- 2 minutes ago
The cast of Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” including Danai Gurira (Okoye), Alex Livinalli (Attuma) Mabel Cadena (Namora), Producer Nate Moore, and the famed director himself are here to discuss making the epic Marvel sequel. Watch as they discuss filming the emotional and powerful scenes with stars Angela Bassett and Tenoch Huerta, where this film sits in the MCU’s timeline, and what’s next for the characters and Coogler himself.
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00:00One, two, three, Leaking Telo-Khan!
00:11Show them who we are.
00:15So, just going into this story, I'm curious just how far you went as far as determining what has been
00:22happening in Wakanda,
00:23basically since the first Black Panther film up until this point.
00:28Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's something Joe and I had to sit down and talk with Nate about.
00:37It's just kind of establishing that backstory, because we needed to know it for ourselves,
00:42but also our actors are very serious about their craft.
00:47That's going to be the first thing they ask when they show up.
00:50Like, all right, so what's been happening? Where am I at?
00:51You know, and, you know, we decided that after T'Challa and Shuri were snapped away by Thanos
01:03and all the damage that happened in the invasion of Wakanda by Thanos' army,
01:08that the vacant seat on the throne was determined to be occupied by Raimunda.
01:15So, that decision went a very long way and led to the conflict between Raimunda and Nakia.
01:28It caused Nakia to leave.
01:30So, that decision right there started to inform more.
01:35Like, because there is a one-year time jump in this film,
01:37but when does this film take place?
01:39Do you know?
01:40Oh, boy, in sort of a years.
01:42Like, I couldn't tell you.
01:44I could tell you where it sits in the other movies,
01:46because we try to do it somewhat chronologically,
01:48but if you asked me, if you held a gun to my head, honestly,
01:51I probably would get it wrong.
01:52So, where do you say between the movies, then?
01:54Yeah, I mean, look, if you think about,
01:57like, this movie clearly happens after No Way Home and Eternals.
02:01I think it probably happens potentially concurrent with Thor.
02:06New Asgard does exist in our universe, for instance, or in our film,
02:10and almost concurrent with Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania,
02:14which is coming out in February, March, a few months.
02:16So, in the run-up to production and during while you were filming,
02:20what were the kind of conversations that you were having with Ryan Coogler
02:23about kind of the journey that Okoye is on,
02:26both what we didn't see before this film and during?
02:31Yeah, there was lots of conversations around, you know,
02:34her arc and how we get it there and the journey that she's on.
02:40We knew there was going to be quite a drastic thing
02:41that would happen to her in this film
02:43and, you know, what that was really about,
02:46what was underneath that.
02:48You know, very much her position,
02:51because there's a lot of elements of where grief is
02:56and how it's hitting different members of this ensemble in different ways.
03:01So, where exactly does it hit her and how is she handling it?
03:05And, you know, she's a very in-control type of person
03:11and likes to be that way.
03:12Obviously, she's handling the protection of the nation.
03:15So, it's really understanding how that translates
03:18into what she ends up doing, because she's a doer,
03:21to feel that control maintained.
03:23But is she taking care of herself?
03:25Sure.
03:26So, all those things were very much discussed all the time.
03:30And just the tiny elements of what she would say,
03:32what she wouldn't say,
03:32all those little things about what comes out of her mouth
03:35was always something we explored very, very, very, very thoroughly.
03:39I love that you know the character that well over this amount of time, too,
03:43that you can do that.
03:44I'm curious, did you talk about the relationship with Wakabi
03:48and what has happened with Okoye and him since...
03:51We did, we did.
03:52I can't go into too many of these...
03:52He would ask my director about that whole thing.
03:55But we definitely did.
03:58There was stuff that, you know,
04:00we didn't end up doing, but we definitely did.
04:02Yeah, he's...
04:06There's a...
04:08He's basically banished,
04:10but still in Wakanda's borders.
04:12Oh, okay.
04:12Yeah, if that makes sense.
04:14Yeah.
04:15So, yeah, so it's one line that refers to him still being alive.
04:18Yeah.
04:19Yeah, I was curious about that.
04:20Nice.
