 November 2018). "Letitia Wright: Secret Donald Glover Project, Spelling Bees and More Things Left Out of Hollywood Reporter's Cover Story". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Black Panther's Letitia Wright gets Bafta nod". BBC. 3 January 2019. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d e Rittman, Alex (7 November 2018). "'Black Panther' Breakout Letitia Wright on How Faith Rescued Her From a "Very Dark Place"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 3 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  11. ^ Wiggan, Dylan (15 April 2015). "Rising star Letitia Wright 'Black Actors need more positive roles'". House of Black. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  12. ^ "Eclipsed" Archived 17 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Gate Theatre.
  13. ^ "Who is Letitia Wright? The 'Black Panther' breakout star is just getting started". South China Morning Post. Associated Press. 23 February 2018. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  14. ^ Pape, Stefan (26 September 2016). "Exclusive: Letitia Wright on Urban Hymn and working with Spielberg on Ready Player One". heyuguys. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  15. ^ Kroll, Justin (20 October 2016). "'Black Panther' Adds 'Ready Player One' Actress Letitia Wright (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  16. ^ a b Kelly, Sonaiya (30 March 2019). "'Black Panther,' 'black-ish' win big at the 50th NAACP Image Awards". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  17. ^ Childs, Joi (16 February 2018). "'Black Panther': How Letitia Wright Became a Marvel Breakout". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  18. ^ Carr, Mary Kate (16 February 2018), "5 things to know about Black Panther breakout star Letitia Wright" Archived 19 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine, EW. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  19. ^ Maicki, Salvatore (7 April 2018). "A breakdown of all the cameos in Drake's 'Nice For What' video". The FADER. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  20. ^ Billington, Michael (22 January 2017). "The Convert review – coming to grips with family and faith in a British colony". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  21. ^ Crompton, Sarah (15 December 2018). "Review: The Convert (Young Vic)". WhatsOnStage. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  22. ^ a b "Baftas 2019: The Favourite takes home seven awards". BBC. 10 February 2019. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  23. ^ Ferriol, Lorena (14 August 2018), "Childish Gambino visitó la Fábrica de Arte Cubano (+ Foto)" Archived 11 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish), Vistar.
  24. ^ Collins, K. Austin (28 August 2020). "From England With Love". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  25. ^ Galuppo, Mia (8 November 2018), "John Boyega, Letitia Wright to Star in Sci-Fi Love Story 'Hold Back the Stars'". Archived 7 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine. The Hollywood Reporter.
  26. ^ a b Ritman, Alex (18 April 2019). "'Black Panther' Breakout Letitia Wright to Star in 'Death on the Nile' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  27. ^ Clarke, Stewart (26 June 2019). "Letitia Wright, John Boyega to Star in Steve McQueen's Series 'Small Axe' (exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  28. ^ Aquillina, Tyler (19 September 2020). "See John Boyega and Letitia Wright in new trailer for Steve McQueen's Small Axe anthology". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  29. ^ Brody, Richard (15 March 2021). "The 2021 Oscar Nominations, and What Should Have Made the List". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  30. ^ Novak, Kim (26 February 2020). "Black Panther's Letitia Wright to star in thriller about real-life Silent Twins June and Jennifer Gibbons". Metro. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  31. ^ a b c Jackson, Angelique; Vary, Adam B. (9 November 2022). "Rebuilding 'Black Panther': How the 'Wakanda Forever' Family Fought Through Grief and Injury to Create a $250 Million Superhero Tribute". variety.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  32. ^ a b c d Robinson, Joanna (7 February 2019). "Black Panther Breakout Letitia Wright Smashes Disney Princess Expectations". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  33. ^ "'Black Panther' Breakout Star Letitia Wright Shares How Christianity Changed Her Life". RELEVANT Magazine. 21 February 2018. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  34. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (4 December 2020). "'Black Panther' Star Letitia Wright Responds After Posting Anti-Vax Video". variety.