Fun Facts About the Stars of 'Black Panther'

By Vivian El-Salawy on February 28, 2018

Black Panther has swept all the Box Office records, with a $242 million debut. The endless records included biggest February opening weekend, biggest non-sequal opening weekend, biggest solo superhero launch of all time, biggest-grossing movie (in North America) directed by a black filmmaker, and the list goes on. Apart from the magnificent direction and filming of the remarkable film, the talent that went into the movie was immeasurable, between costume, design, as well as the actors. Having said that, here are some fun facts about the stars of Black Panther:

  • Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) didn’t actually audition for Black Panther

According to Gay Pop Buzz, Boseman didn’t have to audition to play the Black Panther, as the role was given to him after Marvel Studios President had seen him in the James Brown bio-pic Get On Up.

Image via Pixabay

  • Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger) modeled for Toys ‘R Us. 

It has already gone viral that the well-known Michael B. Jordan is a fan of anime, which caught many heartfelt fans off guard. However, IMDb also reports that before he started with the acting gigs, he apparently modeled in advertisments for Modell’s Sporting Goods and Toys ‘R Us.

  • Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia) is multilingual. 

No, not bilingual or trilingual. She is multilingual. According to IMDb, Lupita is fluent in four different languages: Luo, English, Swahili and Spanish.  The brains don’t stop there. She is also a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and is the first Kenyan actress to be nominated for, and to win, an Academy Award.

  • Danai Gurira (Okoye) was the Broadway playwright for the first ever Broadway play to have a female writer and director. 

Image via Pixabay

Yes, the beautiful and talented Danai’s play was successfully nominated for fix different 2016 Tony awards, including one for the best play. According to Pop Sugar, Eclipsed was also the first Broadway play to ever have a female writer, director, as well as an all-female cast. The play follows five women through their struggles during the second Liberian civil war in 2003.

  • Forest Whitaker (Zuri) is a black belt. 

It seems as if Forest Whitaker is actually a huge karate fan. So much so, that according to 10 Facts About, he personally has a black belt in the sport. In addition, he was also hired to direct the movie Fat Albert in 2002, however, he disagreed with the direction that Bill Cosby was headed with it, and ended up quitting on the project.

  • Daniel Kaluuya (W’Kabi) wrote his first play at the age of nine. 

Image via Pixabay

It seems to be that Daniel has quite a bit in common with the lovely Danai. According to Essence, he wrote his first play at the age of nine. It was about two guys working at McDonald’s, was mocked endlessly by his teacher for it, and nonetheless, it was performed at Hampstead Theatre, and actually ended up winning the competition.

  • Angela Bassett’s (Ramonda) line “Right here! Right now!” was sampled in the Fatboy Slim song.  

Yes, Fatboy Slim’s “Right Here, Right Now” was sampled from Bassett’s line from Strange Days, filmed in 1995, which currently holds over 11 million views on YouTube alone. IMDb also reports that she was initiated as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in July of 2013.

  • Andy Serkis (Klaw) is Gollum.  

Image via Pixabay

That’s right, his performance as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings  actually ranked #10 on Premiere Magazine’s “100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time”. What you didn’t know, most likely, is that he based the voice of Gollum on the sounds that his cats made when they were coughing up furballs. IMDb also reports that he is, indeed, a vegetarian. In fact, a good chunk of the leads in Black Panther happen to be vegetarians.

  • Martin Freeman (Everett K. Ross) is buds with Benedict Cumberbatch. 

Freeman is an interesting man – a man that, according to IMDb, apparently doesn’t drive. In addition, he’s considered to be good friends with Benedict Cumberbatch and was on the British national squash squad from the age of nine to fourteen.

  • Letitia Wright (Shuri) stared in Eclipsed (the play written by co-star Diana Gurira). 

If you haven’t seen her for the first time in Black Panther, then you might recognize her in the Season 4 finale of a Netflix Original Series: Black Mirror as well. Buzzfeed also mentions that the 2006 flick Akeelah and the Bee is what inspired Wright to pursue acting. Since, then she’s become an inspiration herself.

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