04:21And one question,
04:22one scene that I specifically wanted to ask about
04:24is actually the scene where Wakabi is brought up,
04:26is the scene with you and Angela Bassett in the throne room,
04:29because there are some heavy emotions there
04:32and from both sides,
04:34and you can understand where both of them are coming from.
04:36I'm just curious what it was like on set
04:38and just sharing that moment with Angela Bassett.
04:41It was amazing.
04:42It was intense.
04:42It was a lot of...
04:44It was a very intense and exhausting day.
04:48My character is exhausted.
04:50She is, of course,
04:52she doesn't...
04:53She's horrified at her failings
04:55and she doesn't expect even the results to be as dire as it is at the same time.
05:00So it's a lot that's going on for her in that scene
05:03and this relationship between her and the Queen is very...
05:07is more than dear to her.
05:08So there's that as well that's, you know, stirring in her.
05:12But, you know, the beauty of it all is that working with the people I get to work with,
05:17I'm blessed enough to work with,
05:18is we...
05:19Sometimes I say it's because a lot of us are from theater,
05:21but, you know, that's not right to say necessarily.
05:23But, you know, we just give each other everything we've got.
05:27It doesn't matter who the camera is focused on.
05:28So that was a day where I really was so thankful for our ensemble
05:33because, you know, when the camera was on her, you know,
05:36I was giving her everything I had
05:38and when the camera was on me,
05:39she was giving me everything she had.
05:41It didn't matter.
05:43And that's when you're, you know, you know you're in good company.
05:46When you just...
05:47That's just what we naturally do for each other.
05:49We live in the story as many times as necessary
05:51to deliver the story as fully as we possibly can.
05:57Have I not given everything?
06:02When it just came to Atuma and Nemora,
06:05like, when you were first getting into the characters,
06:07what was it about them that you just personally
06:09really honed into at first
06:10and kind of wanted to express through your performances?
06:13I think the story, the story how, you know, being, being,
06:18you know, she's from Mexico, I was born in Venezuela
06:22and the representation that we're bringing,
06:25you know, the story, you see this group of people
06:28diving into the ocean in search of a better life.
06:33So I think we can all somewhat imagine
06:36or have seen that here in the States,
06:38just people coming here in search of a better life,
06:42the American dream.
06:44And being part of that is such an honor
06:45to represent diversity,
06:48to give a chance to people in South America,
06:51Central America, to see themselves.
06:52Hey, like, hey, they look like us.
06:54They talk like us.
06:55They have accents like us.
06:56And in some ways, you know, inspire them.
07:00You know, if we can inspire at least one person, yeah.
07:04You know, to me, at the beginning was like,
07:08well, I'm an actress, I need to focus on my process.
07:11I need to work a lot for representing with dignity
07:15to the women and to Mexican women,
07:19to Latin American women.
07:21And two days ago, when I watched the movie for the first time,
07:26to me was like, in my stomach,
07:28it's like, whoa, what means the representation?
07:33I don't have enough work, but that.
07:35But this is what I feel it's to me means this movie.
07:41It's like, wow, I feel for the first time
07:45what means watch my face in a superhero movie
07:50for the first time,
07:51because it's not just a superhero movie.
07:53It's, it's a lot for people like me, you know,
07:56change my life in every detail, personal detail.
08:01I don't know.
08:02I also, I mean, just want to also ask about
08:04just working with Tino Suerta,
08:06because, I mean, Kyle Khan is like an incredible character
08:09that people, I mean, from the, I mean,
08:12obviously there's the legend,
08:12but also Namor from the comics.
08:14What was it kind of like working with him
08:15and just developing the dynamics between your characters?
08:18It's such a, it's so beautiful to see the growth
08:21that we all had together for my first day,
08:23whether it was the stunt training,
08:25the language training, the water training,
08:28to see each of us just grow into training,
08:32to shooting, to actually see in it.
08:34It's such a, it's such a bonding moment that,
08:37you know, these are not my coasters.
08:39These are like family members that we spend so much time,
08:42and it was difficult, it was nothing easy,
08:45and that adversity, I think, made us even closer.
08:49And I'm very happy to be here next to her
08:52and have worked with Tinoj, you know?
08:54And we were, Tinoj, Alex and me work a lot for,
09:01I don't know, one year training together every day
09:05for that, for that movie.
09:09It's crazy.
09:10I don't know, we're a tripod.