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Actress Letitia Wright criticised for sharing vaccine doubter's video". BBC News. 4 December 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  36. ^ a b Shafer, Ellise (5 December 2020). "Letitia Wright Deletes Social Media Accounts After Posting Anti-Vax Video". Variety. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  37. ^ Siegel, Tatiana; Gardner, Chris; Kit, Borys (6 October 2021). "Hollywood Battle Lines Emerge in Simmering Vaccine War". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  38. ^ Saad, Nardine (13 October 2021). "'Black Panther's' Letitia Wright says report on anti-vax conduct 'completely untrue'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  39. ^ Germain, Atahabih (14 October 2021). "'Completely Untrue': 'Black Panther' Star Letitia Wright Hits Back at Reports That She was Spreading Anti-Vax Views on Set". news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  40. ^ Young, Matt (22 November 2022). "Letitia Wright Slams 'Personal Baggage' Story: 'This Is Vile'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  41. ^ Young, Matt (22 November 2022). "Letitia Wright Slams 'Personal Baggage' Story: 'This Is Vile'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  42. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (21 December 2020). "U2's Bono, Pharrell Williams, Halsey Join Illumination Entertainment/Universal Animated Film 'Sing 2'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  43. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (8 April 2021). "Focus Features Acquires 'Silent Twins' With Letitia Wright & Tamara Lawrance". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  44. ^ Grater, Tom (1 June 2021). "First Look At Letitia Wright In Drama 'Aisha' Co-Starring Josh O'Connor; Cornerstone Boards Sales". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  45. ^ Coggan, Devan (3 October 2022). "'Forever' changed: The grief and joy of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'". EW.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  46. ^ Kroll, Justin (29 October 2020). "Letitia Wright, Jamie Bell And Michael K. Williams To Star In Bron Studios And Anthony Mandler's 'Surrounded'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  47. ^ McNarry, Dave (15 March 2018). "'Black Panther,' 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  48. ^ a b Ramos, Dino-Ray (18 June 2018). "MTV Movie & TV Awards Winners: 'Black Panther', 'Stranger Things' Among Top Honorees – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  49. ^ a b "Teen Choice Awards: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. 12 August 2018. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  50. ^ a b "19th Annual Black Reel Awards Winners". Black Reel Awards. 9 February 2018. Archived from the original on 6 September 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  51. ^ McNary, Dave (13 February 2019). "'Black Panther' Leads NAACP Image Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  52. ^ Tapley, Kristopher; Otterson, Joe (27 January 2019). "SAG Awards: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises". Variety. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  53. ^ Davis, Clayton (21 December 2020). "'Nomadland' Wins Five Chicago Film Critics Awards". Variety. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  54. ^ Van Blaricom, Mirjana (1 February 2021). "25th Satellite Awards Nominees for Motion Pictures and Television Announced". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  55. ^ "Black Reel Awards for Television 2021: Plenty of "Love" in the Heart of the Country!". The Black Reel Awards. 17 June 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  56. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (23 February 2022). "NAACP Image Awards: 'Daily Show With Trevor Noah,' 'Red Table Talk' Among Winners From Night 3 of Non-Televised Ceremonies". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  57. ^ Lewis, Hilary (25 February 2023). "NAACP Image Awards: Will Smith, Angela Bassett, 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Among Top Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  58. ^ "FILM". The Critics' Circle. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  59. ^ Complex, Valerie (15 December 2022). "Black Reel Awards Nominations Announced For 23rd Annual Ceremony; 'The Woman King' And 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Lead With 14 Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  60. ^ Denise Petski (31 January 2023). "Nate Burleson & Charli D'Amelio To Host Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards; Stranger Things Leads 2023 Nominations — Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  61. ^ Davis, Clayton (22 February 2023). "'The Batman,' 'RRR' and 'The Boys' Lead Critics Choice Super Awards Nominees for Film and Television". Variety. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
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