Several actors in Marvel’s “Black Panther,” currently the most popular movie in the country, have been outspoken about the impact of Christian faith on their careers, demonstrating that Hollywood stardom and sincere faith are not mutually exclusive.
Letitia Wright plays a major role in the movie as Shuri, the younger sister of T’Challa, who is the Black Panther (played by Chadwick Boseman).
Wright explained how acting became an idol in her life, leading her to seek God for happiness and security instead.
Here’s what she told ITV’s “This Morning”:
I was going through a lot, a very difficult time in my life and I just needed to take a break from acting because I really idolized it. So I came off from it and I went on a journey to discover God and my relationship with God and I became a Christian. It really just gave me so much love and light within myself. I felt secure and I felt like I didn’t need validation from anyone else or from getting a part. My happiness wasn’t dependent on that, it was dependent on my relationship with God.
I’m centered in who I am and I’m really grateful. I’m not perfect. Especially as a Christian you’re not perfect But you’re walking everyday and trying to just stay connected and yeah it’s helped me a lot so I’m really grateful.
Sope Aluko, who plays Shaman in the movie, told Okay Africa that being on the set was sometimes similar to a religious experience, according to FaithWire.
“It felt very familiar and like home. We had early call times but I didn’t even feel the long set hours because it was such a good time," Aluko said. "I didn’t feel like I was amongst stars, everyone was so down to earth and normal. During breaks we shared our testimony of how we got to where we did and most of the people were testifying to God’s miracles, it was almost like church.”
Black Panther earned the most money on a Monday in box office history, bringing in $40.16 million on President’s Day, according to CNN Money.
As of Tuesday, the film had earned $426.6 million globally, and it hasn’t even opened in China, Japan, or Russia yet.