09:13That's amazing.
09:14One of the most exciting things about this film
09:16is the fact that you're introducing Namor,
09:17which is a character that fans have been waiting for forever.
09:20Yeah.
09:20Is this, was this always the film
09:22that he was going to be introduced,
09:23or were there like considerations of introducing him earlier?
09:26That's a good question.
09:27I actually think this is the first time
09:28we seriously considered it,
09:29and it was something that Ryan had pitched
09:32in post on the first movie.
09:34Hey, if we get to do a sequel, which was an if,
09:37I would love to tackle Namor,
09:39because he's such a compelling character.
09:41Ryan is a fan of publishing and Namor
09:44and in publishing Atlantis,
09:45and Wakanda have had such great conflicts in the past.
09:47He was really interested in exploring that
09:49in a potential sequel.
09:50But I can't say that I remember another property before this
09:55where that was a real consideration.
09:56Yeah, I love that you got to save it for him.
09:58Basically, that's awesome.
09:59Totally.
10:00Yeah, we went through a lot of iterations at Namor,
10:02but they always had that at the core.
10:06Like the idea that he feels like
10:09it's only a matter of time
10:10before he comes in conflict
10:11with the other people that they have at the planet.
10:14Like any wise leader or general or anybody,
10:18you know what I mean?
10:19He knows that your chances of victory improve
10:22if you can throw the first punch, so to speak.
10:24You know, so that's where he is
10:28and Namor in the comics, he's very pragmatic, you know.
10:34And also, that has a distaste for people
10:38from that part of the world, you know.
10:41Yeah, and was the kind of that big question
10:43of like just the ethics of that,
10:45was that kind of the heart of the movie
10:47where you started the plot from?
10:48No, no, no, no, no, no, no, not at all.
10:50Like, I think that, I think it's more like
10:56when we knew that we settled on
11:00this idea of the underwater empire
11:04being influenced by the culture
11:06of the classic, post-classic Mayan civilizations
11:09of the Yucatan.
11:10When we made that decision,
11:12we realized that like, okay,
11:14these were people who had
11:16a very specific
11:21history when it came to
11:24other people from far away
11:26and what happened to them
11:27and how does that influence their views?
11:30Whereas Wakanda's history
11:31with the other people,
11:35they've been less affected,
11:36you know,
11:37and that contrast,
11:39I thought would be an interesting place to start.
11:41It was less about
11:45who's down to do a preemptive strike or not
11:47and more about this idea
11:48of proven vulnerability.
11:50You know what I mean?
11:51Like when things have happened to you in the past,
11:54you kind of never stopped feeling vulnerable.
11:56You know what I mean?
11:57And I think that's like the key difference
12:01that the film is kind of talking about here.
12:04Sure, absolutely.
12:05Yeah.
12:05We know what you whisper
12:08and they have lost their protector.
12:13Well, actually,
12:13one scene I wanted to specifically ask about
12:15kind of within that realm
12:16is the Rise-Talakon scene
12:18because it is so passionate.
12:20I'm curious just...
12:21Yeah, of course.
12:22You caught that!
12:22You caught that!
12:24I mean, what was it like,
12:25I mean, both to film it
12:26and see it on the big screen?
12:30That was not part of the original script.
12:33You know, it was a consensus thing
12:35that we were like, you know,
12:38the Black Panther, you know,
12:40they have Wakanda forever
12:42and it's so powerful.
12:44It means so much.
12:45And we're like,
12:46we're very similar to the Wakandans, you know.
12:49We need something.
12:51So after a conversation
12:53with a language instructor,
12:55we came up with Talakan Rises,
12:58which is...
13:01One, two, three...
13:03Leaking Talakan!
13:07Which is like, yeah, we're here.
13:09This is our mantas, so to speak, you know.
13:12Let's go!
13:13Yeah.
13:14You know, our approach to it...
13:17And there was a lot of...
13:19Man, a lot of phenomenal creatives
13:21that had their hands
13:22and realized in Talakan,
13:24you know, not just me and Joe,
13:27but in the actors
13:28and, you know, Hannah Buechler
13:29and Ruth Carter,
13:32the visual development department
13:33at Marvel,
13:35led by Ryan Minerdean.
