It is officially Black Panther season! Following the film's world premiere in LA this week, Marvel held a press conference with the movie's cast and crew, and Blavity copped an invite.
Black excellence showed up and showed out as Chadwick Boseman, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya and Winston Duke strutted onto the stage.
On Tuesday, we spoke with the cast, but one particular moment that really hit us in the feels came when Bassett spoke about the immense pride she felt in being able to take her two children to the premiere.
"In African culture, they feel as if there is no king without a queen," Bassett said. "I think in this story, it highlights the queen: the warrior, the general, the young sister. I was so proud to have my daughter and my son [at the premiere] last night because in their faces … and in their spirit … they were feeling themselves! And they stood taller after last night."
You'll see for yourself just what Bassett and her costars were talking about soon: Black Panther hits theaters on February 16, 2018.
Chadwick Boseman, who stars as the Black Panther himself, also spoke with us about how colonialism impacted not only economies, but also societies, noting that Wakanda's centuries of independence led it to have tight familial units.
"Wakanda is an unconquered nation that has not been tampered with," the film's star said. "The idea of the next generation being smarter and better than you is a concept they they would've evolved to. Even though [Shuri] is my younger sister, she benefits from whatever I have reached. You want your sons and daughters to be better than you were and that concept is a Wakandan concept."
But leave it to Lupita Nyong'o to highlight the way Black Panther portrays women, offering that it gives a fresh, realistic take that movies do not always have.
"What I love about the way this film represents women is that each and every one of us is an individual, unique and we all have our own power and sense of agency," Lupita said. "We hold our own space without being pitted against each other."
