As I waited eagerly along with other interviewers in tow, we were freezing in -15 °C because Seoul was super cold! However the only thing keeping us going was the wait for Academy Award winner, Lupita Nyong’o. The freezing weather was harsh for everyone and Lupita was also not spared by the cold. We were informed that she was a bit unwell and honestly speaking, if this was Bollywood, I can say from my past experiences that the interviews would have been put on hold or even called off, but turned out Lupita was a serious professional. She was aware that people from all over Asia were there to interview her and she took it very responsibly. In no time she was present with us and all set to roll.
Thanks to her familiar face in the Star Wars franchise, the people in the geek space recognise her easily. Her entry in the Marvel universe will however, elevate her presence and ‘Black Panther’ is obviously going to take her places. She is an exceptional actress with a laugh that fills you with warmth and exudes immense confidence. She is flawless and can easily infect you with her charm. As I sat with her, I couldn’t help but appreciate her tendency of being vibrant and chirpy, despite being exhausted. When asked about how does she feel to be one of the strongest female characters in the Marvel Universe, she laughed and said, “Well, I am obviously really excited to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I love my character Nakia. I love her subtle understated strength and then her ferocity with which she fights. It feels great……just great. And how do I do it? I don’t know yet…I just don’t know except that I love acting.”
(c) Giphy
She has seen following the hashtag #BlackPantherSoLit which has been trending on social media, and these things totally get her excited as the film is about to hit the screens. If you have watched her stunts in the trailer, then you will agree that she is mind blowing in those thrilling action sequences. However, doing them was obviously not so easy. Sharing her experience about performing the toughest stunts, she said, “Which was the toughest stunt? The casino one was tough just because it was a technological challenge and it involved over 70 people. So it was a lot to take in, not just the stunt but also the timing of the stunts, it was a lot to take in.”
When asked about what she thinks of T’Challa (played by Chadwick Boseman) as a ruler, she dropped some hints about what the new king feels and Nakia’s dilemma, though she didn’t reveal much about the film for obvious reasons. “She supports him as a ruler. When we meet him, he is a new King. He has a lot of questions about how he is going to rule, like what the future of his country is going to be with him in charge, and Nakia is the woman of the world who sees power and strength of Wakanda, but she also sees the opportunity that the country could have outside. So there are a lot of things going on and you will see when you watch the film.”
(c) Marvel
To get a better understanding of her equation with T’Challa and Kill Monger (played by Micheal B Jordan), we asked her what she likes and dislikes about them and she shared; “She loves the fact that T’Challa is a listening ruler and one thing she doesn’t like maybe his slippers (laughs). About Kill Monger, I would say she didn’t love his anger and I don’t know what she loves when it comes to Kill Monger.”
This makes us wonder that her character is going to take a different route in the film than that mentioned in the comic.
(c) Giphy
Before our interview concluded she also spilled the beans on who was the most popular guy on the sets and while recalling it, she just couldn’t control her excitement. “Winston Duke was the most popular guy on the sets. He had such swag as M’Baku in the film. He had some best lines, some of which didn’t make it into the final film but he just had a way with it. We were always making fun of it on the sets because he said those lines with so much authority and veracity, so he was definitely the most popular,” she shared.
Black Panther will hit the screens on 16th February 2018, and we are sure you are excited as we are for the film.