13:36And, like, once we got in there,
13:38you know, like,
13:40in terms of making the movie,
13:42it was really about, like,
13:44what's the right amount to show
13:46in this Black Panther movie?
13:48You know,
13:49less is more, I think.
13:50You know what I mean?
13:51Like, we wanted just enough
13:54to understand
13:56what we need people to understand
13:57for the story to work for them.
13:59And not trying to do too much
14:01because the film,
14:02you know, I don't know
14:03if the film could hold too much.
14:04You know what I'm saying?
14:05It already has so many other things to hold.
14:08So I think about doing that,
14:10that leaves the door open
14:12for whatever comes next.
14:14For sure.
14:15And, I mean,
14:15speaking of also new characters,
14:17I mean, Riri Williams
14:18is such a wonderful spark,
14:19and I'm just instantly excited
14:21for Ironheart next year
14:22just immediately.
14:23I'm curious just what the coordination
14:25was between the productions
14:27and just, like, also,
14:28and how much of this movie
14:29is going to kind of set up
14:30what we see in that show.
14:31Yeah, no, I mean,
14:33that show is an outgrowth
14:34of how much we liked her
14:35in this movie,
14:36and even on the page.
14:38So when we talked
14:39with Dominique initially,
14:41obviously the character
14:41had been written to the script,
14:44and she was the one
14:45and only person
14:46we talked about for the role,
14:48and when she said yes,
14:49and we were down the road
14:52with the script,
14:52we also started talking
14:53to Ryan about
14:54what the show could be.
14:55So the show is
14:56a direct sequel to the movie,
14:58so Riri is carrying
14:59the experiences she had
15:00in this movie
15:00back home to MIT,
15:03and there's some
15:04interesting repercussions
15:05to her adventures
15:06that will set her
15:07on a fun course.
15:08Fans have obviously
15:09very much embraced
15:10what you have contributed
15:12to the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
15:13and there has been
15:14a lot of talk
15:15about the idea
15:16of you potentially
15:17taking on one of the
15:18bigger capstone
15:19Avenger Marvel projects.
15:21Right.
15:21I'm curious if that's
15:22something that you're
15:22personally interested in.
15:25Yeah, yeah,
15:25that's a great question.
15:28How I work,
15:29you know,
15:30like personally,
15:32and hopefully
15:32there's no offense,
15:34like I can,
15:37as a writer and director,
15:40I can only do
15:41what's in front of me,
15:42you know what I'm saying?
15:43And I'm very poor
15:45at multitasking
15:45when it comes to that,
15:46you know.
15:48I've never really
15:49been successful
15:49at multitasking,
15:51you know.
15:52Usually if I'm like
15:53trying to figure out
15:54something else
15:54while I'm doing something,
15:55the thing I'm doing
15:56suffers, you know.
15:57So I like to stay
15:58focused on this,
15:59get this movie
16:00out into the world.
16:01Then I'll start
16:02thinking about
16:03what I want to do next,
16:04if anything,
16:05anytime soon,
16:06you know.
16:07A lot went into this one.
16:08Sure.
16:09Yeah.
16:09It's, like I said,
16:10an absolutely incredible work.
16:11Man, thank you.
16:12For sure.
16:13It means a lot.
16:15It's our time
16:18to strike.
16:33I've heard that you
16:34actually got the opportunity
16:34to take a spear home,
16:36but one question I want to ask.
16:37I just took it.
16:38You just took it?
16:39Didn't actually ask anybody?
16:40No, they knew.
16:41They knew.
16:42Props, I mean,
16:42the guys who handle
16:43the props knew, yeah.
16:44Well, now that we're
16:45getting to Halloween,
16:46I am curious,
16:47have you ever considered
16:48taking the full-on
16:49Dora Milaje uniform?
16:51No, no, no.
16:52I think that's in a museum
16:53down the road, actually.
16:55My actual uniform,
16:57I know that that's,
16:59it's in that museum.
17:01So I don't know
17:02if I could take that home,
17:03but, you know.
17:04Huh?
17:05You can set up a heist.
17:06Ha, ha, ha.
17:06That's funny.
17:07But, yeah, no.
17:08You know, I think it's,
17:09I like that it lives
17:10out there in its own way.
17:11It's good.
17:12It's good, as it should.