The narrative is changing, now more than ever black women are receiving the accolades they truly deserve. When Black Panther finally hit the cinemas earlier this year, it was not just another movie made up of black people, it was ‘The’ movie for black Americans and Africans as a whole. African women took up the lead roles, a rare case in Hollywood, and showed through their talents that they could do above and beyond all expectations.
For Elle USA‘s November 2018 issue, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Angela Bassett are part of the eleven honorees of 2018, this issue is also the twenty-fifth anniversary of women in Hollywood. These black women were an integral part of the Marvel blockbuster.
Gurira played the role Okoye, the kings adviser and leader of Wakanda’s female soldiers called Dora Milaje, she told Clover Hope of ELLE how much she loved taking off her wig during in between scenes, “I loved doing that, from the minute she’s wearing that wig and complaining about it, to the minute she gets rid of it very pragmatically,” Gurira says. “That spoke to so many things about feminine aesthetics.”
Lupita Nyong’O, on the other hand, has gone from winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2014 for 12 Years a Slave to staring in other high raking movies. Taking up the role Nakia in Black Panther, Lupita demonstrated a high level of expertise in her interpretation of the character, she says “Nakia was a departure from the character you see in the comic books. She is an independent woman and a bit of a rebel but also a loyalist to her country,”.
“I am also someone who depends on my family and friends and feels a connection to my people, and maybe has a sense of responsibility to make them proud. So I really related to that balancing act within oneself.”
Read the full feature on www.elle.com